Procedures for containing or extinguishing a (fire) source

Abstract

Method (100) for containing or extinguishing a (fire) source, wherein after a source (5) has been reported to a control center, possibly under initialization by a supervisor, a fire engine (1) contains or extinguishes a source, and the fire engine is designed as follows: Unmanned, preferably self-propelled fire-fighting vehicle (1), comprising - at least one mobile base frame (2) which can be moved from one location to another either fully automatically or by external intervention of a user, - at least one means (3) for extinguishing and / or smothering fires, smoldering fires or other sources (5) containing toxic gases, wherein the means (3) for extinguishing and / or smothering can either be connected to an external extinguishing agent source or the vehicle (1) at least partially comprises an extinguishing agent source and further wherein the means (3) for extinguishing and / or smothering is different from an irrigation vehicle, wherein after completion of the containment or extinguishing process, the vehicle (1) again returns fully automatically to a rest location, for example a fire brigade equipment shed (10), GPS data or other geodata can be used to move the vehicle (1), and wherein after a fluid-tight connection of the means (3) for extinguishing and / or smothering to a fluid tank and / or to an extinguishing fluid system, the vehicle (1), preferably fully automatically,to contain or extinguish the source (5) by means of a turbine (7) installed on the vehicle (1) along the source (5) and this turbine (7) diverts a part of the fluid pressure to drive it, and further wherein the vehicle (1) has at least one drive element (4), for example an electric motor or an internal combustion engine, by means of which the vehicle (1) can be driven from a stationing location to a fire location (5) or drives itself.

Description

[0001] The present invention comprises a method for containing or extinguishing a (fire) source according to claim 1.

[0002] DE 20 2021 106 228 U1 shows a fire-fighting robot for vehicles, in particular electric vehicles, comprising- a drive system for moving the fire-fighting robot,- an extinguishing system with at least one extinguishing tool for introducing extinguishing agent into an interior of the vehicle, and- an information processing system for receiving and forwarding information relating to a fire status of the vehicle and for controlling the drive system and the extinguishing system.

[0003] CN 2 02 459 918 U shows a rapid-response fire control robot system based on an ultra-high water jet. It can be used to detect, extinguish, and rescue fires at dangerous disaster sites involving flammable, explosive, or toxic substances, oxygen deficiency, dense smoke, and other situations, replacing firefighter rescue personnel. The rapid fire-fighting robot system includes a pickup truck, a water storage tank, a high-pressure water pumping station, an automatic high-pressure water pipe wrapping plate, a high-pressure water jet gun, a robot, a wireless remote control console, and a detection module. The high-pressure water jet gun, the detection module, and the robot are connected by bolts. The wireless remote control console, the water storage tank, the automatic high-pressure water pipe wrapping plate, and the high-pressure water pump are attached to the pickup truck by bolts.During transport, the robot is suspended on the pickup truck and carries the detection module, allowing it to enter a disaster scene automatically or remotely while performing a task to detect or extinguish fires. The rapid-response fire control robot system enables rapid response at the disaster scene and contributes significantly to reducing injuries and fatalities among firefighters, as well as damage to government property.

[0004] DE 10 2016 212 645 A1 shows an unmanned vehicle for initiating a fire extinguishing action, comprising: a vehicle sensor unit for detecting a fire characteristic of a vehicle monitoring area, a signal receiving unit for receiving an instruction signal representing a reference fire condition for a fire detector monitoring area of ​​a stationary fire detector and a target location, and a navigation control unit for navigating the vehicle to the target location based on the instruction signal so that the vehicle monitoring area and the fire detector monitoring area overlap, wherein the vehicle is configured to detect the fire characteristic at the target location by means of the vehicle sensor unit as a verification fire characteristic of the fire detector monitoring area, wherein the vehicle is configured to determine a verification fire condition by evaluating the verification fire characteristic, wherein the vehicle is configured toto determine the reference fire condition as the verified reference fire condition if the reference fire condition and the verification fire condition sufficiently match, and to initiate a fire extinguishing action in the case of a verified reference fire condition. Furthermore, the invention relates to a system with such a vehicle and a corresponding method.

[0005] DE 195 28 858 A1 discloses a firefighting robot comprising a water cannon connected to a hose for supplying extinguishing water, a drive source, and a movement mechanism actuated by the drive source. The drive source is a water turbine that can be driven by the extinguishing water supplied via the hose.

[0006] According to the invention, the unmanned, preferably self-propelled firefighting vehicle comprises at least one mobile base frame which can be moved from one location to the next either fully automatically or by external intervention of a user, and at least one means for extinguishing and / or smothering fires, smoldering fires or other sources containing toxic gases, wherein the means for extinguishing and / or smothering is either connectable to an external extinguishing agent source or the vehicle at least partially comprises an extinguishing agent source and further wherein the means for extinguishing and / or smothering is different from an irrigation vehicle.

[0007] The 2023 Canadian wildfires are a series of wildfires in Canada. They began in March 2023 and spread rapidly from May 2023 onwards, fueled by severe drought, heat, and the effects of climate change. Almost all provinces and regions of the country are affected. Particularly extensive and numerous fires are occurring in Quebec, Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories, and Ontario; Manitoba, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Yukon, and Newfoundland and Labrador are also affected.

[0008] Measured by area, the wildfire season is Canada's worst on record. As of November 21, 2023, 6,652 fires had occurred, of which 331 were active and 84 were out of control. They had burned an area of ​​approximately 185,000 km². 2 This is almost 2.5 times as much as in the previous record season in Canada and corresponds to more than half the area of ​​Germany (357,588 km 2). On average over the past ten years, approximately 22,000 km 2 yearly.

[0009] As a result, parts of Canada and the United States experienced massive, health-threatening air pollution for a time, affecting over 100 million people. By August 22, nearly 200,000 people had to be evacuated, the highest number ever in Canada. Three firefighters and a helicopter pilot were killed fighting the fire.

[0010] The situation was exacerbated by a general shortage of firefighters and the fact that all Canadian provinces were affected simultaneously, making it difficult to exchange personnel and equipment such as firefighting aircraft. The Canadian military, among others, was deployed to fight the fires. In mid-June, around 5,000 firefighters from various countries, including the USA, Chile, Portugal, Spain, and others, also supported the firefighting efforts. Because the large fires are difficult to extinguish, the wildfire season is expected to last into the fall. The peak of the Canadian wildfire season typically occurs between June and August.

[0011] It is therefore an object of the present invention to at least bring distant fires or the like under control and ideally to extinguish them, even without firefighters.

[0012] The vehicle proposed here, preferably unnamed, is a solution to this problem. For example, the vehicle is an aerosol fire extinguisher (also known as an exhaust gas fire extinguisher or turbo extinguisher). This is a firefighting vehicle that aerosolizes (atomizes) a liquid and injects it at high pressure or over long distances (up to 100 m) into a fire to extinguish a fire or suppress toxic fumes and smoke, and to facilitate access to the scene for firefighters. Extinguishing water or firefighting foam can be added to the exhaust jet of a movably mounted jet turbine or the air stream of a conventional turbine (propeller). According to the invention, the vehicle has at least one drive element, for example, an electric motor or an internal combustion engine, by means of which the vehicle can be driven from a station location to a fire scene or can drive itself. A fuel tank can be installed in the vehicle, which enables the vehicle to travel more than 10 km, preferably more than 100 km, without needing to refuel.

[0013] The extinguishing agent source can comprise a fire pressure hose which is stored in the vehicle so that it can be rolled up. The hose is preferably connected to an extinguishing agent reservoir on or in the vehicle or externally to such a reservoir. For example, the hose is a fire service pressure hose. Preferably, the hose and / or a pressure pump on or in the vehicle is designed, equipped and intended for an operating pressure of up to 17 bar. For example, the test pressure is 12 bar for A and F hoses and 16 bar for B, C and D hoses. The bursting pressure is, for example, 25 bar; i.e. new hoses must preferably withstand 24 bar without bursting.

[0014] A fire extinguisher can be installed at the end of the hose. An extinguishing agent pump can be powered either by the engine or by another pump pressure generating unit on the vehicle.

[0015] Preferably, the hose is wound on a reel with a diameter of at least one meter, preferably at least 5 meters. The reel can be part of the vehicle.

[0016] According to at least one embodiment, it has at least one hose reel onto which the hose can be wound and unwound by itself or by the addition of mechanical force.

[0017] According to at least one embodiment, this has at least one controller element which transmits the data relevant for fire fighting, such as location, area extent, danger points or the like, to a control system and / or a drive element, and the control system is set up and intended to control the drive element in such a way that it moves to the location of the fire source fully or partially automatically, preferably without initial intervention by a monitor or user. According to at least one embodiment, after arriving near the source, the vehicle positions itself, preferably fully automatically, near the source in such a way that the source is contained or extinguished by the vehicle, preferably fully automatically.

[0018] According to the invention, after a fluid-tight connection of the extinguishing and / or smothering agent to a fluid tank and / or to an extinguishing fluid system, the vehicle moves, preferably fully automatically, along the source of the fire to contain or extinguish the fire using a turbine installed on the vehicle. This turbine diverts a portion of the fluid pressure to drive the turbine. The actual engine of the vehicle can be switched off.

[0019] The deletion process can be performed in rows and columns. The vehicle can be satellite-controlled for this purpose.

[0020] According to at least one embodiment, the vehicle has at least one sensor system that can detect characteristics of the source of the fire, such as location, surface area, heat, danger points, or the like. These values ​​are then transmitted to the control unit, enabling fully automatic containment or extinguishing of the source of the fire without further intervention by an operator or supervisor. For example, depending on the requirements for the fire suppression, more than one vehicle may be activated automatically or by a supervisor.

[0021] This could involve a queue of at least two of the vehicles described here, which would preferably drive to the stove fully automatically. Once the stove is integrated into the alarm system, either fully automatically or by the monitor, everything can happen fully automatically. It's also conceivable that a stove could be detected fully automatically by a monitoring system. Satellites or similar devices could be used for this, which could detect the stove in real time or when it reaches a certain size.

[0022] According to at least one embodiment, the fire engine, either by means of the operation of an operator of the fire engine or fully automatically after arriving in the area of ​​the fire, lays its hose connection to a water source laterally along an edge of a road or path at which the fire engine is stopped, so that a fire engine driving behind it, for example of the same type as described here according to the invention, does not have to drive over the hose laid to the rear or is hindered by it.

[0023] According to at least one embodiment, a pressure compressor unit is mounted on at least one of the firefighting vehicles described here in order to at least partially, preferably completely, maintain an output pressure from an extinguishing water source. In other words, the pressure loss is at least partially maintained at least at one point, if several firefighting vehicles are arranged one behind the other, so that a firefighting vehicle cascade can be created.

[0024] For example, a hose diameter of the fire engine is at least 5 inches, preferably at least 10 inches and particularly preferably at least 11, for example at least 12 inches.

[0025] Therefore, water is forced under high pressure from the fire engine, for example through a fire hose described here, so that high-pressure spraying can take place.

[0026] In addition to the enormous amounts of water that are pressed and thrown out of the end of the hose in the direction of the stove, especially under high pressure, with a hose of this size, the stove is usually not only extinguished but often also smothered.

[0027] In the sense of the invention, “high pressure” means a pressure to which the extinguishing agent, for example the extinguishing water, is subjected to at least 5 bar, preferably at least 10 bar, in particular at least 40 and at most 200 bar.

[0028] The fire engine can form a so-called high-pressure extinguishing system.

[0029] A high-pressure extinguishing system (HDL for short, also called a very high-pressure extinguishing system in Austria) is designed to achieve the greatest possible extinguishing effect with as little water as possible. The principle of a high-pressure extinguishing system is that "the finer the water droplets, the faster the water evaporates, the better the extinguishing effect." Water that doesn't evaporate is considered "waste" in extinguishing terms and is responsible for the notorious water damage that occurs in what is essentially a small fire.

[0030] Unlike a pulse extinguishing system, a high-pressure extinguishing system emits a constant jet, but both, depending on the type, operate at pressures in excess of 100 bar. The ultrafine atomization massively increases the surface area of ​​the extinguishing agent (water with or without foam concentrate), allowing for faster evaporation. A special feature is the rapid and highly efficient evaporation, which extracts an enormous amount of heat (2.3 MJ per liter of water) from the environment. Likewise, the air is displaced by immediate evaporation upon impact with the flames (approximately 1600 times the volume of the original water droplet), enabling rapid flame containment. In addition, there is an enormous cooling effect and efficient shielding from radiant heat for surrounding fire loads and nearby people.

[0031] It is conceivable that if at least two fire engines presented here are fed simultaneously, i.e. in parallel, from an extinguishing agent source, for example a lake or a hydrant, or are cascaded one after the other in a kind of series connection, i.e. connected one after the other, several launchers can fight a fire with approximately the same pressure conditions.

[0032] Furthermore, for the purposes of the application, the term "firefighting vehicle" refers to any moving or movable firefighting device. The term "firefighting vehicle" therefore includes not only vehicles with their own motor drive, such as a diesel, gasoline, or other combustion engine and / or electric motor, but also firefighting trailers or separate firefighting devices that do not have their own propulsion and are transported to the vicinity of the fire, for example, by helicopter or other air freight vehicle.

[0033] If a vehicle's sensors detect that additional vehicles are needed on site to contain or extinguish the fire, at least one additional vehicle is started, preferably fully automatically, or starts moving automatically.

[0034] According to the invention, after the containment or extinguishing process has been completed, the vehicle returns fully automatically to a rest location, for example a fire department equipment shed.

[0035] According to the invention, GPS data or other geodata can be used to move the vehicle.

[0036] According to the invention, in the method for containing or extinguishing a (fire) source, wherein after a source has been reported to a control center, possibly with initialization by a monitor, a fire-fighting vehicle according to claim 1 extinguishes or quenches a source.

[0037] In the following, the invention described here is presented in more detail with reference to a figure and the associated description.

[0038] The Fig. 1 the unmanned, preferably self-propelled firefighting vehicle 1 described here, which comprises at least one mobile base frame 2, which can be moved from one location to the next either fully automatically or by external intervention of a user, and at least one means 3 for extinguishing and / or smothering fires, smoldering fires or other sources 5 containing toxic gases, wherein the means 3 for extinguishing and / or smothering is either connectable to an external extinguishing agent source or the vehicle 1 at least partially comprises an extinguishing agent source and further wherein the means 3 for extinguishing and / or smothering is different from an irrigation vehicle.

[0039] The vehicle 1 has at least one drive element 4, for example an electric motor or an internal combustion engine, by means of which the vehicle 1 can be driven from a stationing location to a fire location 5 or drives itself.

[0040] The fire engine 1 also has at least one hose reel onto which the hose can be wound and unwound either automatically or by the addition of mechanical force.

[0041] It further comprises at least one controller element 6, which transmits the data relevant for firefighting, such as location, area extent, danger points or the like, to a control and / or a drive element 4, and the control is set up and intended to control the drive element 4 in such a way that it moves to the location of the source 5 fully or partially automatically, preferably without initial intervention by a monitor or user.

[0042] After arriving near the source 5, the vehicle 1 positions itself, preferably fully automatically, near the source so that the source is contained or extinguished by the vehicle 1, preferably fully automatically.

[0043] The Fig. 1 also shows the firefighting vehicle 1, how, after a fluid-tight connection of the means 3 for extinguishing and / or suffocating to a fluid tank and / or to an extinguishing fluid system, the vehicle 1 moves, preferably fully automatically, along the hearth 5 to contain or extinguish the fire source 5 by means of a turbine 7 installed on the vehicle 1, and this turbine 7 diverts part of the fluid pressure to drive the fire source.

[0044] The vehicle 1 has at least one sensor system by means of which properties of the source 5 such as location, surface area, heat, danger points or the like can be detected, so that these values ​​are passed on to the control unit so that a fully automatic containment or extinguishing of the source 5 is possible without further influence of an operator or monitor.

[0045] After completion of the containment or extinguishing process, the vehicle 1 then returns fully automatically to a rest location, for example a fire department equipment house 10, whereby GPS data or other geodata can be used to move the vehicle 1.

[0046] The Fig.1 also shows a method 100 for containing or extinguishing a (fire) source 5, wherein after reporting a source 5 to a control center, possibly under initialization by a monitor, a fire engine 1 according to claim 1 contains or extinguishes a source. List of reference symbols 1 fire engine 2 base frame 3 Means for extinguishing and / or smothering fires 4 Drive element 5 Fire location, stove 6 Controller element 7 turbines 10 tool shed 100 procedures

Claims

[1] Method (100) for containing or extinguishing a (fire) source, wherein, after a source (5) has been reported to a control centre, possibly under initialisation by a supervisor, a fire-fighting vehicle (1) contains or extinguishes a source, and the fire-fighting vehicle is designed as follows: Unmanned, preferably self-propelled fire-fighting vehicle (1), comprising - at least one mobile base frame (2) which can be moved from one location to another either fully automatically or by external intervention of a user, - at least one means (3) for extinguishing and / or smothering fires, smoldering fires or other sources (5) containing toxic gases, wherein the means (3) for extinguishing and / or smothering can either be connected to an external extinguishing agent source or the vehicle (1) at least partially comprises an extinguishing agent source and further wherein the means (3) for extinguishing and / or smothering is different from an irrigation vehicle, wherein after completion of the containment or extinguishing process, the vehicle (1) again returns fully automatically to a rest location, for example a fire brigade equipment shed (10), GPS data or other geodata can be used to move the vehicle (1), and wherein after a fluid-tight connection of the means (3) for extinguishing and / or smothering to a fluid tank and / or to an extinguishing fluid system, the vehicle (1), preferably fully automatically,to contain or extinguish the source (5) by means of a turbine (7) installed on the vehicle (1) along the source (5) and this turbine (7) diverts a part of the fluid pressure to drive it, and further wherein the vehicle (1) has at least one drive element (4), for example an electric motor or an internal combustion engine, by means of which the vehicle (1) can be driven from a stationing location to a fire location (5) or drives itself. [2] Method (100) according to claim 1, characterized bythat it has at least one controller element (6) which transmits the data relevant for fire fighting, such as location, area extent, danger points or the like, to a control system and / or a drive element (4), and the control system is set up and intended to control the drive element (4) in such a way that it moves to the location of the source (5) fully or partially automatically, preferably without initial intervention by a monitor or user. [3] Method (100) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized by that after arriving near the source (5) the vehicle (1) positions itself, preferably fully automatically, near the source in such a way that the source is contained or extinguished by the vehicle (1), preferably fully automatically.

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