Fire-Protected Wood Carbon Tracking System
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Solution Overview
Problem
The building construction industry faces challenges in creating high-density wood-framed and mass timber buildings that provide effective fire protection while also mitigating climate change by sequestering carbon, as existing methods lack efficient systems for quantifying and certifying the carbon storage in fire-protected wood products and do not adequately address the risks of fire in multi-story wood-framed buildings.
Innovation Solution
A cloud-based system and network that estimates and records carbon storage in Class-A fire-protected wood-framed and mass timber buildings, using clean fire inhibiting chemicals to treat lumber and engineered wood products, and provides a certification for fire-protected carbon units (FPCUs), along with an on-site spraying method for fire protection and carbon quantization, ensuring the building meets Class-A fire-protection standards and reduces the risk of fire damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If wood materials are used in prefabricated wood-building assemblies, then carbon sequestration is achieved, but fire protection is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining wood products with fire-retardant treatments and protective coatings. The wood-based assemblies are treated with fire-retardant chemicals and protective coatings that form a composite protective layer, maintaining the carbon sequestration benefits of wood while significantly improving fire resistance. This composite approach allows the structure to maintain both its environmental benefits and fire safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary anti-action by applying fire-retardant treatments and protective coatings to the wood materials before they are assembled into buildings. This pre-treatment creates a protective barrier that prevents fire ignition and spread, addressing the fire risk before it can manifest during the building's service life. The fire-retardant properties are built into the materials themselves prior to construction.
2Reliability
If fire protection treatments are applied to wood, then fire resistance is improved, but carbon quantification becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the wood-based assembly into distinct components that can be individually measured and tracked. The fire-retardant treated wood products are segmented into specific assemblies and components, each with identifiable carbon content. This segmentation allows for systematic carbon quantification while maintaining the fire protection benefits of the treated materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms through tracking and verification systems that monitor both fire protection treatment application and carbon storage. The system provides feedback loops that verify the carbon content of treated wood products and ensure the fire-retardant treatments are properly applied, allowing for accurate quantification of both fire safety and carbon sequestration attributes.
3Productivity
If multi-story wood-framed buildings are constructed, then housing density is increased, but fire safety risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by treating wood materials with fire-retardant chemicals and protective coatings before they are used in multi-story building construction. This pre-treatment ensures that the high-density wood-framed structures have built-in fire resistance from the outset, addressing the increased fire hazard associated with multi-story construction before it occurs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements parameter changes by modifying the physical and chemical properties of the wood materials through fire-retardant treatments. These treatments change the combustion characteristics, thermal stability, and fire spread properties of the wood, transforming it from highly flammable to fire-resistant. This parameter modification enables safe use in high-density multi-story buildings.
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 solution enables the creation of high-density wood-framed buildings with enhanced fire protection and carbon quantization, providing a method for builders to receive credit for carbon sequestration and reducing the risk of fire damage, thereby promoting environmental sustainability and safety.
Implementation Method 1
spraying a clean fire inhibiting chemical coating over all exposed surfaces of all lumber and wood products used in the construction of the building
Implementation Method 2
clean fire inhibiting chemical coating... acts as a flame inhibitor, preservative and water repellent
Implementation Method 3
reducing the risk of fire damage
Data Source
AI summary
A method of protecting carbon mass stored in wood materials contained in prefabricated wood-building assemblies, from the destructive energy of fire and release back into the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide and/or other greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. The method involves applying clean fire inhibiting chemical (CFIC) liquid to the surfaces of each prefabricated wood-building assembly in a factory, to produce a Class-A fire-protected prefabricated wood-building assembly inhibited from ignition by fire, flame spread and smoke development. The method also involves estimating and tracking the quantity of carbon mass stored in each fire-protected prefabricated wood-building assembly, and recording the quantity of carbon mass in an information database accessible over a wireless communication network, for use by various stakeholders.