Dissolved Gas Fire Suppression Agent Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Stored-pressure fire suppression systems face inefficiencies due to two-phase flow issues caused by nitrogen bubbling out of the liquid agent as pressure decreases, leading to lower density and increased frictional pressure loss, which hampers the delivery of a uniformly distributed fire extinguishing agent.
Innovation Solution
A fire suppression system design where a fire suppression agent is stored with a first pressurized gas dissolved within it, and a second pressurized gas is used to create a propellant pressure greater than the storage pressure, maintaining a single-phase flow through the piping system to the nozzle, ensuring the gas remains dissolved until discharge to enhance atomization and reduce frictional losses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the fire suppression agent is stored at high pressure with dissolved nitrogen, then the agent can be delivered effectively, but as pressure decreases during flow, nitrogen bubbles out causing two-phase flow which increases frictional pressure loss and reduces delivery efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical-chemical parameters of the system by selecting a pressurizing gas (from nitrogen group: nitrogen, argon, or carbon dioxide) that has lower solubility in the fire suppression agent compared to conventional nitrogen. This parameter change prevents gas bubbling during pressure reduction, maintaining single-phase flow and reducing frictional pressure losses while ensuring effective agent delivery to protection zones.
2Stability of the object's composition
If nitrogen is used to pressurize the fire suppression agent, then the agent remains stable in storage, but nitrogen bubbles out during discharge creating two-phase flow that reduces pressure at the nozzle
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the chemical composition parameter by replacing conventional nitrogen with alternative pressurizing gases from the nitrogen group (argon or carbon dioxide) that exhibit lower solubility in the fire suppression agent. This change prevents gas evolution during pressure reduction, maintaining consistent single-phase flow and ensuring stable high pressure at the nozzle during discharge, while the agent remains stable in storage.
3Manufacturing precision
If the liquid agent contains dissolved gas, then atomization is enhanced upon discharge, but the gas bubbles out during flow creating two-phase flow with higher velocity and greater frictional loss
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the solubility parameter by selecting pressurizing gases (argon or carbon dioxide) with lower solubility coefficients in the fire suppression agent. This enables the system to maintain single-phase flow throughout the piping system while still achieving effective atomization at the nozzle, as the gas remains dissolved during transport and only evolves upon discharge where pressure drops to atmospheric levels, thereby enhancing atomization without creating complex two-phase flow conditions during delivery.
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 approach maintains a high pressure at the nozzle, reduces frictional pressure loss, and facilitates efficient atomization of the fire suppression agent, resulting in a more effective and cost-effective fire suppression system with improved droplet distribution and reduced system complexity.
Implementation Method 1
The storage pressure is greater than a vapor pressure of the fire suppression agent such that first pressurized gas dissolves into the fire suppression agent
Implementation Method 2
the propellant pressure in the piping system is generally greater than the storage pressure of the fire suppression agent
Implementation Method 3
Upon ejection of a liquid agent containing a dissolved gas into ambient air, the dissolved gas rapidly out-gases from the liquid phase, causing the liquid droplets to break up into smaller droplets
Implementation Method 4
Small droplets evaporate more quickly as a result of an increase in specific surface area available for evaporative heat and mass transfer with the ambient atmosphere
Data Source
AI summary
A fire suppression system is provided including at least one nozzle configured to expel a fire suppression agent into a space. A storage container includes a fire suppression agent and a first pressurized gas at least partially dissolved within the fire suppression agent. At least one canister contains a second pressurized gas. A piping system is configured to fluidly couple the at least one canister to the storage container and to fluidly couple the storage container to the at least one nozzle. When the fire suppression system is inactive, the fire suppression agent within the storage container is pressurized to a storage pressure. The storage pressure is greater than a vapor pressure of the fire suppression agent such that first pressurized gas dissolves into the fire suppression agent. When the fire suppression system is active, propellant pressure in the piping system exceeds the storage pressure of the fire suppression agent.