Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A62—LIFE-SAVING; FIRE-FIGHTING
  • A62C—FIRE-FIGHTING
  • A62C37/00—Control of fire-fighting equipment
  • A62C37/08—Control of fire-fighting equipment comprising an outlet device containing a sensor, or itself being the sensor, i.e. self-contained sprinklers
  • A62C37/10—Releasing means, e.g. electrically released
  • A62C37/11—Releasing means, e.g. electrically released heat-sensitive
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A62—LIFE-SAVING; FIRE-FIGHTING
  • A62C—FIRE-FIGHTING
  • A62C31/00—Delivery of fire-extinguishing material
  • A62C31/02—Nozzles specially adapted for fire-extinguishing

Definitions

• the present invention refers to a sprinkler head triggering apparatus, comprising a spray nozzle with an actuator being releasable by heating to a certain temperature, and which normally holds a valve piston in a closed position against a valve seat, which valve piston, at release of the actuator, is movable in a piston sleeve in the direction away from said seat, for opening a flow passage from a feed line for pressurized water to the spray nozzle.
• Sprinkler heads are used in sprinkler systems for fire extinguishing inside plants, buildings and on ships. Often, such a sprinkler head is provided with a triggering device comprising an actuator, e.g. a glass bulb which is actuated by heating to a high ambient temperature. It is also known to provide such a glass bulb with an electrode which may explode the bulb electrically by remote control, e.g. by a signal from a smoke detector or for functional testing.
• a triggering device comprising an actuator, e.g. a glass bulb which is actuated by heating to a high ambient temperature. It is also known to provide such a glass bulb with an electrode which may explode the bulb electrically by remote control, e.g. by a signal from a smoke detector or for functional testing.
• a drawback with sprinkler systems which are equipped with such actuator means is that the functional testing of the system is very difficult to perform. For example, each bulb must be exchanged and the restoration of the system to normal function thus takes a long time. Normally there are regulations for performing such function testing according to a certain regularity.
• One purpose of the present invention is therefore to provide a triggering apparatus which can be released directly both mechanically by means of a heat fuse, and also by means of electrical remote control, e.g. via a smoke detector, without the need for particular flow valves.
• Another object is to provide a triggering apparatus which is simple to test functionally.
• Fig. 1 is a partly sectioned view of a triggering apparatus designed in accordance with the invention
• Fig. 2 shows in a slightly larger scale a secondary piston belonging to the triggering apparatus
• Fig. 3 shows a valve piston belonging to the triggering apparatus
• Fig. 4 shows a bulb screw belonging to the triggering apparatus.
• the triggering apparatus according to the invention is in the following embodiment shown together with a sprinkler head of a special high pressure type, but the invention is not limited to this type of sprinkler nozzles.
• the nozzle comprises a holder 10 which forms an attachment for a nozzle head 11.
• This head 11 is in its turn mounted in the holder 10 by means of a bulb screw 12 which projects with one of its ends into the holder and which carries a bulb protector 13 at its other end.
• a glass bulb 14 is mounted at the outer end of a valve piston 15 which is movable journalled inside the bulb screw 12, in such a way that the piston 15 is held in a closed position against a valve seat.
• This valve seat is formed by a conical part 16 of a secondary piston 17.
• the glass bulb 14 If the glass bulb 14 is subjected to heat above a certain temperature, e.g. 70°C, the bulb breaks and the valve piston 15 is able to move in the direction downward in Fig. 1, by the action of a fluid pressure prevailing within the space 18. This pressure is transmitted to the space via a feed line which is not shown in the drawing and which is connected at right angle to said space, acting against the end edge of said valve piston 15, which in this end portion is provided with an axially projecting, central bore 19.
• a feed line which is not shown in the drawing and which is connected at right angle to said space, acting against the end edge of said valve piston 15, which in this end portion is provided with an axially projecting, central bore 19.
• valve piston 15 when the valve piston 15 is pressed away from the seat of the secondary piston 17, water penetrates into the central bore 19 and flows further via a first angular passage 20 through the piston wall and a second angular passage 21 through the bulb screw 12 into a space 22 between the holder 10 and the sprinkler nozzle head 11.
• the above described working process takes place when the glass bulb is heated above a certain temperature.
• a pressure detecting valve which starts pumping for supply of sprinkler water with a high pressure, e.g. 200 bar.
• the secondary piston 17 is movable journalled in a piston sleeve 24 inside the holder 10, which piston sleeve is coaxial with the guide for the valve piston 15 in the bulb screw 12.
• a helical spring 25 rest on a angle shoulder 26 inside a pilot piston cylinder 27 which is screwed on to the upper end of the holder 10.
• the spring 25 presses with a small force against an end edge 28 on upper side of the secondary piston, as it is shown in Fig. 1, or the left side as it is shown in Fig. 2.
• Fig. 1 As is best shown in Fig.
• the secondary piston 17 is provided with a first channel 29, which between the two ends of the two ends of the piston 17 and which forms a connection between the space 18 at one side of the piston, and the space 30 which houses the helical spring 25, so that equal pressure prevails on both ends of the piston.
• the secondary piston 17 is provided with a second channel 31 arranged in parallel, which has a larger cross section than the first channel 29. This second channel 31 runs along the centre axis of the piston and is normally closed by a pilot piston 32 which is movable arranged inside the pilot piston cylinder 27, coaxial with the valve piston 15 and the secondary piston 17.
• the pilot piston 32 is normally held in its closed position against the outlet of the second channel 31 of the secondary piston 17 by the action of a helical spring 33. Also, the pilot piston is manoeuvrable by means of a solenoid 34 which is electrically controlled via a cable connection 35.
• the pilot piston 32 is pulled upwards in Fig. 1 against the action of the helical spring 33. This opens the channel 31, which leads fluid from the space 30 via the central bore 19 of the valve piston, the angular passages 20, 21 and the sprinkler channels and the space 22 out of the sprinkler head. At the same time a smaller flow of fluid takes place from the space 18 via the second channel 28. This limited flow does not manage to compensate for the pressure difference between the two ends of the secondary piston, i.e. between the two spaces 18, 30, which results in that the piston 17 is pressed/pulled in the direction upward in Fig. 1.
• the functional testing can be made by means of a short activation of the solenoid.
• valve piston, the secondary piston and the pilot piston do not have to be coaxially arranged along a common longitudinal axis.
• the electrically controlled release of the sprinkler head do not have to take place via a secondary piston, but the pilot piston may act directly against the valve piston.

Landscapes

• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Public Health (AREA)
• Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
• Emergency Management (AREA)
• Fire-Extinguishing By Fire Departments, And Fire-Extinguishing Equipment And Control Thereof (AREA)
• Catching Or Destruction (AREA)
• Nozzles (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=20397556

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (7)

Families Citing this family (8)

Family Cites Families (3)

• 1995
  • 1995-03-16 SE SE9500920A patent/SE504325C2/sv not_active IP Right Cessation
• 1996
  • 1996-03-15 AU AU51299/96A patent/AU5129996A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1996-03-15 EP EP96907836A patent/EP0956102B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1996-03-15 AT AT96907836T patent/ATE274977T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1996-03-15 DE DE69633305T patent/DE69633305D1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1996-03-15 WO PCT/SE1996/000331 patent/WO1996028218A1/en active IP Right Grant
• 1997
  • 1997-09-12 NO NO19974215A patent/NO316765B1/no not_active IP Right Cessation

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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