Pressure Vessel Barrier Cavity Fire Suppression Elements
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Solution Overview
Problem
Double-walled pressure vessels face challenges in containing leaks and preventing combustion of hazardous materials due to material defects, corrosion, and fluid abrasion, which can lead to contamination of external environments and adjacent circuits.
Innovation Solution
A pressure vessel system with a barrier cavity and fire suppression elements that extend from the primary container to the secondary barrier wall, forming passageways to contain and direct leaked materials away from the atmosphere, reducing the risk of combustion and providing structural support while aiding in heat transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a double-walled design is used to isolate leaks, then leak containment is improved, but the risk of combustion in the barrier layer remains
Solution Approach 1:
Fire suppression elements are introduced as intermediary components within the barrier layer. These elements act as mediators between the primary and secondary pressure vessels, automatically suppressing combustion if hazardous materials leak into the barrier layer, thus resolving the combustion risk while maintaining leak containment effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The fire suppression elements create a chemically inert or fire-suppressing atmosphere within the barrier layer. By filling the barrier layer with fire suppressant materials, the environment becomes non-combustible, preventing the harmful effect of combustion even when hazardous materials are present
2Object-affected harmful factors
If fire suppression elements are added to the barrier layer, then combustion risk is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fire suppression elements are merged with the barrier layer structure itself rather than being separate external systems. The barrier wall incorporates the fire suppressant material directly into its construction, combining the structural containment function with the fire suppression function into a single integrated component, thus adding safety without proportionally increasing complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The fire suppression elements are designed to activate automatically when hazardous materials leak into the barrier layer, without requiring external control systems, power sources, or manual intervention. The elements self-activate through contact with the leaked material, providing fire suppression as a self-service function that minimizes system complexity
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
Effectively contains leaks, prevents rapid spread of leaked materials, mitigates combustion risk, and enhances structural integrity and heat transfer within the pressure vessel system.
Implementation Method 1
The plurality of fire suppression elements are configured to prevent flame from propagating through the barrier cavity from the first container to the second container while providing thermal conductivity between the first container and the second container
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3
AI summary
A pressure vessel includes a first wall defining a container and a second wall surrounding the container defining a cavity between the first wall and the second wall. The pressure vessel also includes a vent (24) in the second wall providing fluid communication between the cavity and an outside of the second wall and matter positioned within the cavity configured to prevent flame from propagating through the cavity while providing thermal conductivity between the first wall and the second wall.