Systems and methods of firefighter air replenishment systems having reduced standby pressure

Abstract

A system includes an air storage tank, a selector valve, a pressure regulator, and a plurality of air fill stations. The air storage tank has air at an operational pressure of at least 3000 psig. The selector valve has a first flow path coupled with the air storage tank. The pressure regulator is coupled with a second flow path of the selector valve, and is to maintain pressure of air provided to the second flow path at a standby pressure less than 250 psig. The plurality of air fill stations are coupled with the selector valve.

Description

SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF FIREFIGHTER AIR REPLENISHMENT SYSTEMSHAVING REDUCED STANDBY PRESSURECROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 592,020, filed October 20, 2023, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.BACKGROUND

[0002] A structure (e.g., a vertical building, a horizontal building, a tunnel, marine craft) can have a firefighter air replenishment system (FARS) implemented therein. The FARS can have an emergency air fill station to enable firefighters and / or emergency personnel access breathable air.SUMMARY

[0003] At least one aspect relates to an air replenishment system, such as a firefighter air replenishment system (FARS). The FARS can include a source of air to provide the air at an operational pressure greater than or equal to 3000 psig. The system can include a plurality of air fill stations. The system can include a piping assembly coupled with the source of air and with the plurality of air fill stations. The system can include a pressure control system coupled with the piping assembly between the source of air and the plurality of air fill stations. The pressure control system can have a first state to provide air at the operating pressure from the source of air to the plurality of air fill stations. The pressure control system can have a second state to maintain pressure of air between the pressure control valve and the plurality of air fill stations at or below a standby pressure, such as a standby pressure less than or equal to 250 psig (e.g., 30 to 150 psig, such as pressures used in various applications). The pressure control system can include, for example, one or more valves (e.g., selector valves, pressure regulators, bleed valves) to limit pressure of air available to the air fill stations to be less than or equal to the standby pressure while the system is to be maintained in a standby mode, and to allow the pressure of air available to the air fill stations to be increased to the operating pressure responsive to manual and / or electronic inputs or actuations.

[0004] At least one aspect relates to an air pressure control system. The air pressure control system can include a selector valve and a pressure regulator. The selector valve can have a first port, a second port, and a third port, the first port connected with the third port in a first setting of the selector valve, the second port connected with the third port in a second setting of the selector valve, the first port coupled with a source of air at a first pressure, the third port coupled with one or more fill stations in a building. The pressure regulator can be coupled with the second port, and can limit air provided to the second valve through the second port to a second pressure, the second pressure less than the first pressure.

[0005] At least one aspect relates to a system. The system can include an air storage tank, a selector valve, a pressure regulator, and a plurality of air fill stations. The air storage tank can have air at an operational pressure of at least 3000 psig. The selector valve can have a first flow path coupled with the air storage tank. The pressure regulator can be coupled with a second flow path of the selector valve, and can maintain pressure of air provided to the second flow path at a standby pressure less than 250 psig. The plurality of air fill stations can be coupled with the selector valve.

[0006] At least one aspect relates to a method. The method can include coupling a first flow path of a selector valve between a source of air at an operational pressure and one or more fill stations. The method can include coupling a second flow path of the selector valve with a pressure regulator. The method can include setting the selector valve to a setting so that the second flow path is open to couple the pressure regulator with the port of the selector valve that connects with the one or more fill stations to reduce pressure at the one or more fill stations to be limited to a standby pressure.

[0007] These and other aspects and implementations are discussed in detail below. The foregoing information and the following detailed description include illustrative examples of various aspects and implementations, and provide an overview or framework for understanding the nature and character of the claimed aspects and implementations. The drawings provide illustration and a further understanding of the various aspects and implementations, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] The accompanying drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale. Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements. For purposes of clarity, not every component can be labeled in every drawing. In the drawings:

[0009] FIG. l is a schematic diagram of an example of a firefighter air replenishment system.

[0010] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an example of a pressure control system of a firefighter air replenishment system.

[0011] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a method of installing a pressure control system of a firefighter air replenishment system.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] Following below are more detailed descriptions of various concepts related to, and implementations of systems and methods of firefighter air replenishment systems (FARSs), such as a FARS that can be implemented to have reduced standby pressure in one or more portions of the FARS. The various concepts introduced above and discussed in greater detail below can be implemented in any of numerous ways, including in standby operation of air pipes in buildings implementations.

[0013] FARSs can be used to provide air, such as pressurized air, at various locations in an environment, such as a building or other structure in which access to breathable air may be limited. The pressurized air can be delivered to one or more fill stations, such for a firefighter to retrieve the air, such as to refill air bottles or cylinders. For example, the pressurized air can be retrieved as breathable air at one or more access points, such as fill stations, such as during an incident (e.g., a fire, smoke / air pollution) occurring in the structure. The access points can be coupled with an air supply by a piping assembly that delivers the air to the access points from the air supply. The piping assembly can include or be coupled with any of various air storage tanks, pipes, valves. For example, the FARS can include a stand pipe for air to connect air supply elements (storage tanks, etc.) with access points. This can address logistical issues with making air available in complex structures, such as multi-story buildings or tunnels, for example.

[0014] To allow for the air to be rapidly transferred from the FARS to a device used by a firefighter or other user, such as to a portable bottle of the user, it is useful for the air at the access points to be at high pressures in order to rapidly fill the bottle with an amount of air that can be used for a relatively long period of time. For example, FARSs can be made to maintain air pressures at a relatively high operating pressure, such as 4000-6000 psig (pounds per square inch gauge pressure), continuously. However, while individual components of the FARS can be structured to handle such high pressures, these components can be in portions of the environment or structure where it may not be useful and / or may be hazardous to have such high air pressures, such as in buildings in which personnel or occupants may not be trained to manage components having high air pressures.

[0015] Systems and methods in accordance with the present disclosure can implement a FARS that has a standby pressure lower (e.g., 1-2 orders of magnitude lower) than the operating pressure. For example, the FARS can have a standby pressure of about 30-150psig, as compared with operating pressures of about 4000-6000psig. This can reduce risks associated with the air pressure mostly or always being maintained at high pressures, while providing the air at the operating pressure when needed by a user, such as during an incident.

[0016] For example, a system (e.g., a FARS) can include a source of air at a relatively high operating pressure, such as an operating pressure greater than or equal to 3000 psig (e.g., 4000 to 6000 psig). The system can include a plurality of air fill stations. The system can include a piping assembly coupled with the source of air and with the plurality of air fill stations. The system can include a pressure control system coupled with the piping assembly between the source of air and the plurality of air fill stations. The pressure control system can have a first state to provide air at the operating pressure from the source of air to the plurality of air fill stations. The pressure control system can have a second state to maintain pressure of air between the pressure control valve and the plurality of air fill stations at or below a standby pressure, such as a standby pressure less than or equal to 250 psig (e.g., 30 to 150 psig, such as pressures used in various applications). The pressure control system can include, for example, one or more valves (e.g., selector valves, pressure regulators, bleed valves) to limit pressure of air available to the air fill stations to be less than or equal to the standby pressure while the system is to be maintained in a standby mode, and to allow the pressure of air available to the air fill stations to be increased to the operating pressure responsive to manual and / or electronic inputs or actuations.

[0017] FIG. 1 depicts an example of a system 100, such as a safety system or FARS. The system 100 can enable firefighters entering a structure 102 in times of fire-related emergencies to gain access to breathable (e.g., human breathable) air (e.g., breathable air 103) in the structure, without the need of bringing in air bottles / cylinders to be transported up several flights of stairs of the structure 102 or deep into the structure 102, or to refill depleted air bottles / cylinders that are brought into the structure 102.

[0018] The structure 102 can include any of various vertical building structures, horizontal building structures (e.g., shopping malls, hypermarts, extended shopping, storage and / or warehousing related structures), tunnels, marine craft (e.g., large marine vessels such as cruise ships, cargo ships, submarines and large naval craft, which may be floating versions of buildings and horizontal structures) and mines.

[0019] The system 100 can supply breathable air provided from a supply of air tanks (described further herein) that can be stored in the structure 102 or coupled with air piping components located in the structure 102. For example, when a fire department vehicle arrives at the structure 102 during an emergency, breathable air supply can be provided through a source of air connected to the vehicle. The safety system 100 can enable firefighters to refill air bottles / cylinders at emergency air fill stations located at one or more locations in the structure 102.

[0020] For example, the system 100 can allow for firefighters to fill air bottles / cylinders at one or more access points (e.g., fill stations 120) in the structure 102 under full respiration in less than one to two minutes. The system 100 can include a piping system 104 (e.g., piping assembly), which can be permanently installed within structure 102 to provide the breathable air 103. The piping system 104 can include any of various pipes and / or pipe components (e.g., pipes, conduits, fittings, valves, joints) to direct air flow through the piping system 104.

[0021] As depicted in FIG. 1, the piping system 104 can distribute breathable air 103 across floors / levels of the structure 102. The piping system 104 can distribute breathable air 103 from an air storage system 106, which can be at least partially disposed in the structure 102. The air storage system 106 can include one or more air storage tanks 108 that serve as sources of pressurized / compressed air (e.g., breathable air 103).

[0022] The piping system 104 can connect with a mobile air unit 110 (e.g., a fire vehicle) through an External Mobile Air Connection (EMAC) panel 112. The EMAC panel 112 canbe a boxed structure (e.g., exterior to the structure 102) to enable the connection between the mobile air unit 110 and the system 100. For example, the mobile air unit 110 can include an on-board air compressor, as well as piping, tanks, bottles, etc., to store and replenish pressurized / compressed air (e.g., breathable air analogous to breathable air 103) in air bottles / cylinders (e.g., utilizable with Self-Contained Breathing Apparatuses (SCBAs) carried by firefighters). Firefighters, for example, may be able to fill breathable air (e.g., breathable air 103, breathable air analogous to breathable air 103) into air bottles / cylinders (e.g., spare bottles, bottles requiring replenishment of breathable air) carried on the mobile air unit 110 through the system 100.

[0023] An air monitoring system 150 can be installed as part of the system 100 to automatically track and monitor a parameter (e.g., pressure) and / or a quality (e.g., indicated by moisture levels, carbon monoxide levels) of the breathable air 103 within the system 100. The air monitoring system 150 can be communicatively coupled with the air storage system 106 and the EMAC panel 112. The EMAC panel 112 can be at a remote location associated with (e.g., internal to, external to) the structure 102. To monitor the parameters and / or the quality of breathable air of the system 100, the air monitoring system 150 can include various sensors. For example, a pressure sensor of the air monitoring system 150 can automatically sense and record a pressure of the breathable air 103 of the system 100. The pressure sensor can communicate with an alarm system that is triggered responsive to the sensed pressure being outside a safety range. The air monitoring system 150 can automatically trigger a shutdown of breathable air distribution through the system 100 in case of impurity / contaminant (e.g., carbon monoxide) detection therethrough yielding levels above a safety / predetermined threshold.

[0024] The piping system 104 can include one or more pipes (for example and without limitation, stainless steel tubing pipes) that distribute the breathable air 103 to one or more fill stations 120. The piping system 104 can include, for example, one or more stand pipes 114 (e.g., vertical pipes extending through the structure 102 to connect with fill stations 120 at multiple levels of the structure 102). The piping system 104 can include or be coupled with one or more pumps, such as booster pumps, to drive air through the piping system 104 to fill stations 120 (e.g., responsive to a pressure on a downstream side of the booster pumps falling below a target threshold, such as the operating pressure).

[0025] The fill stations 120 can be structures that function as access points to retrieve the breathable air 103. The fill stations 120 can be fill stations, such as emergency air fill stations. The fill station 120 can be a charge panel, an emergency air fill panel, or a rupture containment air fill station, for example.

[0026] As an example, each fill station 120 can be located at a specific level of the structure 102, such as to be each of a basement level, a first floor level, a second floor level and so on. The fill station 120 can be located at the end of the flight of stairs that emergency fighting personnel (e.g., firefighting personnel) climb to reach a specific floor level within the structure 102.

[0027] The fill station 120 can be a static location within a level of the structure 102 that provides emergency personnel 122 (e.g., firefighters, emergency responders) the ability to rapidly fill air bottles / cylinders (e.g., SCBA cylinders) with breathable air 103.

[0028] The system 100 can include one or more isolation valves 160. The isolation valves 160 can be proximate one or more respective fill stations 120. The isolation valves 160 can isolate a corresponding fill station 120 from a remaining portion of the system 100. For example, said isolation may be achieved through the manual turning of isolation valve 160 proximate the corresponding fill station 120, or the isolation valve 160 can be remotely actuated (e.g., based on automatic turning) from the air monitoring system 150. The air monitoring system 150 can maintain breathable air supply to a subset of the fill stations 120 via the piping system 104 through control of a corresponding subset of isolation valves 160.

[0029] FIG. 2 depicts an example of a system 200, such as an air supply system, pressure control system, or pressure controller. The system 200 can be implemented as at least a portion of the system 100 to control pressure of air flow in the system 100, such as to maintain pressure of the breathable air 103 at and / or within a minimal threshold of a (relatively low) standby pressure during standby operation of the system 100, and to cause the pressure of the breathable air 103 to be increased to an operational pressure responsive to one or more inputs or actuations. This can allow for risks associated with high pressure of air in the piping system 104 to be mitigated or avoided, while still allowing for users (e.g., firefighters) to retrieve high pressure air in time in response to incidents. One or more components of the system 200 can be located in a same room or substructure of the structure102 as the air storage system 106, which can facilitate ease of access to the system 200 to control the state of the system 200.

[0030] The system 200 can have a first state to maintain the pressure at or below the standby pressure, and a second state to allow the pressure to increase to and / or be at the operational pressure, and can have components such as valves having settings to control the state of the system 200 and thus the pressure of air provided from the piping system 104 to fill stations 120. One or more systems 200 or components thereof can be provided to control air pressure for various subsets of the fill stations 120 in one or more structures 102.

[0031] As depicted in FIG. 2, the system 200 can include at least one valve 204 (e.g., first valve 204). The valve 204 can be positioned on a line 202 of the piping system 104 between the air storage system 106 and the one or more fill stations 120. For example, the valve 204 can be downstream of the air storage system 106 (e.g., proximate the air storage system 106 and downstream of one or more booster pumps) and upstream of at least a subset of the fill stations 120, such as to be upstream of one or more isolation valves 160 and / or one or more stand pipes 114. As such, the at least one valve 204 can be positioned to control pressure of air to be delivered to multiple fill stations 120, such as to facilitate isolation of a high pressure portion of the piping system 104 between the valve 204 and the air storage system 106 from a low standby pressure portion of the piping system 104 between the valve 204 and the fill stations 120.

[0032] The valve 204 can be a three way valve, such as a three way selector valve. For example, the valve 204 can have a first port 208 coupled with a first pipe 220 of the piping system 104, a second port 212 coupled with a second pipe 224 of the piping system 104, and a third port 216 coupled with a third pipe 228 of the piping system 104.

[0033] The system 200 can include at least one pressure regulator 232 (e.g., pressure regulation assembly). The pressure regulator 232 can include, as depicted in FIG. 2, a pressure regulator 236 (e.g., pressure regulator valve) and a bleed valve 240, or can include a pressure relief valve. For example, the pressure regulator 236 can be a control valve that uses feedback from air pressure downstream of the pressure regulator 236 to control the air pressure to meet a maximum threshold (e.g., the standby pressure). The bleed valve 240 can be used to vent air from the piping system 104 from the position of the bleed valve 240 upstream of the valve 204, such as to further facilitate maintaining the pressure of airdelivered to the valve 204 from the pressure regulator 232 at the standby pressure and / or allow for testing of the systems 100, 200 at the operational pressure and then returning the systems 100, 200 to standby pressure. The pressure regulator 236 can include a port or vent for bleeding overpressure, such that the pressure regulator 232 can be the pressure regulator 236 and not include the bleed valve 240 (e.g., to reduce overall parts / system complexity). The pressure regulator 236 can include an isolation valve (not shown) upstream of the pressure regulator 232 to further isolate high pressure from the components of the pressure regulator 232.

[0034] The pressure regulator 236 and / or bleed valve 240 can be sized to vent pressure greater than the maximum threshold from portions of the system 200 and / or piping system 104 downstream of the pressure regulator 232, such as between the valve 204 and the fill stations 120. This can allow the system pressure downstream of the valve 204 to be reduced to the standby pressure in a time period on the order of minutes.

[0035] The pressure regulator 232 (e.g., the pressure regulator valve; the pressure relief valve) can be manually and / or electronically (e.g., responsive to a signal from a controller or other remote electronic device) set to a pressure setting corresponding to the standby pressure. The standby pressure can be less than a threshold relating to reduced risk of use of air pressure in the structure 102. The standby pressure can be less than a fraction of the operational pressure, such as to be less than ten percent or less than one percent of the operational pressure of about 4000psig to 6000psig. The standby pressure can be, for example, greater than or equal to 10 psig and less than or equal to 250 psig; the standby pressure can be greater than or equal to 20 psig and less than or equal to 180 psig; the standby pressure can be greater than or equal to 30 psig and less than or equal to 150 psig. While FIG. 2 depicts the pressure regulator 232 and / or the valve 204 as receiving air at the standby pressure from the air storage system 106 that provides air at the operational pressure, the pressure regulator 232 and / or the valve 204 can receive air at the standby pressure from one or more intermediate components that can control the air pressure, and / or from an air source separate from the air storage system 106.

[0036] The pressure regulator 232 can be coupled with the piping system 104 at a point 244, which can be along the line 202 between the valve 204 and the air storage system 106, such as to be upstream of the valve 204. The pressure regulator 232 can receive relatively high pressure (e.g., operational pressure) air from the air storage system 106 via the point244, and can reduce the pressure to the standby pressure. By connecting the pressure regulator 232 with the air storage system 106 at the point 244 upstream of the valve 204, the pressure regulator 232 can be used to control air pressure on one of the flow paths through the valve 204 relative to the flow path from the point 244 to the valve 204. The point 244 can be between the air storage system 106 and one or more stand pipes 114.

[0037] As depicted in FIG. 2, the first port 208 of the valve 204 can be coupled with the air storage system 106 (e.g., via point 244 and first pipe 220), and the second port 212 can be coupled with the pressure regulator 232 (e.g., via second pipe 224). The valve 204 can have a first setting in which a first flow path from the first port 208 to the third port 216 is open and a second flow path from the second port 212 to the third port 216 is closed, such that the fill stations 120 can be fluidly coupled with the air storage system 106, and thus air at the operational pressure, while the valve 204 is in the first setting. The first and second flow paths can be formed by respective portions of the piping system 104.

[0038] The valve 204 can have a second setting in which the first flow path from the first port 208 to the third port 216 is closed and the second flow path from the second port 212 to the third port 216 is open, such that the portions of the piping system 104 and / or fill stations 120 downstream of the valve 204 receive air at or below the standby pressure from the pressure regulator 232, rather than at the operational pressure. As such, the valve 204 can be used to selectively isolate the fill stations 120 from air at the operational pressure unless the valve 204 is actuated to the second setting, such as by a manual and / or electronic actuation. For example, the valve 204 can include any of various selecting valves structured to selectively direct flow through the valve 204. By actuating the valve 204 from the first setting to the second setting, the system 200 can allow air at the operational pressure to flow to the fill stations 120, such as in a rapid period of time (e.g., less than five minutes, etc., given a size of the piping system 104 and / or number of fill stations 120), so that users of the system 100 can access air at the high, operational pressure in order to quickly fill or replenish air bottles by the time they reach the fill stations 120. The valve 204 can be actuated to the second setting for testing the system 100 and / or the system 200 at the operational pressure.

[0039] As depicted in FIG. 2, the system 200 can include at least one actuator 250 coupled with the valve 204. The actuator 250 can be integrally formed with the valve 204, or can be separately formed from the valve 204 and coupled with a control input of the valve 204. For example, the actuator 250 can be mechanically and / or electronically coupled with the valve204 to cause the valve 204 to change between the first setting and the second setting. The actuator 250 can include or be coupled with a device that generates a control signal to trigger operation of the valve 204, such as, for example and without limitation, a fire control panel, a fire alarm panel, a fire detector, a smoke sensor, or a test switch (e.g., a switch triggered by operation of a fire suppression system, such as a fire suppression system including sprinklers, nozzles, and / or fluid distribution devices in the building in which the fill stations 120 are provided).

[0040] For example, responsive to receiving a signal (e.g., electronic control signal) indicative of a trigger condition (e.g., testing, fire condition, smoke condition), the actuator 250 can trigger the valve 204 to switch from the first state to the second state, allowing air at the operational pressure to be delivered to the fill stations 120. The actuator 250 can receive a standby instruction signal to cause the actuator 250 to switch the valve 204 from the second setting to the first setting. The use of electronic actuation by the actuator 250 can facilitate bringing the air in the piping system 104 and at the fill stations 120 up to the operational pressure in time for use by firefighters.

[0041] As depicted in FIG. 2, the system 200 can include at least one pump 260. The pump 260 can provide air at the standby pressure to the fill stations 120, e.g., independently of and / or in combination with the pressure regulator 232. The pump 260 can be coupled with an air supply that corresponds to the air storage system 106 or is separate from the air storage system 106. The pump 260 can be coupled with one or more valves and / or actuators to facilitate maintaining delivery of air at the standby pressure from the pump 260 to the fill stations 120. For example, a controller can monitor pressure signals from one or more pressure sensors coupled to the fill stations 120 and / or line 202, and can selectively cause the pump 260 (e.g., a low pressure pump) to provide air to the fill stations.

[0042] FIG. 3 depicts an example of a method 300 of installing a pressure control system of a FARS. The pressure control system can be coupled with one or more portions of the FARS during installation or testing of the FARS, or during a retrofitting procedure for the FARS. The pressure control system can be implemented using one or more systems or components described herein, such as of the system 100 or the system 200.

[0043] At 305, a first flow path of a selector valve can be coupled between a source of air at an operational pressure and one or more fill stations. The source of air can be an air storagesystem, such as one or more air storage tanks and / or piping from air supplies. The selector valve can be disposed in a same structure and / or portion of the structure in which the source of air is provided. The selector valve can be a three-way valve having the first flow path (e.g., between a first port and a third port) and a second flow path separated from the first flow path (e.g., between a second port and the third port), and can be actuated to be set between having the first flow path open and the second flow path closed, and the first flow path closed and the second flow path open. The first port can be coupled with the source of air, and the third port can be coupled with the one or more fill stations, such as to have the selector valve in fluid connection between the source of air and one or more stand pipes coupled with the one or more fill stations. The operational pressure can be greater than or equal to 3000 psig, such as to be between 4000 psig and 6000 psig, such as to be 4500 psig or 5500 psig.

[0044] At 310, the second flow path can be coupled with a pressure regulator. The pressure regulator can be or include at least one of a pressure regulator valve, a pressure relief valve, and a bleed valve. The pressure regulator can be used to provide air (e.g., from the source of air or another source of air) at a lower standby pressure relative to the operational pressure. The standby pressure can be at most a fraction of the operational pressure, such as to be less than 500 psig.

[0045] At 315, a system pressure can be set to the standby pressure. For example, the selector valve can be set to a setting so that the second flow path is open to couple the pressure regulator with the port of the selector valve that connects with the one or more fill stations to reduce the system pressure to be limited to the standby pressure.

[0046] Having now described some illustrative implementations, it is apparent that the foregoing is illustrative and not limiting, having been presented by way of example. In particular, although many of the examples presented herein involve specific combinations of method acts or system elements, those acts and those elements can be combined in other ways to accomplish the same objectives. Acts, elements and features discussed in connection with one implementation are not intended to be excluded from a similar role in other implementations or implementations.

[0047] The phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including” “comprising” “having”“containing” “involving” “characterized by” “characterized in that” and variations thereofherein, is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter, equivalents thereof, and additional items, as well as alternate implementations consisting of the items listed thereafter exclusively. In one implementation, the systems and methods described herein consist of one, each combination of more than one, or all of the described elements, acts, or components.

[0048] Any references to implementations or elements or acts of the systems and methods herein referred to in the singular can also embrace implementations including a plurality of these elements, and any references in plural to any implementation or element or act herein can also embrace implementations including only a single element. References in the singular or plural form are not intended to limit the presently disclosed systems or methods, their components, acts, or elements to single or plural configurations. References to any act or element being based on any information, act or element can include implementations where the act or element is based at least in part on any information, act, or element.

[0049] Any implementation disclosed herein can be combined with any other implementation or embodiment, and references to “an implementation,” “some implementations,” “one implementation” or the like are not necessarily mutually exclusive and are intended to indicate that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the implementation can be included in at least one implementation or embodiment. Such terms as used herein are not necessarily all referring to the same implementation. Any implementation can be combined with any other implementation, inclusively or exclusively, in any manner consistent with the aspects and implementations disclosed herein.

[0050] Where technical features in the drawings, detailed description or any claim are followed by reference signs, the reference signs have been included to increase the intelligibility of the drawings, detailed description, and claims. Accordingly, neither the reference signs nor their absence have any limiting effect on the scope of any claim elements.

[0051] Systems and methods described herein may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the characteristics thereof. Further relative parallel, perpendicular, vertical or other positioning or orientation descriptions include variations within + / - 10% or + / -10 degrees of pure vertical, parallel or perpendicular positioning. References to “approximately,” “about” “substantially” or other terms of degree include variations of + / - 10% from the given measurement, unit, or range unless explicitly indicated otherwise.Coupled elements can be electrically, mechanically, or physically coupled with one another directly or with intervening elements. Scope of the systems and methods described herein is thus indicated by the appended claims, rather than the foregoing description, and changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are embraced therein.

[0052] The term “coupled” and variations thereof includes the joining of two members directly or indirectly to one another. Such joining may be stationary (e.g., permanent or fixed) or moveable (e.g., removable or releasable). Such joining may be achieved with the two members coupled directly with or to each other, with the two members coupled with each other using a separate intervening member and any additional intermediate members coupled with one another, or with the two members coupled with each other using an intervening member that is integrally formed as a single unitary body with one of the two members. If “coupled” or variations thereof are modified by an additional term (e.g., directly coupled), the generic definition of “coupled” provided above is modified by the plain language meaning of the additional term (e.g., “directly coupled” means the joining of two members without any separate intervening member), resulting in a narrower definition than the generic definition of “coupled” provided above. Such coupling may be mechanical, electrical, or fluidic.

[0053] References to “or” may be construed as inclusive so that any terms described using “or” may indicate any of a single, more than one, and all of the described terms. References to at least one of a conjunctive list of terms may be construed as an inclusive OR to indicate any of a single, more than one, and all of the described terms. For example, a reference to “at least one of ‘A’ and ‘B’” can include only ‘A’, only ‘B’, as well as both ‘A’ and ‘B’. Such references used in conjunction with “comprising” or other open terminology can include additional items.

[0054] Modifications of described elements and acts such as variations in sizes, dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements, values of parameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, colors, orientations can occur without materially departing from the teachings and advantages of the subject matter disclosed herein. For example, elements shown as integrally formed can be constructed of multiple parts or elements, the position of elements can be reversed or otherwise varied, and the nature or number of discrete elements or positions can be altered or varied. Other substitutions, modifications, changes and omissions can also be made in the design, operating conditions and arrangement of the disclosed elements and operations without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0055] References herein to the positions of elements (e.g., “top,” “bottom,” “above,” “below”) are merely used to describe the orientation of various elements in the FIGURES. It should be noted that the orientation of various elements may differ according to other exemplary embodiments, and that such variations are intended to be encompassed by the present disclosure.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. An air replenishment system, comprising: a source of air to provide air at an operating pressure greater than or equal to 3000 psig; a plurality of air fill stations; a piping assembly coupled with the source of air and with the plurality of air fill stations; and a pressure control system coupled with the piping assembly between the source of air and the plurality of air fill stations, the pressure control system having a first state to provide air at the operating pressure from the source of air to the plurality of air fill stations, the pressure control system having a second state to maintain pressure of air between the pressure control system and the plurality of air fill stations at or below a standby pressure, the standby pressure less than or equal to 250 psig.

2. The air replenishment system of claim 1, comprising: the pressure control system comprises a pressure regulator coupled with a bleed valve and comprises a three way valve, the three way valve having a first port coupled with the source of air, a second port coupled with the pressure regulator and the bleed valve, and a third port coupled with the plurality of air fill stations, the three way valve having a first setting corresponding to the first state of the pressure control system to couple the pressure regulator with the plurality of air fill stations and a second setting corresponding to the second state of the pressure control system to couple the source of air to the plurality of air fill stations.

3. The air replenishment system of claim 1, comprising: the pressure control system comprises a pressure relief valve and a three way valve, the three way valve having a first port coupled with the source of air, a second port coupled with the pressure relief valve, and a third port coupled with the plurality of air fill stations, the three way valve having a first setting corresponding to the first state of the pressure control system to couple the pressure relief valve with the plurality of air fill stations and a second setting corresponding to the second state of the pressure control system to couple the source of air with the plurality of air fill stations.

4. The air replenishment system of claim 1, comprising: the standby pressure is greater than or equal to 30 psig and less than or equal to 150 psig.

5. The air replenishment system of claim 1, comprising: the pressure control system comprises: a selector valve having a first setting corresponding to the first state of the pressure control system to couple the plurality of air fill stations with air at the standby pressure and a second setting corresponding to the second state of the pressure control system to couple air at the operating pressure with the plurality of air fill stations; and an actuator to switch the selector valve from the first setting to the second setting responsive to an electronic control signal.

6. The air replenishment system of claim 1, comprising: the pressure control system comprises: a selector valve having a first setting corresponding to the first state of the pressure control system to couple the plurality of air fill stations with air at the standby pressure and a second setting corresponding to the second state of the pressure control system to couple air at the operating pressure with the plurality of air fill stations; and an actuator to switch the selector valve from the first setting to the second setting responsive to an electronic control signal; and the firefighter air replenishment system comprises at least one of a fire control panel, a fire detector, and a smoke sensor to provide the electronic control signal to the actuator.

7. The air replenishment system of claim 1, comprising: the piping assembly comprises a stand pipe between the pressure control system and the plurality of fill stations.

8. The air replenishment system of claim 1, comprising: the piping assembly comprises an isolation valve between the pressure control system and at least one fill station of the plurality of fill stations.

9. The air replenishment system of claim 1, comprising:the piping assembly comprises a pump between the source of air and the pressure control system.

10. An air pressure control system, comprising: a selector valve having a first port, a second port, and a third port, the first port connected with the third port in a first setting of the selector valve, the second port connected with the third port in a second setting of the selector valve, the first port coupled with a source of air at a first pressure, the third port coupled with one or more fill stations in a building; and a pressure regulator coupled with the second port, the pressure regulator to limit air provided to the selector valve through the second port to a second pressure, the second pressure less than the first pressure.

11. The air pressure control system of claim 10, comprising: the selector valve is a three way valve.

12. The air pressure control system of claim 10, comprising: a bleed valve coupled with the second port and the pressure regulator between the second port and the pressure regulator.

13. The air pressure control system of claim 10, comprising: the pressure regulator comprises a pressure relief valve.

14. The air pressure control system of claim 10, comprising: the first pressure is greater than 3000 psig; and the second pressure is greater than or equal to 30 psig and less than or equal to 150 psig.

15. The air pressure control system of claim 10, comprising: an actuator to switch the selector valve from the first setting to the second setting responsive to an electronic control signal.

16. A system, comprising: an air storage tank having air at an operational pressure of at least 3000 psig;a selector valve having a first flow path coupled with the air storage tank; a pressure regulator coupled with a second flow path of the selector valve, the pressure regulator to maintain pressure of air provided to the second flow path at a standby pressure less than 250 psig; and a plurality of air fill stations coupled with the selector valve.

17. The system of claim 16, comprising: an actuator coupled with the selector valve to trigger the selector valve to switch between having a connection of the first flow path with the plurality of air fill stations and a having connection of the second flow path with the plurality of air fill stations.

18. The system of claim 16, comprising: a stand pipe connected with the selector valve and the plurality of air fill stations between the selector valve and the plurality of air fill stations.

19. The system of claim 16, comprising: a bleed valve coupled with the pressure regulator.

20. The system of claim 16, comprising: the standby pressure is greater than or equal to 30 psig and less than or equal to 150 psig; and the operational pressure is greater than or equal to 4000 psig and less than or equal to 6000 psig.

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