System and method of a loop architecture of a fixed piping system implemented within a safety system of a structure to continuously supply breathable air therewithin
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fire safety systems in multi-story buildings often compromise breathable air supply due to smoke inhalation risks, leading to disorientation and limited access to clean air during emergencies.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a loop architecture for a fixed piping system within the safety system, which includes a first portion proximate to each level and a second portion farther away, forming a continuous loop to ensure uninterrupted breathable air supply even when a sub-portion is compromised.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional linear piping system is used to supply breathable air, then the system structure is simple, but the breathable air supply is interrupted when a portion of the piping is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The piping system is segmented into multiple independent sections with isolation valves at strategic locations. This allows the system to be divided into functional segments that can be isolated from each other, enabling continuous operation of unaffected segments even when one segment is compromised by fire or smoke contamination.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a linear one-dimensional piping arrangement to a multi-dimensional loop architecture with alternative flow paths. This dimensional change creates redundancy by providing multiple routes for breathable air to reach each floor, ensuring supply continuity when one path is blocked or compromised.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the breathable air flow is shut down to mitigate compromise effects, then the safety risk is reduced, but the access to clean air is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The compromised segment containing smoke or fire contamination is extracted or isolated from the breathable air supply system using closure valves. This removes the harmful element from the system while preserving the functionality of clean segments, allowing emergency personnel to continue accessing breathable air without exposure to smoke inhalation risks.
Solution Approach 2:
Different segments of the piping system are assigned different functional qualities: compromised segments are isolated and excluded from breathable air flow, while unaffected segments maintain their breathable air supply function. This local differentiation allows the system to simultaneously protect against smoke inhalation in compromised areas while maintaining productivity in safe areas.
3Adaptability or versatility
If isolation valves are installed at each floor, then the air supply can be isolated to specific floors, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The isolation valves are designed with multi-functionality, serving both as normal operational controls for maintenance and as emergency isolation devices during fire incidents. This universal design reduces the need for separate specialized components, thereby limiting the increase in system complexity while maintaining selective floor isolation capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A safety system implemented within a structure includes a source of breathable air, and a fixed piping system to supply the breathable air from the source to each level of a number of levels of the structure. The fixed piping system is implemented in a loop architecture including a first portion proximate the each level of the number of levels and a second portion farther away therefrom. In accordance with the loop architecture, the first portion and the second portion are implemented as a continuous loop with respect to the source of the breathable air such that, even during a compromise of a first sub-portion of the first portion relevant to one or more level(s) of the number of levels proximate thereto, unaffected by the compromise, the breathable air continues to be supplied to a second sub-portion of the first portion by way of the second portion.