Title: Barrier apparatus for resisting passage of harmful gases through an opening
Abstract: The invention relates to a barrier apparatus for resisting passage of harmful gases from a space through a substantially vertical opening having a top, a bottom and lateral sides, the barrier apparatus comprising a suction arrangement for sucking gases and blowing arrangement for creating a flow of a medium. In order to effectively process harmful gases even in large spaces, the suction arrangement comprises at least one suction port (
Patent Number: 6,884,160 Issued on 04/26/2005 to Sundholm
| Inventors:
|
Sundholm; Göoran (Tuusula, FI)
|
| Assignee:
|
Marioff Corporation Oy (Vantaa, FI)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
958238 |
| Filed:
|
April 7, 2000 |
| PCT Filed:
|
April 7, 2000
|
| PCT NO:
|
PCTFI00/00298
|
| 371 Date:
|
June 7, 2002
|
| 102(e) Date:
|
June 7, 2002
|
| PCT PUB.NO.:
|
WO0059579 |
| PCT PUB. Date:
|
October 12, 2000 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
| Current U.S. Class: |
454/191; 169/9; 169/48 |
| Intern'l Class: |
F24F 009//00 |
| Field of Search: |
169/43,48,51,9,91
454/188,191,57
|
References Cited [Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
| 4121790 | Oct., 1978 | Graham.
| |
| 4315456 | Feb., 1982 | Hayashi et al.
| |
| 4986364 | Jan., 1991 | Clark.
| |
| 5167572 | Dec., 1992 | Etkin.
| |
| 5353879 | Oct., 1994 | Watanabe et al.
| |
| 6702299 | Mar., 2004 | Yamaguchi et al.
| |
| Foreign Patent Documents |
| 19825420 | Dec., 1999 | DE.
| |
| 2089320 | Jan., 1972 | FR.
| |
| 4-16252 | Jan., 1992 | JP.
| |
| 10-165625 | Jun., 1998 | JP.
| |
| 9310861 | Jun., 1993 | WO.
| |
| 9739801 | Oct., 1997 | WO.
| |
Primary Examiner: Joyce; Harold
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Ladas & Parry LLP
Claims
1. A barrier apparatus for resisting passage of harmful gases from a space through
a substantially vertical opening having a top, a bottom and lateral sides, the
barrier apparatus comprising a suction arrangement for sucking gases and blowing
arrangement for creating a flow of a medium, wherein the suction arrangement comprises
at least one suction port (
1,
1′) located near the top of
the opening to provide suction substantially along the width of the opening, the
blowing arrangement comprises at least one blowing port (
5,
5′)
located near the bottom of the opening to provide blowing substantially along the
width of the opening, and a fluid coupling (
8,
9,
8′,
9′) coupled between the suction arrangement and the blowing arrangement
being provided and defining a fluid path between the suction port (
1,
1′)
and the blowing port (
5,
5′), a spraying device (
3,
3′) being arranged in the fluid path for driving gas from the suction
port to the blowing port and being arranged for spraying a liquid in the fluid
path for purifying and/or cooling media flowing through the fluid path.
2. A barrier apparatus as claimed in claim 1, comprising a first side suction
port (
2a) and a second side suction port (
2b), said
ports being located at opposite lateral sides of the opening in an upper region
thereof, at a level below said at least one suction port (
1).
3. A barrier apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the suction arrangement
comprises a top suction duct (
10) located along the top of the opening and
comprising said at least one suction port (
1), and a first side suction
duct (
8) and a second side suction duct (
9) located along opposite
lateral sides of the opening in an upper region thereof, and each side suction
duct comprising at least one side suction port (
2a,
2b)
at a level below said at least one suction port, and a bottom blowing duct (
11)
located along the bottom of the opening and comprising said at least one blowing
port (
5).
4. A barrier apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the suction arrangement
comprises a top suction duct (
10′) located along the opening and
comprising said at least one suction port (
1′) and a bottom blowing
duct (
11′) located along the bottom of the opening and comprising
said at least one blowing port (
5′), said at least one suction port
and said at least one blowing port facing each other.
5. A barrier apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the top suction duct (
10),
the bottom blowing duct (
11) and the side suction ducts (
8,
9)
have a diameter between 30 and 300 mm and the diameters of the suction ports (
2a,
2b) and said at least one blowing port (
5) are between 2 and
100 mm.
6. A barrier apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein at least the first side
suction duct (
8) is coupled between the top suction duct (
10) and
the bottom blowing duct (
11) to define the fluid path between said at least
one suction port (
1) and said at least one blowing port (
5), and
the spraying device (
3) being arranged in the first side suction duct for
driving gas from said at least one suction port to said at least one blowing port
and wherein no suction ports are provided in an area below a height level midway
between the top suction duct and the bottom blowing duct.
7. A barrier apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spraying device (
3,
3′) is arranged to spray the liquid in the form of a fog-like spray
(
6,
7).
8. A barrier apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the top suction duct (
10),
the side suction ducts (
8,
9) and the bottom blowing duct (
11)
are mounted on a face of a wall through which the opening is formed.
9. A barrier apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein said at least one suction
port (
1) and said at least one blowing port (
5) are facing the space.
10. In a method of guiding and processing harmful gases near a substantially
vertical opening defined by upper and bottom areas and lateral sides in a space
comprising the harmful gases, in which method a flow of medium is created in the
immediate vicinity of the opening, the improvements wherein, in the upper area
of the opening in an area substantially corresponding to the width of the opening
gases are sucked from the space into at least one suction port (
1,
1′)
in upper parts of the lateral sides of the opening gases are sucked from the space
into further suction ports (
2a,
2b) and from a level
below said at least one suction port (
1) and above the middle of the lateral
sides of the opening, and near the bottom area of the opening in an area substantially
corresponding to the width of the opening purified gases are blown from at least
one blowing port (
5,
5′) into the space, said suction and
said blowing being such as to at least substantially prevent air from penetrating
via the opening into the space.
11. In a method of guiding and purifying smoke gases produced in a fire, near
a substantially vertical opening defined by upper and bottom areas and lateral
sides and in a space comprising the smoke gases, in which method a flow of medium
is created in the immediate vicinity of the opening, the improvements wherein in
the upper area of the opening in an area substantially corresponding to the width
of the opening gases are sucked from the space into at least one suction port (
1,
1′), and near the bottom area of the opening in an area substantially
corresponding to the width of the opening purified gases are blown from at least
one blowing port (
5,
5′) into the space, wherein a fog-like
medium is sprayed with a spraying device (
3,
4,
3′,
4′) at a high pressure to establish a flow path between said at least
one suction port (
1,
1′) and said at least one blowing port
(
5,
5′) and to provide a suction into said at least one suction
port (
1,
1′) and to provide the blowing from said at least
one blowing port (
5,
5′), said suction and said blowing being
such as to at least substantially prevent air from penetrating via the opening
into the space, and such as to guide the smoke gases by said suction into the fog-like
medium discharged from the spraying device in order to absorb in smoke gas particles.
12. A method according to claim 11, wherein the fog-like medium is an aqueous medium.
13. A barrier apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the top suction duct (
10′),
the bottom blowing duct (
11′) and the side suction ducts (
8′,
9′) have a diameter between 30 and 300 mm and the diameters of the
suction ports (
1′) and said at least one blowing port (
5′)
are between 2 and 100 mm.
14. A barrier apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the suction arrangement
additionally comprises at least one first side suction duct (
8′)
coupled between the top suction duct (
10′) and the bottom blowing
duct (
11′) to define the fluid path between said at least one suction
port (
1′) and said at least one blowing port (
5′),
and the spraying device (
3′) being arranged in the first side suction
duct for driving gas from said at least one suction port to said at least one blowing
port and wherein no suction ports are provided in an area below a height level
midway between the top suction duct and the bottom blowing duct.
15. A method according to claim 10 for guiding and purifying smoke gases produced
in a fire, wherein a fog-like medium is sprayed with a spraying device (
3,
4) at a high pressure to establish a flow path between said at least one
suction port (
1) and said at least one blowing port (
5) and to provide
the suction into said at least one suction port (
1) and to provide the blowing
from said at least one blowing port (
5), smoke gases being guided by said
suction into the fog-like medium discharged from the spraying device in order to
absorb in smoke gas particles.
16. A method according to claim 15, wherein the fog-like medium is an aqueous medium.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a barrier apparatus for resisting passage of harmful
gases from a space through a substantially vertical opening having a top, a bottom
and lateral sides, the barrier apparatus comprising a suction arrangement for sucking
gases and blowing arrangement for creating a flow of a medium.
A barrier apparatus as described above is known for example from the International
Patent Publication WO 93/10861. This reference discloses spray heads mounted above
a doorway and arranged to produce a fog-like curtain of water. The spray heads
operate at a high pressure, i.e. over 50 bar, and they produce in their immediate
surroundings a high negative pressure that sucks smoke gases into the water spray.
When the smoke gases are mixed with the spray, which preferably comprises a huge
number of small droplets of water, the particles in the smoke gases are absorbed
into the spray, thus mixing with the water droplets and being purified. With this
method the harmful effects of poisonous gases have been greatly reduced. Another
advantage is that when spray heads are arranged in small spaces, such as ship cabins
and hotel rooms, smoke gases can be prevented rather effectively from spreading
outside the small spaces, for example to corridors and further to other spaces.
The barrier apparatus disclosed in WO 93/10861 has been found to be especially
effective in preventing smoke from spreading from small rooms to other spaces.
Due to the operation described above, the barrier apparatus are also used to extinguish
a fire. However, the spray means are not particularly applicable for use in large
spaces, i.e. when smoke should be effectively absorbed and purified in big spaces.
The invention also relates to a method of guiding and processing harmful gases,
especially smoke gases produced in a fire, near a substantially vertical opening,
especially a doorway, and in a space comprising the harmful gases, in which method
a flow of medium is created in the immediate vicinity of the opening.
WO 93/10861 discloses a method for guiding and purifying smoke gases near a doorway.
Smoke gases can be guided and purified effectively when the spray means are located
in a rather small space, which is subjected to a fire and should thus be purified
of smoke gases. However, if the space that should be purified is large and there
is no fire, the purification of smoke gases is not as effective as it should be.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is to provide a barrier apparatus and a method enabling
effective processing or treating, even in a large space, of harmful gases, such
as smoke gases produced in a fire, and other poisonous gases so as to reduce the
harmful effects thereof.
For this purpose, the barrier apparatus according to the invention is characterized
in that the suction arrangement comprises at least one suction port located near
the top of the opening to provide suction substantially along the width of the
opening, the blowing arrangement comprises at least one blowing port located near
the bottom of the opening to provide blowing substantially along the width of the
opening, a fluid coupling coupled between the suction arrangement and the blowing
arrangement being provided and defining a fluid path between the suction port and
the blowing port, a spraying device being arranged in the fluid path for driving
gas from the suction port to the blowing port and being arranged for spraying a
liquid in the fluid path for purifying and/or cooling media flowing through the
fluid path.
Preferably the suction arrangement comprises a top suction duct located
along the top of the opening and comprising said at least one suction port, and
a first side suction duct and a second side suction duct located along opposite
lateral sides of the at least one opening in the upper region thereof, and each
side suction duct comprising at least one side suction port at a level below said
at least one suction port. Such a construction makes the apparatus efficient and simple.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the spraying device
is arranged to spray liquid in the form of a fog-like spray. The fog-like spray
purifies gases, e.g. smoke gases produced in a fire, very efficiently.
Preferably the spraying device is a spray head located in a side suction duct.
Preferred embodiments of the barrier apparatus are described in the appended
claims 2 to 9.
The sucking is carried out near the top of an opening, which is very advantageous
when applying the present invention for purifying smoke gases produced in a fire.
These smoke gases are hot and move therefore upwards and are likely present near
the top of the opening.
The method according to the invention is characterized in that in an upper area
of the opening in an area substantially corresponding to the width of the opening
gases are sucked from the space into at least one suction port, and that near a
bottom area of the opening in an area substantially corresponding to the width
of the opening purified gases are blown from at least one blowing port into the
space, said suction and said blowing being directed so as to at least substantially
prevent air from penetrating via the opening into the space.
Preferably the gases are guided above the opening and the medium is sprayed
near the very bottom the opening.
Preferably in upper parts of the lateral sides of the opening gases are
sucked from the space into further suction ports and from a level below said at
least one suction port and above the middle of the lateral sides of the opening.
When applying the method for guiding and purifying smoke gases produced in a
fire, preferably a fog-like medium is sprayed with a spraying device at a high
pressure to establish a flow path between said at least one suction port and said
at least one blowing port and to provide the suction into said at least one suction
port and to provide the blowing from said at least one blowing port, smoke gases
being guided by said suction into the fog-like medium discharged from the spraying
device in order to absorb in smoke gas particles. The fog-like medium is preferably
an aqueous medium.
A primary advantage of the invention is that harmful gases can be effectively
transformed
into a harmless form even if they are produced in a large space. When the invention
is applied to extinguishing a fire, an important advantage is that the suction
of air via the opening towards the fire is prevented rather efficiently, which
greatly contributes to putting out the fire. Oxygen poor purified gases are blown
through the blowing port towards the space to be purified.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
The invention will be described below in greater detail by means of two examples
with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which
FIG. 1 is a front view of spray means arranged around a doorway,
FIG. 2 is a side view of the spray means of FIG. 1,
FIG. 3 is an end view of a spray head,
FIG. 4 is a longitudinal view of the spray head according to FIG. 3, and
FIGS. 5 and 6 show a second embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
In FIG. 1, a doorway
20 is surrounded by a rectangular pipe system. The
pipe system comprises a top suction duct in the form of a horizontal pipe section
10, a bottom blowing duct in the form of a horizontal pipe section
11,
and side suction ducts in the form of vertical pipe sections
8 and
9
connecting the horizontal pipe sections. The aforementioned pipe sections
8
to
11 are provided with such lengths that the rectangle they form is slightly
greater than the rectangle formed by the doorway, so that the pipe system in the
doorway does not prevent the installation of a door therein, or passage through
the doorway. The doorway may, particularly if it is high, also be higher than the
pipe sections
8,
9: reference numeral
21 is drawn to such
a doorway. The pipe sections
10 and
11 may in some applications be
shorter than the width of the doorway. The pipe sections are in flow communication
with one another. Pipe section
10 is provided along the length thereof with
a number of suction ports in the form of openings
1 facing a room
30
or other space. Correspondingly, pipe section
11 is provided along the length
thereof with a number of spray ports in the form of openings
5 facing the
room
30. Pipe sections
8 and
9 are provided with side suction
ports in the form of openings
2a and
2b, respectively,
facing the room
30. The suction openings
2a,
2b
are formed above the middle of the respective pipe sections
8 and
9
so as to extend substantially to the elbow of the pipe system. The suction openings
1,
2a,
2b and the spray openings
5 are
formed on the walls of the respective pipe sections
10,
8,
9
and
11. These openings
1,
2a,
2b,
5
are directed for sucking and blowing respectively at an angle of between 20 and
90°, preferably between 40 and 90°.
Inside pipe sections
8 and
9 are provided spray heads
3
and
4, respectively, below the suction openings
2a and
2b.
The spray heads
3,
4 are of a type that is able to operate at a high
pressure, typically for example from 50 to 200 bar. In principle the high pressure
can be any pressure that is higher than a low pressure, i.e. about 12 bar. In
practice a pressure range of from 20 to 300 bar covers the entire required area
of pressure.
If the space
30 is to be protected against harmful gases arising from
the
space on the left side of the doorway in FIG. 2, a pipe system similar to the pipe
system on the right side of the doorway should be installed on the left side of
the doorway.
FIGS. 3 and 4 show a spray head that can be utilized in the present invention.
The spray head is provided with a plurality of nozzles
100. When these spray
heads operate at a high pressure, they spray a fog-like liquid-containing medium
illustrated by reference numerals
6 and
7 along pipe sections
8,
9 and
11 to produce in their immediate vicinity a negative pressure.
This negative pressure is apparent from a suction which prevails behind the spray
heads, said suction, in turn, producing suction in the suction openings
1,
2a and
2b. The suction is illustrated in FIG. 2 by
reference numeral
31. A spray illustrated by reference numeral
32
in FIG. 2 is directed from the spray openings
5 into the room
30.
The spray heads
3,
4 are connected via a supply line
33
to a hydraulic accumulator
13, which comprises a space
14 for an
aqueous liquid and another space
15 for nitrogen gas or some other gas.
The space
15 for gas is subjected to a high pressure, which makes the liquid
move via the supply line
33 to the spray heads
3,
4, provided
that a valve
34 is open. Unlike in the figure, the hydraulic accumulator
13 can comprise separate vessels for gas and liquid. A high pressure pump
can be used as an alternative to the hydraulic accumulator.
The pipe sections
8 to
11 are preferably made of steel or plastic,
and the diameter thereof varies from 30 to 300 mm, preferably from 50 to 200 mm,
whereas the diameters of the openings
1,
2a,
2b,
5 provided in the pipe sections vary between 2 and 100 mm, preferably between
5 and 50 mm. Suitable dimensions, number of openings, the pressure to be used,
and the volume of the hydraulic accumulator
13 are selected separately for
each application. The flow resistance in the suction openings
1,
2a,
2b is preferably selected to correspond to the flow resistance in
the spray openings
5.
The operation of the equipment shown in the figures will be described below.
Assume that smoke is produced in the space
30. A smoke detector (not
shown in the figures) provided in the space
30 gives a signal, which opens
the valve
34 and also ensures directly or indirectly that other possible
obstacles preventing the flow of liquid from the hydraulic accumulator
13
to the nozzles of the spray heads
3,
4 are removed. The hydraulic
accumulator
13 starts to empty and an aqueous medium moves at a high pressure
to the spray heads
3,
4 and further out of the spray heads in a fog-like
or gaseous form (cf. arrows
6 and
7). A negative pressure produced
in the suction openings
1,
2a,
2b sucks smoke
and other gases into pipe section
10 and into the upper parts of pipe sections
8 and
9. In the lower parts of pipe sections
8 and
9
the smoke is mixed with the fog-like aqueous sprays
6,
7 and is thus
purified. The sprays
6,
7 have a droplet size of typically under
400 μm. Water containing smoke particles is discharged via a drain
12
provided at the lower end of the pipe section
11, so that the pipe section
is constantly in working order for blowing oxygen poor purified gases via the spray
openings
5.
When the spray means operate as described above, the space
30 is provided
with constant circulation where smoke gases are sucked into the pipe system
8–
11
and discharged therefrom back into the space in a purified form.
FIGS. 5 and 6 show another embodiment of the present invention. Corresponding
reference numerals as in FIGS. 1 and 2 have been used for similar components. The
pipe system in FIGS. 5 and 6 is installed in the middle of the doorway having the
suction openings
1′ and spraying openings
5′ facing
each other. Such a pipe system protects harmful gases from flowing to either side
of the doorway, although not as effectively as two separate pipe systems positioned
on respective sides of the doorway.
The invention is described above by means of two examples only, wherefore it
is noted that the details of the invention can be implemented in various ways within
the scope of the appended claims. Thus, the shape of the pipe system and the medium
to be sprayed can differ from what is disclosed above, and the spray means can
be used more generally to process and neutralize harmful gases and not necessarily
to purify smoke gases produced in a fire. Two vertical pipe sections
8 and
9 and side openings
2a,
2b are not a necessity
although very advantageous. Only one vertical pipe section, even without any side
opening, can be contemplated for some applications. Naturally, the number of the
suction openings
1,
2a,
2b and the spray openings
5 can differ from what is described above. Instead of a plurality of suction
and spray openings, it is possible to use suction opening means and spray opening
means, respectively, that are in the shape of an elongated slot which extend substantially
along the width of the doorway. The spray opening and suction opening means do
not necessarily comprise a spray head since the spraying and suction can also be
provided with other kinds of spraying means. However, a spray head is particularly
advantageous in providing the required spraying and suction. The number of the
spray heads
3,
4 can differ from what is disclosed above: a single
spray head arranged in pipe section
11 is sufficient. However, due to spray
heads arranged in pipe sections
8 and
9 the structure of the pipe
system can be made very simple and the operation thereof effective. If the doorway
20 is large, i.e. pipe sections
8 and
9 are long, spray nozzles
can be arranged in the pipe sections one after another, such that the rear or upper
nozzle sprays towards the front or lower nozzle, which sucks in the medium sprayed
from the rear or upper nozzle. With this arrangement the flow resistances in the
pipe sections, no matter how great, do not form an obstacle for spraying. The geometrical
form of the doorway, or other opening through which harmful gases may not pass
through, does not have to be a rectangle: it can e.g. be circular. The purification
of gases can be done by a filter in addition to or as an alternative to the purification
by means of a spraying device such as a spray head.
*
