Corridor Sprinkler Flow Shaper Reducing Energy Loss
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fire protection sprinkler assemblies experience significant energy losses due to fluid impingement on the boss and deflector, leading to increased pressure requirements and higher installation costs.
Innovation Solution
The sprinkler assembly incorporates a support structure with a flow-shaper member and a shelf portion that directs fluid flow without obstruction, allowing the fluid to pass through an unimpeded opening, reducing friction and energy loss by using upper and lower flow-shaper members to shape the fluid flow pattern.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If conventional sprinkler assemblies with boss and deflector are used, then fluid dispersion is achieved, but significant energy loss occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the traditional boss and deflector components from the sprinkler assembly. By extracting these energy-loss-causing elements and replacing them with a simplified cup-shaped discharge opening and flow shaper member, the design eliminates the impingement losses that occur when fluid strikes the boss and deflector in conventional assemblies.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using a solid boss and deflector structure that the fluid must strike and redirect around, the invention inverts the approach by using an open cup-shaped discharge opening where fluid flows through and around the structure. This reverses the interaction from fluid-structure collision to fluid-flow-through, dramatically reducing energy loss.
2Stress or pressure
If supply pressure to sprinkler assembly is reduced, then piping size and pump size can be reduced, but conventional sprinklers require high pressure to overcome energy losses
Solution Approach 1:
The invention converts the harmful effect of high pressure requirements into a benefit by designing a flow path that naturally minimizes energy loss. The cup-shaped discharge opening and flow shaper member work together to guide fluid flow smoothly, transforming what would be a high-pressure requirement into a low-pressure operation that still achieves effective fluid dispersion.
3Loss of energy
If flow shaper member is added to shape fluid flow, then energy loss is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flow shaper member is integrated directly into the cup-shaped discharge opening structure, merging two functional elements into a unified component. This integration reduces the number of separate parts and assembly steps, thereby minimizing the increase in device complexity while still achieving the energy loss reduction benefits of flow shaping.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design reduces energy loss and allows for a lower pressure requirement, enabling smaller piping and potentially eliminating the need for a pump, resulting in cost savings for fire protection systems while maintaining comparable performance.
Implementation Method 1
A corridor sprinkler includes a first flow shaper member supported by a support for shaping the flow of fluid from a sprinkler
Implementation Method 2
reducing friction and energy loss by using upper and lower flow-shaper members to shape the fluid flow pattern
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5
AI summary
A corridor sprinkler includes a first flow shaper member supported by a support for shaping the flow of fluid from a sprinkler that includes a shelf portion having a proximal end and a distal end, the shelf being generally parallel to and spaced from the axis of the flow passage through the sprinkler body. A shield extends directly from the distal end of the shelf and generally perpendicular to the axis and partially intersecting the column of fluid without the support obstructing the column of fluid between the discharge opening and the shield. The shelf and the shield can each have a diameter greater than a diameter of the discharge opening. A second flow shaper can extend from the support on an opposite side of the axis from the first flow shaper and partially intersecting the column of fluid.