Title: Fire suppression system and method for an interior area of an aircraft lavatory waste container fire protection
Abstract: A fire suppression system adapted for use in a lavatory of an aircraft. The system includes a water supply coupled to one or more fluid discharge nozzles via one or more fluid flow lines. A pressure source in communication with the fluid flow lines provides pressure to assist in supplying a pressurized flow of fluid through the flow line(s) to the nozzles(s). The fire suppression system creates a spray of water capable of suppressing fires within a waste container area or within the entire lavatory area. Heat sensitive valves enable the system to automatically detect the start of a fire. Furthermore, the system is capable of using the potable water supply of the aircraft or it can be self-contained with its own water supply reservoir. If self-contained, the system includes a pressurized fluid source to assist in supplying water to the discharge nozzle(s).
Patent Number: 6,899,184 Issued on 05/31/2005 to Reynolds
| Inventors:
|
Reynolds; Thomas L. (Bainbridge Island, WA)
|
| Assignee:
|
The Boeing Company (Chicago, IL)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
918221 |
| Filed:
|
July 30, 2001 |
| Current U.S. Class: |
169/62; 169/9; 169/16; 169/60; 169/61; 244/129.2 |
| Intern'l Class: |
A62C 003/07 |
| Field of Search: |
169/9,16,37,57,60,61,62,70,23
244/118.5,129.2
340/577,584,590,593
|
References Cited [Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
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| |
| 3387662 | Jun., 1968 | Molgano, Jr.
| |
| 3756320 | Sep., 1973 | McMahon.
| |
| 3865192 | Feb., 1975 | Dunphy.
| |
| 3866687 | Feb., 1975 | Banner.
| |
| 4248309 | Feb., 1981 | Hofle et al.
| |
| 4347901 | Sep., 1982 | Wilhoit.
| |
| 4351394 | Sep., 1982 | Enk.
| |
| 4625808 | Dec., 1986 | Halfpenny.
| |
| 4646848 | Mar., 1987 | Bruensicke.
| |
| 4984637 | Jan., 1991 | Finnigan.
| |
| 5038867 | Aug., 1991 | Hindrichs et al.
| |
| 5040611 | Aug., 1991 | Steel.
| |
| 5052493 | Oct., 1991 | Court.
| |
| 5402967 | Apr., 1995 | Hughes.
| |
| 5425886 | Jun., 1995 | Smith.
| |
| 5515691 | May., 1996 | Wertenbach et al.
| |
| 5720351 | Feb., 1998 | Beukema et al.
| |
| 5908074 | Jun., 1999 | Potts.
| |
| 6007025 | Dec., 1999 | Coughren et al.
| |
| 6029751 | Feb., 2000 | Ford et al.
| |
| Foreign Patent Documents |
| 2 275 871 | Sep., 1994 | GB.
| |
| WO 91/0720/8 | May., 1991 | WO.
| |
Other References
European Search Report dated Nov. 24, 2003; Examiner van Bilderbeek, H.; in re
Application Number EP 02 07 7232; 2 pages.
|
Primary Examiner: Ganey; Steven J.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Harness, Dickey & Pierce, PLC
Claims
1. A method for suppressing a fire with a fire suppression system adapted for
use with a lavatory of an aircraft comprising:
providing a fluid supply;
communicating fluid from said fluid supply through at least one fluid communication
line;
affixing at least one nozzle-to said fluid communication line;
providing a valve operatively associated with said nozzle and having a closed
position and an open position, wherein when said valve assumes said open position
when said fire is sensed to allow fluid to be evacuated from said fluid supply
through said nozzle;
providing a primary supply and a secondary supply, wherein fluid from the primary
supply is evacuated prior to fluid from the secondary supply being released therefrom;
evacuating the secondary supply when an extended supply of the fluid is selected;
and
signaling a user that said fluid is being communicated through said at least
one fluid communication line.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a pressurized fluid source
for pressurizing said fluid to force said fluid through said communication line
when said valve is opened.
3. The method of claim 2, further comprising placing a gauge-in communication
with said pressurized fluid source to indicate a pressure within said pressurized
fluid source.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein said valve comprises a eutectic valve operable
to assume said open position in response to sensing a fire, thereby permitting
said fluid to be discharged through said nozzle.
5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
providing a controller; and
providing at least one sensor adapted to sense the presence of a fire, wherein
said sensor delivers a signal to said controller when the fire is detected.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the valve comprises a solenoid valve positionable
between said closed and said open positions by said controller.
7. The method of claim 1, further comprising utilizing an actuation sensor to
indicate when said fluid is communicated through said fluid communication lines.
8. A fire suppression and alert system for suppressing a fire and alerting a
user in an aircraft, comprising:
a fluid reservoir;
at least one nozzle, for producing a fire suppressing mist of fluid supplied
from said fluid reservoir;
at least one fluid line connecting said fluid reservoir to said nozzle;
a valve, operatively coupled to said fluid line to control the communication
of fluid through said fluid line from said fluid reservoir to said nozzle, said
valve having a closed position and an open position;
a system to provide a signal to an individual to indicate that fluid has been
evacuated through said nozzle via said fluid line;
a pressurized fluid source to provide pressure to said fluid reservoir to force
fluid from said fluid reservoir through said fluid line; and
a cabin alert system in the aircraft for informing the user that said valve is
in said open position.
9. The fire suppression system of claim 8, wherein said fluid reservoir includes
a primary reservoir and a secondary reservoir, and wherein fluid from said primary
reservoir is evacuated prior to fluid from said secondary reservoir being released therefrom.
10. The fire suppression system of claim 8, further comprising a gauge in communication
with said pressurized fluid source to indicate a pressure of said fluid contained
within said pressurized fluid source.
11. The fire suppression system of claim 8, further comprising a sensor adapted
to sense the presence of a fire and to generate a signal in response thereto.
12. The fire suppression system of claim 11, further comprising a controller
responsive to said signal from said sensor; and wherein said valve comprises a
solenoid valve, said controller being operable to control said operation of said
valve between said open and closed positions in response to receipt of said signal
from said sensor.
13. The method of claim 1, wherein evacuating the secondary supply occurs only
after the first supply is substantially exhausted and the fire remains unsuppressed.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to fire suppression systems. More particularly,
the present invention relates to water based fire suppression systems on aircraft.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is generally known to include a fire suppression system in certain portions
of aircraft, in particular lavatories and the waste containers within the lavatories.
One fire suppression system includes a canister filled with pressurized Halon.
Such Halon systems, however, are no longer desirable for fire suppression. Also,
any chemical fire suppressant which is pressurized within a canister includes these
similar disadvantages.
One disadvantage of the pressurized chemical systems is that the only way to
determine when such a system has been discharged or is leaking is to dismantle
it and weigh the bottle holding the pressurized chemical to determine if the amount
present is within acceptable ranges. This requires that the system is substantially
dismantled and parts of it are removed from the aircraft itself. Thus, a large
amount of labor and time is required to ensure that such systems remain within
acceptable operating ranges.
Another disadvantage is when the pressurized chemical fire suppression system
has been discharged, the bottle holding the pressurized chemical must be replaced.
These systems do not allow easy recharging of the pressurized chemical to reuse
the system since they must be sent to the manufacturer for recharge. Furthermore,
other portions of the system, including the nozzles and lines, may also need to
be replaced after only one discharge of the fire suppression system.
Yet a further disadvantage of the pressurized chemical systems includes the chemical
itself. It has become undesirable to emit such chemicals into the atmosphere and
some have been banned due to ozone depletion. Therefore, it has become desirable
to use a fire suppression system that does not employ a pressurized chemical such
as Halon.
It would therefore be highly desirable to provide a fire suppression system that
operates without introducing undesirable chemicals into the environment.
It would also be desirable to provide a fire suppression system which enables
easy identification of whether the fire suppression system has been activated.
Furthermore, it would be helpful if the system allowed a maintenance person to
easily identify whether the system must be recharged or serviced.
It would be a further advantage to provide a fire suppression system which could
be installed on an aircraft without requiring significant structural modifications
to the aircraft
Still further, it would be desirable to provide a fire suppression system for
any aircraft lavatory or waste container used in the lavatory, which does not require
extensive machining and creation of new parts for the fire suppression system.
It is also desirable to provide a system that may be easily installed in the
aircraft,
and which forms a small modular apparatus that may be used with its own water supply
or with the main water supply of the aircraft.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention includes a fire suppression system especially well suited
for waste containers used in lavatories and other limited access spaces of commercial
and private aircraft. The present invention may also be readily adapted for fire
suppression of the entire lavatory or fire suppression of the entire aircraft including
cargo areas. In a preferred embodiment, the present invention includes one or more
spray nozzles that respond to heat, thereby releasing water from a reservoir or
from the aircraft's water system. In a second alternative embodiment, the present
invention includes sensors that sense heat, flame, or smoke, and which activate
the system releasing water from a reservoir or the plane's water system through
one or more spray nozzles. In a third alternative embodiment, the present invention
forms a self-contained system wherein either sensors or heat or flame detecting
nozzles release water from a pressurized canister.
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent
from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that
the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred
embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and
are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description
and the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is an environmental view of a first preferred embodiment of the present
invention installed in a lavatory of an aircraft;
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the first preferred embodiment of the present
invention including eutectic valves;
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a second alternative preferred embodiment of
the present invention including sensors;
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a third alternative preferred embodiment of
the present invention including sensors and electronically controlled solenoid
valves; and
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a fourth alternative preferred embodiment of
the present invention including a modular system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The following description of the preferred embodiment(s) is merely exemplary
in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses.
With reference to FIG. 1, modern day commercial and private aircraft typically
include a lavatory
10. The lavatory
10 generally includes at least
a toilet
12, a sink
14, and a waste container
16. Water is
generally supplied to the lavatory
10 through one or more water lines
18
that supply water to the toilet
12 and the sink
14. In accordance
with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a fire suppression system
20 is disclosed which makes use of a portion of the water flow diverted
from the water lines
18 to suppress fires in the waste container
16
or within the area of the entire lavatory
10.
The system
20 includes a main valve
22 that controls the water
supply to one or more fire suppression lines or conduits
24 of the fire
suppression system
20. In particular, at least one nozzle
26 in flow
communication with the conduits
24 is installed above the waste container
16 to direct water into the waste container
16. The nozzle
26
can be of several types including those that are automatic or actuated by external
mechanisms. Pressurized water in the conduit
24a is released through
the nozzle
26 when the fire suppression system
20 is activated. In
this way, fires which might occur in the waste container
16 are suppressed
by the release of water. Additional nozzles
26a coupled to conduit
24b may be placed throughout the lavatory area
10 itself to
suppress any fires that may occur within the lavatory
10, as a whole, as
opposed to being localized to the waste container
16.
With reference to FIG. 2, a schematic representation of the system
20
is shown. The fire suppression system
20 is tied into the total airplane
potable water reservoir
28. The main valve
22 that controls the supply
of water to the water suppression system
20 is used to turn off the system
20. A pressure source
29 is connected to the total airplane potable
water reservoir
28 to ensure pressure within the total airplane potable
water supply
28 and to the water lines
18. The pressure source
29
is preferably a powered compressor or an air-bleed form the aircraft's engines.
As an alternative, a pump
19 may be installed in circuit with the water
lines
18 to provide down stream pressure to the water in the water lines
18 while not requiring the pressure source
29. An optional water
reservoir
30 provides additional water for immediate release onto a fire
before depleting the airplane potable water reservoir
28 through the fire
suppression system
20. Though the water reservoir
30 is optional,
when present it is the primary water supply for the system
20. That is,
when the water reservoir is present
30, water is first drained from the
water reservoir
30 and only secondarily drained from the total airplane
potable water reservoir
28 after the reservoir
30 becomes empty.
A second valve
32 provides control of water from the water reservoir
30.
The fire suppression water line
24 connects the water reservoir
30
and the water lines
18 of the aircraft to the spray nozzles
26. Fire
suppression is optionally provided to the entire lavatory area
10 by adding
the additional fire suppression water lines
24b and additional fire
suppression nozzles
26a.
The fire suppression nozzles
26, in one preferred form, include a eutectic
valve which will activate the fire suppression system
20 when a fire is
present. Eutectic valves melt at a particular temperature thereby opening the valve
through the nozzle
26. The eutectic valve is formed, as is well known in
the art, by placing a substance which melts over at least a portion of an opening
of the nozzle
26. The eutectic substance melts at a temperature low enough
so that the fire suppression system
20 is actuated before any fire within
the waste container
16, or in the lavatory overall
10, can spread.
Once the euteutic valves of the nozzle
26 melt, water can flow through the
fire suppression water line
24 out through the nozzle
26. In this
way, no additional or active sensors or valves are necessary to release water from
the fire suppression system
20 through the nozzles
26.
During operation of the system
20, water is first evacuated from the
water reservoir
30, with additional water coming from the total airplane
potable water reservoir
28, if needed, until the fire is extinguished. In
this embodiment, the system
20 supplies water until shut off by a cabin
attendant. A pressure sensor
34 is placed in the fire suppression water
line
24 or a heat or smoke detector
35 is provided to send a signal
to a cabin attendant alert system
36 to apprise the cabin attendants that
the fire suppression system
10 has been evacuated or is activated. In this
way, a cabin attendant may go to the lavatory
10 and turn off the fire suppression
system
20 or otherwise evaluate the need for further assistance or fire suppression.
The nozzles
26a of the lavatory area would also be activated in
the event of a fire. Again, the sensor
34 in the fire suppression water
line
24 sends a signal to the cabin attendant alert system
36 thereby
alerting the cabin attendant that the fire suppression system
20 has been activated.
With reference to FIG. 3, a second alternative preferred embodiment
120
of a fire suppression system according to the present invention is illustrated.
Like elements corresponding to those of FIG. 2 have been given like numerals increased
by
100. In the fire suppression system
120, a primary water reservoir
138 provides a primary source of water to the fire suppression system
120
which is fed through water line
124 when the fire suppression system
120
is activated. A primary valve
122 allows for manual shut-off of the fire
suppression system
120 by an individual to stop the fire suppression system
120 or for maintenance. A first nozzle
140 is placed adjacent or
above the waste container
16. Additionally, a first sensor
142 is
placed above or adjacent the waste container
16. The sensor
142 is
able to sense heat or smoke which comes from the waste container
16 when
a fire occurs in the waste container. An electronic control unit
144 is
connected to the sensor
142 to receive a signal from the sensor
142.
A pressurized fluid source
146 is connected to a primary water reservoir
138 through a pressurized fluid source line
148. The pressurized
fluid source
146 comprises any suitable device having a compressible fluid
to provide a rapid increase of pressure to the primary water reservoir
138
or to the fire suppression water line
124 to provide pressure to fluid traveling
through the fire suppression system
120. In one preferred embodiment, the
pressurized fluid source
146 comprises a canister pressurized with liquid
carbon dioxide. When opened, the carbon dioxide from the pressurized fluid source
146 quickly expands to a gas, thereby pressurizing the suppression system
120.
When the sensor
142 senses heat or smoke that is produced by a fire,
a signal is sent to the electronic control unit (ECU)
144. Once the ECU
144 receives the signal, it then sends a signal to the pressurized fluid
source
146 that activates the pressurized fluid source
146. When
the pressurized fluid source
146 is activated, pressure is transmitted to
the water reservoir
138 through the pressurized fluid source line
148.
Once the water reservoir
138 is pressurized, water is evacuated through
the water line
124 and out the nozzle
140. Before the water from
the reservoir
138 is evacuated, the fire suppression water lines
124a
are dry. Alternatively, a check valve
150 may be installed in the water
lines
124a which is held closed until water pressurized by the pressurized
fluid source
146 is applied. Once the primary water reservoir
138
is emptied, if additional water is needed, water from a potable water reservoir
128 runs through a valve
122, which is normally open, through the
airplane water lines
118 and through the fire suppression water line
124.
Pressure is provided to the airplane water lines
118 through the pressure
source
129. Furthermore, when the electronic control unit
144 receives
a signal from the sensor
142, it also in turn sends a signal to the cabin
attendant system
136 to apprise a cabin attendant that the fire suppression
system
120 has been activated.
In addition, water may be applied to the entire lavatory area
10 through
additional nozzles
126a which receives water from a water line
124a
in communication with water line
124, and an additional sensor
142a
installed to sense a fire that may occur within the lavatory area as a whole.
The additional sensor
142a acts in a similar way as the sensor
142
to send a signal to the electronic control unit
144 to activate the pressurized
fluid source
146. Also, the fire suppression water lines
124b
are dry before the pressurized fluid source
146 is activated or a check
valve
150a holds the lines
124b closed until the water
is pressurized by the pressurized fluid source
146. Additionally, the electronic
control unit
144 sends a signal to the cabin attendant system
136
to apprise a cabin attendant that the fire suppression system
120 has been
activated. Water which is released from the primary water reservoir
138,
travels through the nozzle
140 to extinguish any fire that has occurred
in the waste container
16. The nozzles
140 include a valve which
is pressure sensitive and which opens when pressurized. Water from the airplane
potable water reservoir
128 continues to run through the fire suppression
water line
124 and feed the nozzles
140 until the system
120
is turned off by the cabin attendant.
With reference to FIG. 4, a third alternative preferred embodiment
220
of a fire suppression system according to the present invention is illustrated.
Again, elements in common with those of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 are given
like numerals increased by
200. Water for the fire suppression system
220
is provided from an airplane potable water reservoir
228 through airplane
water lines
218 and from a water reservoir
230. Pressure is provided
to water used by the fire suppression system
220 through an external pressure
source
229. Sensor
244, which is sensitive to either smoke or heat,
or both, is placed near the waste container
16. An electronic control unit
246 receives signals from the sensor
244. Solenoid valves
248
are placed in the conduit water lines
224 which are opened and closed by
the electronic control unit
246. The electronic control unit
246
is also able to send a signal to a cabin attendant alert system
236. Water
flows from the reservoir
230 through the conduit water lines
224
and through a nozzle
250 which allows water to be applied to the waste container
16.
The sensor
244 sends a signal to the electronic control unit
246
to indicate that a fire is occurring within the waste container
16. Upon
receiving this signal, the electronic control unit
246 sends a signal to
a solenoid valve
248 to open the valve
248 to allow water to flow
through the fire suppression water line
224 to the nozzle
250. Furthermore,
the electronic control unit
246 preferably sends a signal to a cabin attendant
alert system
236 to indicate that the system
220 has been activated.
The electronic control unit
246 may be programmed to allow water to flow
through the system
220 continuously until shut off by an attendant. Alternatively,
the electronic control unit
246 may be programmed to shut off the solenoid
valve
248 when the sensor
244 no longer senses heat or smoke. Again,
additional nozzles
250a allow water from the fire suppression system
220 to be introduced into the entire lavatory area
10 via a water
line
244a in communication with water line
224. A sensor
244a
sends a signal to the electronic control unit
246 that heat or smoke
has been detected from the lavatory area
10. The electronic control unit
246 then opens the solenoid valve
248a to allow water to be
supplied through the additional fire suppression water lines
224a to
the nozzles
250a. Again, a signal is sent to the cabin attendant
alert system
236 to ensure that the cabin attendants know that the fire
suppression system
220 has been activated and to alert them that further
attention may be needed.
With reference to FIG. 5, a fourth alternative preferred embodiment
320
of a fire suppression system according to the present invention is illustrated.
The fire suppression system
320 comprises a modular system that acts independently
of the airplane water supply. A pressurized fluid source
352 provides pressure
to force water from a water reservoir
354 through one or more of the fire
suppression water lines
356 to a nozzle
358. The fire suppression
to system
320 may include nozzles, sensors, and control units as described
in the previous embodiments. In particular, a sensor
360 is included to
sense heat or smoke from the waste container
16 which signals the cabin
alert system
336 to indicate a fire is occurring. The nozzle
358
may include a eutectic valve as described in the first preferred embodiment
20.
Therefore, when a fire occurs within the waste container
16, the eutectic
substance would melt opening the nozzle
358 to allow water to be discharged
from the reservoir
354. The pressure provided by the pressurized fluid source
352 automatically forces water through the fire suppression water lines
356 when the eutectic valve of the nozzle
358 is opened. A pressure
gauge
360 provides a visual indication that a suitable pressure exists within
the pressurized fluid source
352. A valve
362 allows easy refilling
of the pressurized fluid source
352 when necessary. It is to be understood
that the system
320 may also include sensors and solenoid valves to actuate
the pressurized fluid source
352 as described in the previous embodiments.
Furthermore, the water reservoir
354 may be formed of a clear material so
that a flight attendant or technician may easily determine whether any water needs
to be added to the water reservoir
354.
It is to be understood that any of the preferred embodiments described herein
may be used with little or no modification to provide fire suppression to the entire
fuselage of an aircraft. To this end, additional fire suppression water lines and
nozzles may be installed throughout the aircraft to provide water to suitably positioned
discharge nozzles which can spray water over a desired interior area of the aircraft.
In this way, the presently disclosed invention may be expanded to suppress fires
throughout an aircraft or may be installed simply to suppress fires with an area
as small as a waste container in the lavatory. In particular, nozzles may be installed
to create an optimal spray of water depending upon the application. Furthermore,
the sensors of the present invention may detect particles from smoke or include
infra-red sensors to detect a heat source such as a flame.
The description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature and, thus, variations
that do not depart from the gist of the invention are intended to be within the
scope of the invention. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from
the spirit and scope of the invention.
*
