End cap type reagent nozzle

Abstract

A nozzle for a fire suppression system, comprising: a smooth dome having an outer surface that approximates a partial sphere; the cavity is formed in the circular top; and a plurality of apertures through the dome, the plurality of apertures providing fluid communication between the cavity and an exterior of the dome. A fire extinguishing system is also disclosed.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of Chinese invention patent application No. 201910027239.0, with the application date of January 11, 2019 and the invention name of “End Cap Type Reagent Nozzle”. Background Art

[0002] Known fire extinguishing systems operate by dispersing a readily vaporizable extinguishing agent or extinguishing agent throughout a protected space. Such systems typically have one or more pressurized reservoirs containing the extinguishing agent connected to a network of pipes. The pipes often transport the agent from a storage location to the protected space in a liquid state, terminating at a wall or ceiling, or at a location through a wall or through a ceiling. The agent is dispersed into the protected space by a nozzle connected to the end of the pipe, thereby delivering the agent into the space where the agent mixes with the air in the space.

[0003] Known nozzle designs have a cylindrical body with lateral orifices punched out around its periphery. The reagent flows into the cylinder and disperses laterally through the orifices. The nozzle needs to be dropped into the room, and pipe joints and elbow fittings may be required to mount the nozzle in an effective orientation. Summary of the invention

[0004] A nozzle for a fire extinguishing system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure includes, inter alia: a smooth dome having an outer surface that approximates a partial sphere; a cavity within the dome; and a plurality of orifices passing through the dome, the plurality of orifices providing fluid communication between the cavity and the exterior of the dome.

[0005] In further embodiments of the foregoing nozzle, a generally cylindrical neck section extends from the dome and encloses a portion of the cavity.

[0006] In further embodiments of any of the foregoing nozzles, the inner surface of the neck section is threaded.

[0007] In further embodiments of any of the foregoing nozzles, the partial sphere is less than half of a sphere.

[0008] In further embodiments of any of the foregoing nozzles, the orifice is generally cylindrical and has a longitudinal axis extending in a direction generally perpendicular to an outer surface of the dome at a corresponding location of the longitudinal axis on the first plane.

[0009] In further embodiments of any of the foregoing nozzles, the longitudinal axes are parallel in a second plane that is perpendicular to the first plane.

[0010] In further embodiments of any of the foregoing nozzles, the orifices are all arranged generally along a straight line extending through the center of the dome so that reagent ejected from the nozzle will be ejected across a first arc on a first axis and across a second arc on a second axis perpendicular to the first axis. The second arc subtends an angle that is less than half as wide as the angle subtended by the first arc.

[0011] In further embodiments of any of the foregoing nozzles, the orifices are generally cylindrical and arranged generally in a circle, and the orifices are angled relative to each other such that the reagent ejected from the nozzle will be ejected in a spiral pattern.

[0012] In further embodiments of any of the foregoing nozzles, the securing means is releasably secured to cover the dome.

[0013] In further embodiments of any of the foregoing nozzles, a frangible fixture is secured to cover the dome.

[0014] A fire extinguishing system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure includes, inter alia: at least one nozzle, the at least one nozzle including: a dome having an outer surface approximating a partial sphere; a cavity within the dome; and a plurality of orifices passing through the dome, the plurality of orifices providing fluid communication between the cavity and the exterior of the dome. At least one conduit provides a fire extinguishing agent to the nozzle.

[0015] In further embodiments of the foregoing system, the outer surface is configured to have a substantial thickness, and the orifice is generally cylindrical and has a longitudinal axis.

[0016] In further embodiments of any of the foregoing systems, the apertures are arranged in one or more rows, and the longitudinal axis of each aperture is oriented approximately 20° away from any adjacent aperture in the same row.

[0017] In further embodiments of any of the foregoing systems, the plurality of apertures are arranged generally in a circle, and the longitudinal axis of each aperture is inclined in a direction tangential to the circle.

[0018] In further embodiments of any of the foregoing systems, the internally threaded cylindrical neck is adapted to connect in fluid communication with an end of a conduit.

[0019] In further embodiments of any of the foregoing systems, the plurality of apertures are arranged in at least two parallel rows.

[0020] In further embodiments of any of the foregoing systems, at least two parallel rows overlap in a direction perpendicular to the rows.

[0021] In further embodiments of any of the foregoing systems, the nozzle is configured to discharge an agent received in a liquid state such that the agent is atomized or vaporized when discharged from the nozzle.

[0022] Although the different examples have specific components shown in the drawings, embodiments of the invention are not limited to those specific combinations. It is possible to use some of the components or features from one of the examples in combination with features or components from another example.

[0023] These and other features disclosed herein can be best understood from the following specification and drawings, the following of which is a brief description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an example arrangement of nozzles.

[0025] Figure 2 is a perspective view of the nozzle according to the first embodiment.

[0026] Figure 3 This is a second oblique view of the nozzle.

[0027] Figure 4A is a top view of the nozzle.

[0028] Figure 4B is a side view of the nozzle.

[0029] Figure 5A It is along Figure 4A Cross-sectional view of section AA.

[0030] Figure 5B It is along Figure 4A Cross-sectional view of section BB.

[0031] Figure 5C yes Figure 4B Cross-sectional view of section CC.

[0032] Fig. 6A is a schematic side view of the pattern of the extinguishing agent sprayed.

[0033] Figure 6B It is a top-down diagram of the pattern of extinguishing agents sprayed.

[0034] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the installation of the nozzle behind the silencer fixture.

[0035] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of another installation embodiment of the nozzle.

[0036] Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of a third installation embodiment of the nozzle.

[0037] Fig. 10A is a top view of another nozzle embodiment.

[0038] Fig. 10B It is along Fig. 10A Cross-sectional view of section DD. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] refer to Figure 1 , an example fire extinguishing system 62 is shown, and the fire extinguishing system 62 includes a nozzle 10 for providing fire extinguishing in a protected space. The nozzle 10 is each connected to a pipeline 66 drawn from a reagent reservoir 64. The reagent reservoir 64 can be pressurized so that a gaseous or vaporous reagent under normal atmospheric conditions can be stored in a liquid state. This pressurized liquid reagent will be atomized or vaporized after being ejected from the nozzle 10 into the protected space. Alternatively, especially when the reagent is water, the reservoir can be a supply system such as a water pipe facility.

[0040] The nozzles 10 may be attached by a threaded connection in fluid communication with the end of the conduit 66. The nozzles 10 are arranged in a row 60, and the orifices 16 on each nozzle 10 are arranged generally along a line parallel to the row 60. The nozzles 10 in each row 60 are spaced farther apart from adjacent nozzles 10 in the same row 60 than the row 60 is spaced from adjacent rows 60. The example system 62 is disclosed by way of example and other arrangements and relative orientations are possible and within the contemplation of the present disclosure.

[0041] refer to Figure 2 , one of the nozzles 10 for dispersing a fire extinguishing agent is shown. The nozzle 10 has a dome 12 and a neck 14 offset from each other by a ring 15. The dome 12 is punched with orifices 16, which may be arranged generally along a straight line passing through the center point of the dome 12 as shown. Generally along a straight line in this disclosure is used to describe an arrangement including one or more closely spaced parallel rows of orifices 16. It should be noted that the orientation of the orifices 16 shown here is only an example, and other arrangements of the orifices 16 are expressly contemplated.

[0042] In the continued reference Figure 2 In the case of Figure 3 , a cavity 18 is shown disposed inside the nozzle 10. In the disclosed example embodiment, the neck 14 has threads 20 on an inner surface facing the cavity 18. The threads 20 are configured to directly engage with threads on a pipe for delivering the fire extinguishing agent. Alternatively, the nozzle 10 can be attached to the pipe by other means, such as welding, brazing, or a mechanical coupling configured for this purpose.

[0043] refer to Figure 4A and Figure 4B, the orifices 16 may be arranged generally along a straight line passing through the center point of the dome 12. Figure 4A As particularly shown, the apertures 16 are generally arranged in parallel rows along cross-sectional planes A and B. Figure 4B The section C shown is perpendicular to sections A and B. The parallel rows overlap in a direction perpendicular to the rows, which means that a line can be drawn parallel to the rows that will intersect the arc of at least one orifice 16 in both rows. In other words, the parallel center lines of two adjacent rows are separated by a distance less than the diameter of an orifice 16. This description is only an example, and the orifices may be arranged in other patterns suitable for the desired manner of reagent dispersion.

[0044] The dome 12 has the shape of a partial sphere. In other words, the dome 12 according to this embodiment has a rounded outer surface 11, wherein every point on the surface 11 has a substantially equal distance R relative to a given point G. As shown here, the partial sphere of the dome 12 is less than half a sphere, which means that the arc defined by the outer surface 11 of the dome 12 subtends an angle of less than 180°. For example, the outer surface 11 of the embodiment shown here defines an arc subtending a relatively small angle, so that the outer surface 11 is almost flat. The surface 11 thus generally faces the protected space after installation.

[0045] Figure 5A and Figure 5B The orifice 16 is shown to provide fluid communication between the cavity 18 and the outer surface 11 of the nozzle 10. The orifice 16 is generally cylindrical in shape and has a longitudinal axis 19. The longitudinal axis 19 of the orifice 16 is oriented at an angle 25 away from the longitudinal axis 19 of the adjacent orifice 16. In one disclosed embodiment, the angle 25 is approximately 20°. The angle 25 is exemplary, and other angles can be equivalently used to practice the disclosed embodiments and are within the contemplation of the present disclosure. In addition, the longitudinal axis 19 of the orifice 16 is approximately perpendicular to the outer surface 11 of the dome 12 on sections A and B. For illustrative purposes, a tangent line 20 is tangential to the outer surface 11 and is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 19 of the orifice 16 on sections A and B.

[0046] refer to Figure 5C , the longitudinal axes 19 of the orifices 16 are parallel to each other and are generally axially aligned with the nozzle 10. Thus, on sections A and B, the longitudinal axes 19 are perpendicular to the outer surface 11 of the dome 12 at their respective locations, but on section C, which is perpendicular to sections A and B, the longitudinal axes 19 are parallel to each other and are at different angles relative to the outer surface 11.

[0047] Back reference Figure 5A and Figure 5B, the dome 12 has a substantial thickness T. Here, substantial thickness T is used to describe that the dome 12 is thicker than a film or membrane. Substantial thickness T enables the orientation of the longitudinal axis 19 of the orifice 16 to direct the angle at which the reagent is discharged from the orifice 16.

[0048] refer to Fig. 6A and Figure 6B Side view and top-down view, such as FIG. 5A to FIG. 5C The combined effect of the orientation of the orifice 16 shown is that the reagent discharged from the nozzle 10 will be propelled in a straight arc shape 17. Fig. 6A From the perspective of the straight arc shape 17, the degree to which the vertical arc will be defined will be significantly smaller than the vertical arc from Figure 6B The angle 27 of the visible horizontal arc is the angle 29 subtended by the vertical arc. For example, the angle 27 subtended by the vertical arc will be less than half of the angle 29 subtended by the horizontal arc.

[0049] Straight arc 17 and Figure 1 The array of systems 62 is complementary. The rows 60 are spaced parallel to the width of the straight arc 17 so that each row 60 of nozzles 10 can quickly provide a sheet of agent dispersion in a fire situation. With multiple rows 60 parallel and close to each other, the array of systems 62 can quickly fill a large space with dispersion agent.

[0050] Figure 7 An example application of the nozzle 10 in an anechoic chamber is shown. The nozzle 10 is mounted nearly flush with the wall 30 behind a soundproofing fixture 32. The fixture 32 shown has a pyramidal shape, but the shape of the fixture 32 is largely irrelevant to the operation of the present disclosure.

[0051] The low profile of the nozzle 10 allows the nozzle to be placed behind the fixture 32 with minimal disruption to the acoustic properties of the anechoic chamber, while still being connected to the fire suppression system 62. The fixture 32 may be attached to the wall 30 so that in the event of a fire, the extinguishing agent ejected from the nozzle 10 will travel through the fixture 32 or cause the fixture 32 to separate from and fall off the wall 30. In other words, the fixture 32 may be releasably fastened over the nozzle 10 to cover the dome 12, or the fixture 32 may be frangible.

[0052] Figure 8 Another example application of the nozzle 10 in a confined space 40 is shown. The confined space 40 may be, for example, a space above a suspended ceiling or subfloor in a data center. The small profile of the nozzle 10 allows the nozzle to be relatively easily installed in the confined space 40, and wherein the straight arc 17-style agent dispersion can be used to provide fire suppression in a space having a width W that is significantly greater than its height H.

[0053] Another example application of the nozzle 10 is application to Fig. 9 Schematically shown in a computer lab 50. Computer labs 50 often contain vulnerable computer equipment 52 that may be damaged by direct splashing of liquid fire extinguishing agent. Nozzle 10 can be configured to spray the agent in a relatively narrow arc or jet 54 into the area between the equipment 52 without spraying directly onto the equipment 52.

[0054] Fig. 10A and Fig. 10B Another nozzle 110 embodiment is shown. The nozzle 110 has a dome 112, a neck 114, a ring 115, a cavity 118, and an orifice 116 arranged generally in a circle O. The longitudinal axis 119 of the orifice 116 is inclined at an angle θ in a direction tangential to the circle O. The inclined orifice 116 will spray the agent in a spiral pattern, which in some applications will result in relatively silent operation of the fire extinguishing system. A silent fire extinguishing system may be important in applications such as data centers, where rotating data discs may be sensitive to impact disturbances. The spiral spraying of the agent may also promote spiral air circulation, which may help disperse the agent throughout the protected space.

[0055] Although example embodiments have been disclosed, a worker of ordinary skill in this art would recognize that certain modifications would come within the scope of this disclosure.Therefore, the following claims should be studied to determine the scope and content of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A nozzle for a fire extinguishing system, the nozzle comprising: a smooth dome having an outer surface approximating a partial sphere, wherein the partial sphere is less than half of a sphere; a cavity within the dome; as well as a plurality of apertures passing through the partial sphere of the dome, the plurality of apertures providing fluid communication between the cavity and an exterior of the dome, the plurality of apertures being arranged in at least two parallel rows of apertures, each row comprising at least three apertures, and the at least two parallel rows overlapping in a direction perpendicular to the rows, and The dome has a substantial thickness so that the orientation of the longitudinal axis of the orifice can direct the angle of the reagent discharged from the orifice, and the orifices in each row are all arranged generally along a straight line extending through the center of the dome so that the reagent ejected from the nozzle will be ejected as a sheet along a first arc on a first axis and across a second arc on a second axis perpendicular to the first axis, wherein the angle subtended by the second arc is less than half the width of the angle subtended by the first arc.

2. The nozzle of claim 1 further comprising a generally cylindrical neck section extending from the dome and enclosing a portion of the cavity.

3. The nozzle of claim 2, wherein the inner surface of the neck section is threaded.

4. The nozzle of claim 1 wherein the orifice is generally cylindrical and has a longitudinal axis extending in a direction generally perpendicular to the outer surface of the dome at a corresponding location of the longitudinal axis on a first plane.

5. The nozzle of claim 4, wherein the longitudinal axes are parallel in a second plane perpendicular to the first plane.

6. The nozzle of claim 1 wherein a securing means is releasably secured to cover said dome.

7. The nozzle of claim 1 wherein a frangible fastener is secured to cover said dome.

8. A fire extinguishing system, comprising: at least one nozzle, the at least one nozzle comprising: a dome having an outer surface approximating a partial sphere, wherein the partial sphere is less than half of a sphere; a cavity within the dome; and a plurality of apertures passing through the partial sphere of the dome, the plurality of apertures providing fluid communication between the cavity and an exterior of the dome, the plurality of apertures being arranged in at least two parallel rows of apertures, each row comprising at least three apertures, and the at least two parallel rows overlapping in a direction perpendicular to the rows, and wherein the dome has a substantial thickness so that the longitudinal axes of the orifices are oriented to direct the angle at which reagent is discharged from the orifices, and wherein the orifices in each row are all arranged generally along a straight line extending through the center of the dome so that reagent ejected from the nozzle will be ejected as a sheet along a first arc on a first axis and across a second arc on a second axis perpendicular to the first axis, wherein the second arc subtends an angle that is less than half the width of the angle subtended by the first arc; and At least one conduit provides a fire extinguishing agent to the nozzle.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the orifice is generally cylindrical and has a longitudinal axis.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the longitudinal axis of each aperture is oriented approximately 20° away from any adjacent aperture in the same row.

11. The system of claim 8 having an internally threaded cylindrical neck for connecting in fluid communication with an end of a pipe.

12. The nozzle of claim 8, wherein the nozzle is configured to discharge a reagent received in a liquid state such that the reagent is atomized or vaporized when discharged from the nozzle.

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