Foam fire extinguishing method and foam fire extinguishing equipment

Abstract

To provide a foam fire extinguishing method and foam fire extinguishing equipment that are capable of locally discharging a foam extinguishing agent having low fluidity so as to reduce secondary damage, and reliably performing smothering extinguishment by covering a fire protection object with the foam extinguishing agent.SOLUTION: A foam fire extinguishing method according to the present invention comprises: discharging a foam extinguishing agent in a plurality of linear streams from a foam head 1 disposed above a fire protection object 29; and moving the foam head 1 such that the fire protection object 29 is covered with the foam extinguishing agent discharged in the linear streams.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a foam fire extinguishing method and foam fire extinguishing equipment for extinguishing a fire using a foam fire extinguishing agent. [Background technology]

[0002] Foam firefighting, which is an effective method for extinguishing oil fires, involves covering the source of the fire with foam to smother it. Conventional foam fire extinguishing systems for foam fire extinguishing include low foaming foam fire extinguishing systems used in parking lots and the like, and high foaming foam fire extinguishing systems used in storage facilities for flammable materials and the like.

[0003] These foam fire extinguishing systems use compartmentalized discharge, where the fire protection area is divided into compartments and foam fire extinguishing agent is discharged in each compartment. Each compartment is equipped with multiple foam heads that discharge foam fire extinguishing agent, and when a fire breaks out, foam fire extinguishing agent is discharged simultaneously from the multiple foam heads in that compartment. However, the compartmentalized discharge of foam fire extinguishing agent has the problem of causing secondary damage.

[0004] For example, if a fire caused by machine oil occurs in one machine in a factory where many machine tools are lined up, foam fire extinguishing agent will be sprayed over the entire area containing that machine tool, which will then spray on other machine tools in the area, causing extensive secondary damage. Therefore, in places where secondary damage caused by foam fire extinguishing agents is severe as described above, there has been a demand for fire extinguishing equipment that can locally release foam, such as by releasing foam fire extinguishing agent onto a single fire prevention object. Therefore, examples of foam fire extinguishing systems that are capable of locally discharging a foam fire extinguishing agent are disclosed in, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2.

[0005] The "parking lot fire extinguishing equipment" described in Patent Document 1 is installed in a parking lot with multiple parking spaces, and is equipped with a foam fire extinguishing agent spray head provided for each parking space. Each spray head is a closed type spray head with a discharge port that is normally closed, but is designed to open when exposed to the heat of a fire. Therefore, if a fire breaks out in a vehicle parked in a parking lot, the heat of the fire will cause only the spray head closest to the vehicle to open and release foam fire extinguishing agent (foam water solution), so the foam fire extinguishing agent can be sprayed only on the burning vehicle.

[0006] Furthermore, the "foam fire extinguishing system" described in Patent Document 2 is characterized by the thixotropy of the foam fire extinguishing agent. Here, thixotropy refers to the property of a material that is gel-like when stationary, but becomes sol-like (liquid) as its viscosity decreases when subjected to shearing force, and then returns to a gel-like state when left standing. Thixotropic foam fire extinguishing agents lose their fluidity and turn into hard foam after reaching the object to be protected from fire, so the foam accumulates where it reaches and does not spread easily, making them suitable for localized foam fire extinguishing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-179779 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-8309 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] The aforementioned Patent Document 1 uses a closed head that opens due to the heat of the fire, allowing foam extinguishing agent to be released only from the head closest to the fire, making localized foam extinguishing possible. However, Patent Document 1 involves spraying a low-foaming aqueous foam solution in the form of droplets, so even if the foam extinguishing agent is released locally, the released foam extinguishing agent tends to spread over a wide area, raising concerns about secondary damage. Furthermore, since the closed head of Patent Document 1 is not provided with a foaming means, it is difficult to use a highly foaming foam extinguishing agent.

[0009] In contrast, the thixotropic foam fire extinguishing agent described in Patent Document 2 loses its fluidity after reaching the fire protection object, making it less likely to spread after release and reducing secondary damage. However, thixotropic foam fire extinguishing agents tend to accumulate wherever the foam reaches, making it difficult to cover the entire fire-protected object with foam, making it difficult to extinguish the fire by suffocation.

[0010] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a foam fire-extinguishing method and foam fire-extinguishing equipment that can locally release a foam fire-extinguishing agent with low fluidity to reduce secondary damage, and can reliably extinguish a fire by smothering the object to be protected with the foam fire-extinguishing agent. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] (1) The foam fire extinguishing method of the present invention is characterized in that foam fire extinguishing agent is released in multiple lines from a foam head positioned above a fire protection object, and the foam head is moved so that the fire protection object is covered with the foam fire extinguishing agent released in the lines.

[0012] (2) In addition, in the above (1), the foam fire extinguishing agent is characterized by having thixotropy.

[0013] (3) The foam fire extinguishing system according to the present invention includes a nozzle capable of linearly discharging a foam fire extinguishing agent; a foam head provided with a plurality of the nozzles; and a foam head driving means for rotating and / or swinging the foam head.

[0014] (4) Furthermore, in the above (3), the plurality of nozzles are arranged in a line, a grid, or a staggered pattern with a predetermined distance between adjacent nozzles.

[0015] (5) In the above (4), the predetermined interval is If the nozzle outlet is circular, the diameter of the circle x 0.5 or more, When the nozzle outlet is polygonal, the diameter is set to be equal to or larger than 0.5 times the diagonal distance of the polygon.

[0016] (6) Furthermore, in any of the above (3) to (5), the foam head driving means is characterized in that it is equipped with a rotary joint or swivel joint that rotatably supports the foam head, and / or a swivel joint that supports the foam head so that it can swing.

[0017] (7) In addition, in the above-mentioned (3) to (6), the foam fire extinguishing agent is characterized by having thixotropy. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] In the present invention, a low-fluidity foam fire extinguishing agent is locally released, thereby reducing secondary damage. In addition, since the foam head is moved while the foam is released to cover the fire prevention object, even a low-fluidity foam fire extinguishing agent can cover the entire fire prevention object, ensuring smothering and extinguishing of the fire. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1A and 1B are explanatory diagrams of a foam head and a foam head driving means of a foam fire extinguishing system according to an embodiment, in which FIG. 1A is a front view of the foam head and FIG. 1B is a left side view of the foam head. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the foam head of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a foam fire extinguishing system according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing other aspects of the foam head and foam head driving means. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] A foam fire extinguishing method according to one embodiment of the present invention performs foam fire extinguishing (smothering) using a foam fire extinguishing agent with low fluidity, specifically by releasing foam fire extinguishing agent in multiple lines from a foam head positioned above a fire-protected object and moving the foam head so that the fire-protected object is covered with the foam fire extinguishing agent released in lines. Examples of fire-extinguishing foams with low fluidity include thixotropic fire-extinguishing foams and high-foaming fire-extinguishing foams, as described in Patent Document 2. Such fire-extinguishing foams produce hard foams that do not easily spread beyond the area where they are released, thereby reducing secondary damage caused by the fire-extinguishing foam.

[0021] The foam fire extinguishing system of this embodiment used in the above-mentioned foam fire extinguishing method includes a foam head provided with a plurality of nozzles capable of linearly discharging a foam fire extinguishing agent, and a foam head drive means for moving the foam head. Note that the foam fire extinguishing agent in the following description is assumed to be thixotropic, as an example. Examples of the foam head and foam head driving means are shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and will be described in detail below.

[0022] <Foam head> As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the foam head 1 of this embodiment has a main pipe 3 that receives a supply of foam fire extinguishing agent via a rotary joint 13 and a swivel joint 15 described below, and a branch pipe 5 that is connected to the lower end of the main pipe 3 and extends horizontally to the left and right around the main pipe 3. A total of four nozzles 7 are attached to the branch pipe 5, two on each side of the main pipe 3. The nozzles 7 have a threaded portion (not shown) formed on the top, and are attached by screwing this threaded portion into the branch pipe 5. However, the number of nozzles 7 in the present invention is not limited to this, and may be 2 to 3, or 5 or more.

[0023] The nozzle 7 is a single-hole straight nozzle, and has a circular discharge port 7a at the bottom end. The shape of the discharge port 7a is not limited to a circle, and may be a polygon. An air hole 7b is formed on the side of each nozzle 7 to introduce air necessary for foaming the foam extinguishing agent into the nozzle 7. In addition, a foaming net 9 for foaming the foam extinguishing agent is provided at the discharge port 7a of each nozzle 7, as shown in the enlarged view of Fig. 2.

[0024] The four nozzles 7 are arranged in a row with a predetermined interval between adjacent nozzles 7. The arrangement of the nozzles 7 is not limited to the above, and may be in a grid or staggered pattern. Here, the lattice arrangement refers to an arrangement in which four or more nozzles 7 are used and the nozzles 7 are aligned in multiple rows and multiple columns. The lattice arrangement also includes, for example, an arrangement in which the nozzles 7 are arranged in two rows and two columns, in other words, an example in which the nozzles 7 are arranged at the four vertices of a square.

[0025] The staggered arrangement refers to an arrangement in which adjacent rows are offset from each other in the row direction or adjacent columns are offset from each other in the column direction in the grid arrangement. The staggered arrangement also includes an example in which three nozzles 7 are arranged at the three vertices of an equilateral triangle.

[0026] When the outlet 7a is circular as in this embodiment, the interval between adjacent nozzles 7 is preferably at least 0.5 times the diameter of the circle, and more preferably at least the diameter of the circle. When the outlet 7a is polygonal, the interval is preferably at least 0.5 times the diagonal distance of the polygon, and more preferably at least the diagonal distance of the polygon. The reason for providing the above-mentioned interval between adjacent nozzles 7 is as follows.

[0027] In this embodiment, the foam extinguishing agent is released while the foam head 1 is moving, so if the spacing between adjacent nozzles 7 is small, the foam extinguishing agents released from multiple nozzles 7 are more likely to come into contact in the air. When the foam extinguishing agents released from multiple nozzles 7 come into contact in the air, the foam reaches the fire prevention object in the form of a single thick line. If the foam extinguishing agent is released in a thicker shape, it becomes less likely to deform along the fire prevention object and is more likely to accumulate in one place. Therefore, when it reaches the fire prevention object in the form of multiple thin lines than in the form of a single thick line, the former is more likely to cover the fire prevention object more efficiently. Therefore, by providing a predetermined interval between adjacent nozzles 7, it is possible to prevent the foam extinguishing agent discharged in a line from coming into contact with each other in the air. It should be noted that the above definition is for the smallest interval that should be provided between adjacent nozzles 7, and does not imply that all nozzles 7 should be arranged at equal intervals.

[0028] Furthermore, as the diameter of the discharge port 7a increases, the diameter of the discharge shape of the foam extinguishing agent discharged from the nozzle 7 also increases (becomes thicker). As the discharge shape becomes thicker, the foam extinguishing agent becomes less likely to deform along the fire prevention object, and is more likely to accumulate in one place. In order for the foam extinguishing agent to deform along the fire prevention object, it is preferable that the diameter of the discharge port 7a be 100 mm or less. Furthermore, if the shape of the discharge port 7a is polygonal rather than circular, it is preferable that the polygon have a diagonal length of 100 mm or less.

[0029] <Foam head driving means> The foam head driving means 11 of this embodiment rotates and swings the above-mentioned foam head 1, and as shown in Figure 1, is equipped with a rotary joint 13 that supports the foam head 1 rotatably and a swivel joint 15 that supports it swingably. The rotary joint 13 (shown in dark gray) is made up of a fixed part 13a fixed to the fixed pipe 17 and a rotating part 13b rotatably provided at the lower end of the fixed part 13a. The swivel joint 15 (shown in light gray) consists of a fixed part 15a fixed to the lower end of the rotating part 13b of the rotary joint 13, and a swinging part 15b swingably mounted on the side of the fixed part 15a, and the main pipe 3 of the foam head 1 is connected to the lower end of the swinging part 15b.

[0030] Furthermore, foam head driving means 11 has driving means for driving the above-mentioned rotating portion 13b and oscillating portion 15b. The driving means is made up of gears, motors, etc. (not shown), and rotating portion 13a and oscillating portion 15b are each connected to the motor via gears. The foam head driving means 11 also has a control means (not shown) for controlling the driving of the motor, and this control means is connected to a fire detection means (not shown), such as a fire detector.

[0031] When the control means drives the motor, the rotating part 13b connected to the motor rotates as shown by the arrow in Fig. 1(a), and the swinging part 15b swings as shown by the arrow in Fig. 1(b). The swinging angle of the swinging part 15b is, for example, about 30° to the left and right from the vertical direction when viewed from the direction of Fig. 1(b). During fire extinguishing, foam extinguishing agent is supplied from fixed piping 17 while the motor is running, and the foam extinguishing agent supplied from fixed piping 17 to fixed part 13a is then supplied to fixed part 15a via rotating part 13b. The foam extinguishing agent supplied to fixed part 15a is then supplied to foam head 1 via swinging part 15b.

[0032] An example of a foam fire extinguishing system using the foam head 1 and foam head driving means 11 described above is shown in FIG. The foam fire extinguishing equipment 19 of this embodiment includes, in addition to the foam head 1 and foam head driving means 11 described above, a water tank 21 for storing water, a foam concentrate tank 23 for storing foam concentrate, a chemical tank 25 for storing thixotropic agent, and a mixer 27 for mixing water, foam concentrate, and thixotropic agent to produce a foam fire extinguishing agent, as shown in Figure 3. A thixotropic agent is a substance that imparts thixotropy to a foam fire extinguishing agent, and examples thereof include minerals containing colloidal hydrous silicates such as smectite, bentonite, and montmorillonite, and synthetic inorganic polymer compounds made from such silicates.

[0033] The foam head 1 is placed above the target fire prevention object 29 and is connected to the mixer 27 via the foam head drive means 11 and fixed piping 17. A pump 31 and a pump control panel 33 that controls the pump 31 are provided between the water tank 21 and the mixer 27, and the pump control panel 33 is connected to a fire detection means (not shown) such as a fire detector.

[0034] The operation of the foam fire extinguishing system 19 configured as above in the event of a fire will be described below. When a fire breaks out in the fire prevention object 29, a fire detection means (not shown) detects it and transmits a fire signal. When the control means of the foam head driving means 11 receives this signal, the motor control of the control means causes the rotating part 13b of the rotary joint 13 to start rotating, and the swinging part 15b of the swivel joint 15 to start swinging.

[0035] Furthermore, upon receiving a fire signal, pump control panel 33 operates pump 31. When pump 31 operates, water in water tank 21, foam concentrate in foam concentrate tank 23, and thixotropic agent in chemical tank 25 are each supplied to mixer 27. When water, foam concentrate, and thixotropic agent are mixed in mixer 27, a thixotropic foam extinguishing agent is generated. The foam extinguishing agent is pressurized by pump 31 and sent to fixed piping 17, and then supplied to foam head 1 via rotary joint 13 and swivel joint 15 of foam head drive means 11.

[0036] The foam extinguishing agent supplied to the foam head 1 collides with the foaming net 9 together with air drawn in from the air holes 7b of the nozzle 7, foaming, and is then emitted in a line from the nozzle 7. The foam that reaches the fire-protected object 29 changes from a sol state to a gel state due to the thixotropy of the foam extinguishing agent, loses its fluidity, and adheres to the fire-protected object 29.

[0037] At this time, rotating portion 13b of rotary joint 13 rotates and swinging portion 15b of swivel joint 15 swings, causing foam head 1 supported by these to also rotate and swing. As foam head 1 rotates and swings, the linear foam extinguishing agent released from the foam head is deposited in a line on fire-protection object 29. By continuing to release foam extinguishing agent while moving foam head 1 as described above, fire-protection object 29 is covered with the linearly released foam extinguishing agent, smothering and extinguishing the fire.

[0038] Although a thixotropic foam fire extinguishing agent has been given as an example above, a similar effect can be obtained with a high-foaming foam fire extinguishing agent.

[0039] In addition, in the above example, the foam fire extinguishing equipment 19 is activated when the control means of the foam head driving means 11 and the pump control panel 33 receive a fire signal from the fire detection means, but a separate activation device may be provided so that the person who confirms the fire can operate the activation device to activate the foam fire extinguishing equipment 19.

[0040] In the above example, the water, foam concentrate, and thixotropic agent are mixed when the pump 31 is operated, but these three may also be stored in a mixed state. Similarly, the water and foam concentrate, and the water and thixotropic agent may be stored in a mixed state, and then mixed when released. Similarly, the water and foam concentrate may be stored separately, and the water and thixotropic agent may be stored in a mixed state, and then mixed when released. In these cases, the mixed state of the thixotropic agent and water is thixotropic, but when it is sucked out of the storage container by the pump 31, it becomes a sol state and flows through the fixed pipe 17.

[0041] As described above, according to this embodiment, a fire can be extinguished locally by smothering with a foam fire extinguishing agent having low fluidity, thereby minimizing secondary damage caused by the foam fire extinguishing agent. Furthermore, conventionally, when a foam fire extinguishing agent with low fluidity was used, the foam would accumulate in a portion of the fire prevention object 29, making it difficult to cover the entire fire prevention object 29 with foam, but in this embodiment, the foam fire extinguishing agent is released while moving the foam head 1, so the foam fire extinguishing agent can be applied evenly to the fire prevention object 29. This makes it possible to cover the fire prevention object 29 even with a foam fire extinguishing agent with low fluidity, ensuring smothering fire extinguishing.

[0042] Furthermore, by releasing the foam fire extinguishing agent in multiple lines, even if the lines of foam fire extinguishing agent overlap and accumulate on the fire prevention object 29, the accumulated foam fire extinguishing agent is likely to crumble, making it easier to cover the fire prevention object 29 with foam.

[0043] In the above embodiment, the foam head 1 is rotated and swung, but the present invention is not limited to this and may be rotated only or swung only. As another embodiment, an example in which the foam head 1 is rotated only is shown in Figure 4.

[0044] The embodiment shown in Figure 4 is an example in which foam head 1 is connected to the rotating part of rotary joint 13 without providing swivel joint 15. When using only rotary joint 13 and only rotating foam head 1, nozzles 7 arranged symmetrically around main pipe 3 follow the same trajectory, so an embodiment in which symmetrically arranged nozzles 7 are omitted, as shown in Figure 4, can be used.

[0045] Alternatively, only a swivel joint 15 may be provided between the fixed pipe 17 and the foam head 1, allowing the foam head 1 to swing only. Alternatively, multiple swivel joints 15 may be combined to allow the foam head 1 to swing back and forth and left and right.

[0046] In addition, in swivel joint 15 in Figure 1, the axis of fixed part 15a and the axis of swinging part 15b are parallel, but any swivel joint in which the axis of fixed part 15a and the axis of swinging part 15b are perpendicular and which can rotate 360° can be used in place of rotary joint 13. In other words, a swivel joint such as the one described above can be provided in place of rotary joint 13 in Figure 1, and in such a case, foam head 1 can be moved so as to rotate and swing in the same way as in the example in Figure 1.

[0047] Furthermore, a flexible pipe may be combined between foam head drive means 11 and foam head 1. For example, by providing a flexible pipe between swivel joint 15 and foam head 1 in Figure 1, the recoil generated when foam is released and the recoil generated when swinging part 15b swings can add even finer movement to foam head 1. This changes the trajectory of nozzle 7, making it easier to cover fire-protected object 29 more evenly with foam.

[0048] Alternatively, for simplicity, foam head 1 may be supported only by a flexible pipe. In this case, foam head 1 also moves in reaction to the release of foam, making it easier to cover fire prevention object 29 with foam than when foam head 1 is supported by a straight pipe or the like. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1 foam head 3 main manager 5 branch pipes 7 nozzles 7a Outlet 7b Air vent 9. Foam netting 11 Foam head driving means 13 Rotary joint 13a Fixed part 13b Rotating part 15 Swivel joint 15a Fixed part 15b Swinging part 17 Fixed piping 19 Foam fire extinguishing equipment 21 Water Tank 23 Foam concentrate tank 25 Chemical Tank 27 Mixer 29 Fire prevention objects 31 Pump 33 Pump control panel

Claims

1. A foam fire extinguishing method characterized by releasing foam fire extinguishing agent in multiple lines from a foam head positioned above a fire protection object, and moving the foam head so that the fire protection object is covered with the foam fire extinguishing agent released in the lines.

2. 2. A foam fire extinguishing method according to claim 1, wherein the foam fire extinguishing agent has thixotropy.

3. a nozzle capable of linearly discharging a foam fire extinguishing agent; a foam head provided with a plurality of the nozzles; A foam fire extinguishing system characterized by comprising a foam head driving means for rotating and / or swinging the foam head.

4. 4. The foam fire extinguishing system according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of nozzles are arranged in a line, a grid, or a staggered pattern with a predetermined interval between adjacent nozzles.

5. The predetermined interval is If the nozzle outlet is circular, the diameter of the circle x 0.5 or more, 5. A foam fire extinguishing system according to claim 4, characterized in that when the nozzle outlet is polygonal, the outlet is set to be at least 0.5 times the diagonal distance of the polygon.

6. A foam fire extinguishing equipment described in any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that the foam head driving means is equipped with a rotary joint or swivel joint that rotatably supports the foam head, and / or a swivel joint that supports the foam head so that it can swing.

7. 6. A foam fire extinguishing system according to claim 3, wherein the foam fire extinguishing agent has thixotropy.

8. 7. A foam fire extinguishing system according to claim 6, wherein the foam fire extinguishing agent has thixotropy.

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