Dual-Stage Sprinkler Head for Automatic Water Shutoff and Reset
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional automatic fire suppression systems continue to distribute water after a fire is suppressed, causing significant unnecessary water damage due to continuous operation, which can exceed 400 gallons in affected and adjacent spaces.
Innovation Solution
A dual stage fire sprinkler head with a dual stage activation assembly that includes a primary and secondary sealing assembly, allowing the system to automatically reset after a predetermined time, reassessing the fire hazard, and activating a second stage if necessary to prevent continuous water flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional automatic sprinkler heads operate continuously to provide fire suppression, then fire safety is ensured, but unnecessary water damage occurs in affected and adjacent spaces
Solution Approach 1:
The sprinkler head operates in periodic stages: an active stage where water flows to suppress fire, followed by a dormant stage where water flow is stopped. The system transitions between these stages based on detected temperature conditions, allowing the sprinkler to provide fire suppression when needed while avoiding continuous water discharge that causes damage to adjacent spaces
Solution Approach 2:
The sprinkler head dynamically adjusts its operation based on real-time temperature detection. The system transitions from a static continuous-flow state to a dynamic state where water flow is modulated according to whether the detected temperature exceeds the activation threshold, enabling adaptive response to changing fire conditions
2Reliability
If sprinkler heads continue to distribute water after fire suppression, then fire safety is maintained, but water usage increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic operation with distinct active and dormant stages. During the active stage, water flows at high rate to suppress fire. After a predetermined time period, the system transitions to the dormant stage where water flow is stopped, significantly reducing water usage while maintaining fire safety through periodic reactivation based on temperature detection
3Reliability
If traditional sprinkler systems operate continuously, then fire suppression is ensured, but collateral damage to adjacent areas increases
Solution Approach 1:
By transitioning between active and dormant stages based on temperature detection, the system limits water discharge to periods when fire suppression is actually needed. This periodic operation prevents continuous water flow from causing collateral damage to adjacent areas while maintaining reliable fire suppression capability
Solution Approach 2:
The sprinkler head incorporates temperature sensing that provides feedback on fire conditions. This feedback mechanism allows the system to detect when fire has been suppressed and transition to the dormant stage, preventing unnecessary water discharge to adjacent areas while ensuring fire suppression when temperatures indicate active fire hazard
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
The dual stage system conserves water by automatically stopping fluid flow after initial fire suppression, reducing collateral damage by minimizing water usage in affected and adjacent areas.
Implementation Method 1
the frangible bulb is configured to detect an increase in temperature associated with a fire hazard and in response to the detected increase in temperature, move the seal from the blocked position to the open position
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods are disclosed that include providing a dual stage fire sprinkler in a fire suppression system. The dual stage fire sprinkler includes an activation system and a dual stage sealing assembly having a primary frangible bulb and a secondary frangible bulb. The fire sprinkler activates a first stage fire suppression operation in response to an ambient temperature in a zone exceeding a trigger temperature of the primary frangible bulb. The activation system automatically replaces the primary frangible bulb with the secondary frangible bulb after a predetermined period of time and either activates a second stage fire suppression operation in response to the ambient temperature exceeding the trigger temperature of the secondary frangible bulb or resets the fire sprinkler for a subsequent fire hazard event in response to the ambient temperature being lower than the trigger temperature of the secondary frangible bulb.