Fire Suppression Foam Recovery System
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Solution Overview
Problem
In modern firefighting systems, foam concentrates congeal over time, causing damage to mechanical components and are costly to replace, with existing methods for removing residual foam concentrate from systems often resulting in environmental contamination.
Innovation Solution
A fire suppression system incorporating a water supply system, a foam concentrate supply system, and a foam concentrate recovery system, which allows for the extraction and recycling of foam concentrate from the system, preventing congealment and reducing waste.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If foam concentrate is left in the system lines after use, then the system is ready for next operation, but the foam concentrate congeals and damages mechanical components
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by automatically recovering foam concentrate from the lines after each operation before congealment can occur. The recovery pump activates to extract residual concentrate from the supply lines and return it to the storage tank, preventing the harmful congealment process before it can damage mechanical components.
Solution Approach 2:
The system converts the potentially harmful residual foam concentrate into a beneficial resource by recovering and recycling it. Instead of allowing the concentrate to congeal and damage components, the recovery system captures it and returns it to serviceable condition in the storage tank, transforming a waste product into a reusable resource.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If foam concentrate is flushed through the system to remove it, then components are protected from congealment damage, but the concentrate enters the environment causing contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts residual foam concentrate from the supply lines using a dedicated recovery pump and piping system. This extraction process removes the concentrate before it can be flushed into the environment, capturing it for reuse while protecting both components and the environment from harm.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of discarding the foam concentrate through flushing, the system recovers it using the recovery pump and returns it to the storage tank. This recovery process eliminates environmental contamination while still removing the concentrate from the lines to prevent congealment damage.
3Loss of substance
If foam concentrate is flushed out of the system, then residual concentrate is removed from lines, but expensive concentrate is wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The system recovers foam concentrate that would otherwise be discarded through flushing. The recovery pump extracts residual concentrate from the supply lines and returns it to the storage tank, eliminating waste and reducing the need to purchase expensive replacement concentrate.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameter from complete discharge (flushing) to partial recovery. By using the recovery pump to extract and return concentrate, the system maintains adequate residual levels in the lines for next operation while recovering the majority of the concentrate for reuse, optimizing both removal and conservation.
4Quantity of substance
If large volume of foam concentrate is stored in plumbing manifolds for industrial systems, then fire suppression capability is maintained, but significant amount of concentrate requires removal and disposal
Solution Approach 1:
The recovery system enables continuous reuse of foam concentrate by capturing residual concentrate after each operation and returning it to the storage tank. This creates a continuous cycle of recovery and reuse, minimizing the need for continuous purchase and disposal of expensive concentrate while maintaining adequate supply for fire suppression operations.
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 system effectively recovers and reuses foam concentrate, preventing damage to components and minimizing environmental impact while reducing costs by reusing the expensive foam concentrate.
Implementation Method 1
a foam pump in fluid communication with the foam concentrate supply line and in fluid communication with the foam tank. The foam pump is configured to pressurize the foam concentrate and deliver the foam concentrate to the mixing system
Implementation Method 2
a water pump in fluid communication with the water supply line. The water pump is configured to pressurize water and deliver the water to the mixing system
Implementation Method 3
a mixing system in fluid communication with the foam concentrate supply line and in fluid communication with the water supply line such that the mixing system forms a foam-water mixture from the foam concentrate and the water
Implementation Method 4
a discharge pump in fluid communication with the mixing system and in fluid communication with the discharge outlets. The discharge pump is configured to pressurize and deliver the foam-water mixture through the discharge outlets
Implementation Method 5
The foam concentrate recovery system includes a recovery pump in fluid communication with the foam concentrate supply line and in fluid communication with the foam tank such that the recovery pump extracts the foam concentrate from the foam concentrate supply line and returns the foam concentrate to the foam tank
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for fire suppression systems are disclosed. In one embodiment, the fire suppression system comprises a water supply system, a foam concentrate supply system, and a foam concentrate recovery system. The water supply system includes a water pump and a water supply line. The foam concentrate supply system includes a foam pump and a foam concentrate supply line, the foam concentrate supply line fluidly connected with the water supply system to facilitate mixing foam concentrate provided by the foam concentrate supply system with water provided by the water supply system. The foam concentrate recovery system includes a recovery pump fluidly connectable with the foam concentrate supply system to facilitate the extraction of foam concentrate from at least a portion of the foam concentrate supply system. The system and method can also include circulating foam concentrate to promote mixing and hinder the congealment of foam concentrate.