Integrated Fire Suppression Cabinet for Faster Certified Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fire suppression systems in specialized environments, such as the nuclear industry, face significant installation delays, high costs, and complex certification processes due to component-based designs that require separate inspection and installation by multiple teams, violating stringent safety standards.
Innovation Solution
An integrated fire suppression system with a modular, compartmentalized cabinet that allows off-site assembly and inspection, featuring a control panel and compartments for various components, ensuring compliance with safety standards and enabling rapid installation and maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If component-based fire suppression systems are used, then system flexibility and adaptability are improved, but installation time and complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate fire suppression components (control panel, tanks, piping, nozzles, sensors) into a single integrated assembly that is pre-assembled and tested as one unit. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate installation of individual components, thereby reducing installation time while maintaining system flexibility through modular design options.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary assembly and testing of the complete fire suppression system off-site before installation at the actual location. The control panel, tanks, piping, and nozzles are pre-assembled and qualified in a controlled environment, allowing for rapid deployment at the installation site without requiring complex on-site assembly procedures.
2Adaptability or versatility
If separate components are installed by different teams, then system customization is improved, but cost and security requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple subsystems (control panel, fluid storage tanks, piping infrastructure, nozzles, and detection sensors) into a single integrated assembly that can be installed by one team. This reduces the number of separate installation contracts and security clearances needed, thereby lowering overall project complexity and cost while preserving customization capabilities through modular configuration options.
3Reliability
If each component requires separate inspection and certification, then system reliability is improved, but installation delay increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs complete assembly, testing, and certification of the fire suppression system off-site before installation at the final location. The control panel, tanks, piping, nozzles, and sensors are pre-assembled and qualified in a controlled manufacturing environment, allowing all inspections and certifications to be completed in advance. This preliminary action ensures system reliability while eliminating time-consuming on-site inspection procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary qualified assembly facility that serves as a controlled environment for pre-assembling and testing the complete fire suppression system. This intermediary location enables thorough inspection and certification of the integrated assembly before it is installed at the final site, ensuring reliability without requiring multiple separate inspection cycles at the installation location.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure is directed to a fire suppression system that includes all control components in a single integrated panel. It further contemplates and may include a chamber configured to maintain an interior inert atmosphere and to enclose and establish a nonflammable workspace for a pyrophoric workpiece. A temperature sensor may also be included and mounted proximate the workspace, along with an oxygen concentration sensor configured to detect an interior oxygen concentration of the atmosphere. The system also includes a dispenser configured to discharge an antipyrophoric granular material onto the workpiece responsive to automatic detection proximate the workpiece of at least one of a predetermined temperature and oxygen concentration. In variations, the chamber is configured as a glove box having viewing windows and a plurality of sealed glove ports positioned to enable user manipulation of the workpiece about the workspace.