Dual-Subsystem Firefighting System with Cross-Coupled Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fire-fighting systems in public and semi-public spaces face challenges in ensuring safe and reliable activation, especially when the triggering source is spatially distant from the firefighting operation, and require maintenance readiness over long periods without failure.
Innovation Solution
A dual-subsystem fire-fighting system with cross-coupled propellant gas storage and control circuits, allowing for redundant activation and monitoring of pressures, fill levels, and temperatures, ensuring reliable operation even if one subsystem is defective, with check valves preventing fluid crossover between subsystems during activation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single subsystem is used for firefighting operations, then the system structure is simpler, but the reliability of activation is reduced when the triggering source is spatially distant
Solution Approach 1:
The firefighting system is divided into multiple independent subsystems (first subsystem with first extinguishing fluid reservoir and first propellant gas reservoir, second subsystem with second extinguishing fluid reservoir and second propellant gas reservoir). Each subsystem can be independently activated, ensuring that if one subsystem fails to activate, the other can still perform the firefighting function, thereby improving activation reliability without requiring overly complex inter-subsystem dependencies.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple propellant gas reservoirs and control circuits into a unified firefighting system architecture. The control circuits are interconnected such that either control circuit can activate either subsystem, creating a merged control structure that enhances reliability while maintaining manageable system complexity through standardized interfaces and procedures.
2Reliability
If multiple propellant gas reservoirs are used for redundant activation, then the activation safety is improved, but the installation space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a nested configuration where the first and second propellant gas reservoirs are positioned within the same fire compartment, and their associated valves and piping are integrated into a compact arrangement. The control circuits share common mounting locations and wiring harnesses, effectively nesting multiple redundant components within a space-efficient configuration that minimizes installation footprint while maintaining activation safety.
3Reliability
If cross-coupled control circuits are implemented for redundant activation, then the activation reliability is enhanced, but the control system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control circuits are designed with universal functionality where the first control circuit can activate both the first and second subsystems, and the second control circuit can also activate both subsystems. This multi-functional design simplifies the control logic by using identical control circuit architectures that can interchangeably control either subsystem, reducing the need for complex dedicated control pathways while enhancing activation reliability through redundant control capabilities.
4Reliability
If larger extinguishing fluid reservoirs are used to ensure sufficient extinguishing capability, then the firefighting effectiveness is improved, but the installation space and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The extinguishing fluid requirement is segmented across multiple smaller reservoirs (first extinguishing fluid reservoir and second extinguishing fluid reservoir) rather than using a single large reservoir. Each reservoir contains sufficient fluid for its associated subsystem to handle typical fire scenarios independently. This segmentation reduces the volume of each individual reservoir, lowering installation space requirements and weight, while maintaining overall firefighting effectiveness through the combined capacity of multiple reservoirs that can be activated based on fire location and severity.
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
Enhances the reliability and safety of fire-fighting operations by ensuring activation even if one subsystem is defective, reducing downtime and installation space requirements, and allowing for targeted and localized firefighting with reduced extinguishing fluid storage needs.
Implementation Method 1
A propellant gas reservoir stores the propellant gas, particularly nitrogen or CO2, at high pressures, for example, between 50 bar and 250 bar
Implementation Method 2
When activated, the valve opens, allowing the propellant gas to flow from the propellant gas reservoir into the extinguishing fluid reservoir, where it expels the extinguishing fluid stored there via a pipeline
Data Source
Figure 1a
Figure 1b
Figure 2a
AI summary
The invention relates to a firefighting system having a first feed-in platform designed to feed a pipeline system having extinguishing nozzles with extinguishing fluid, comprising a first subsystem having a first extinguishing fluid reservoir, at least two first propellant reservoirs, and a first control circuit, wherein the first propellant reservoirs each have a valve for pneumatically coupling the first propellant reservoir to the extinguishing fluid reservoir and each of the valves is pneumatically activatable via an output of the other valve, a second subsystem having a second extinguishing fluid reservoir, at least two second propellant reservoirs and a second control circuit, wherein the second propellant reservoirs each have a valve for pneumatically coupling the second propellant reservoir to the extinguishing fluid reservoir and each of the valves is pneumatically activatable via an output of the other valve, characterized in that the first control circuit is operatively connected to a first of the valves of the first subsystem and a second of the valves of the second subsystem and in that the second control circuit is operatively connected to a second of the valves of the first subsystem and a first of the valves of the second subsystem.