Fire Suppression Nozzle Placement Optimization

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional fire suppression system design processes are manual and resource-intensive, leading to inefficiencies and increased costs due to the lack of automated tools for determining optimal nozzle placement and piping layouts within building maps while adhering to constraints.

Innovation Solution

A web-based system that uses an optimizer to determine nozzle and piping placements within fire suppression systems by analyzing building information and constraints, providing real-time feedback through user interfaces for selecting placement strategies and activating alerts for constraint violations, and generating compliance reports.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If manual design processes are used for fire suppression systems, then design flexibility and human judgment are maintained, but time consumption and resource waste increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedesign efficiencyVSAvoidtime consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables self-service design by automatically determining optimal nozzle placements and piping layouts based on building maps and constraints, eliminating the need for manual design processes while maintaining design quality through algorithmic optimization

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces manual mechanical design processes with an automated computing system that uses algorithms to optimize nozzle placement and piping routes, substituting human labor with computational processing to achieve faster and more consistent results

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Productivity

If automated optimization is implemented for nozzle placement, then design time is reduced, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedesign speedVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system achieves multi-functionality by integrating multiple design tasks (nozzle placement optimization, piping route determination, constraint validation, and code compliance checking) into a single automated platform, reducing overall system complexity despite the advanced capabilities provided

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Manufacturing precision

If comprehensive constraint checking is performed, then compliance accuracy is improved, but computational resources are consumed

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecompliance accuracyVSAvoidcomputational resource usage
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary action by checking constraints and compliance requirements during the design optimization process itself, rather than performing separate validation steps afterward, which reduces redundant computational resources while maintaining comprehensive compliance accuracy

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3850526B1Fire suppression system - system and method for optimal nozzle placement
Publication Date: 2024.12.04 CARRIER CORP
  • EP3850526B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3850526B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3850526B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A method of determining placement of nozzles within a fire suppression system comprising: determining a geometry of a room in response to a floor plan; determining a type of fire suppression agent required in response to at least one of articles in the room and hazards in the room; determining an amount of fire suppression agent required in response to at least one of the articles in the room, hazards in the room, the geometry of the room, average temperature in the room, and average pressure within the room; and determining a number of nozzles, a type of each of the nozzles, a location of each of the nozzles within the room in response to at least the amount of fire suppression agent required.