Patent Grant
7104337
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fire control and extinguishing apparatus and, more particularly, to a device employing electrostatic charges to extinguish flames.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
In most cases, fires are controlled and extinguished using water and/or chemicals. However, the prior art teaches of using electrostatic energy to detect and extinguish fires.
The U.S. Patent to Hemming issued on Aug. 25, 1987, as U.S. Pat. No. 4,688,644, discloses an ignition and fire suppressing system for an electrostatic sprayer. The system uses a pressurized, non-ignitable fire suppressing gas source that makes use of electrical properties of flame gases to create a non-ignitable atmosphere.
The U.S. Patent to Tolmie issue Sep. 25, 1979, as U.S. Pat. No. 4,168,903, discloses a fire detecting and extinguishing system for use within a copying machine. Herein, means are provided for detecting the ionization causing a substantial increase in the conduction of energy between a pair of flame detecting electrodes. The increased current causes an alarm and the automatic ejection of a coolant or extinguishing chemical on the fire.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,765,842, issued to Purt on Oct. 16, 1973, teaches of a fire alarm signaling system wherein air is removed from spaces to be sensed and detected for the presence of certain characteristics of fire, e.g., the presence of carbon monoxide. The system provides and early warning fire alarm system for rapid detection by analyzing the dynamic properties that meet the criterion for fire.
Fire alarm and extinguishing systems have been proposed in the prior at in which various characteristics and phenomena incident to a fire are utilized to detect the presence of a fire and provide extinguishing means based on electro-chemical properties, inherent in flames. None of these patents either teaches or suggests putting out fires by exploiting the fire's electrostatic properties present within the fire, with the aid of a high voltage generator generating a high voltage electrostatic field immediately proximate the fire.
Every fire consists of a flame which is a plume of multiple plumes of very hot gases, that produce not only high thermal radiating energies with different bands of light (depending on the material of the fire's fuel), but the fire also produces an electrostatic field. This electrostatic field produced in a fire leaves the flame with very desirable electrostatic properties which can be a very efficient method to control and extinguish the fire.
The present invention uses's the fire's own electrostatic field to directly control and extinguish the fire. Due to the electrostatic field of the flame, it is, in and of itself a virtual electrode. The present invention uses at least one common electrode and allows the fire's own electrostatic field to act as the other virtual electrode to repel the fire's flame to control the spread of the fire or to control its direction or to totally extinguish it.
The electro-static fire extinguishing device exploits the electrostatic properties of the fire's flame directly using at least one electrode set at the appropriate electrostatic charge to create the desired fire control while the fire acts as another source of the electrostatic field in which the electrostatic attraction/repulsion interaction takes place. High voltage electrostatic fields are produced by a high voltage static generator and the desired charge level is delivered to the flame via a conductive grid that may consist of different electrostatic conducting surfaces or bodies.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a fire control and extinguishing device that uses electrostatic principals to control flames.
It is another object of the invention to provide a device utilizing a high voltage electrostatic field to directly control and extinguish fires.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a fire control and extinguishing device using different levels of electrostatic fields for steering a high voltage electrostatic field to control or extinguish a flame.
It is also an object of the invention to provide an electrostatic energy generating device that manipulates the electrostatic energy of a flame to control and/or extinguish fires without using conventional means such as water or chemicals.
These and other objects, features and advantages will be more apparent from a study of the enclosed text and the appended drawings.
A complete understanding of the present invention may be obtained by reference to the accompanying drawings, when taken in conjunction with the detail description thereof and in which:
This disclosure of the invention is submitted in furtherance of the constitutional purposes of the U.S. Patent Laws “to promote the progress of science and useful arts” (Article 1, Section 8).
Generally speaking this invention relates to the confinement of a fire using only the power of electrostatic energy. To exist, a fire must have three things: fuel, oxygen, and heat. Additionally, a fire's electrostatic field had to exist and be intact for a fire to maintain it's existence. This electrostatic field exists in very dry and high temperatures. The flames of a fire are extremely dry and cannot continue when moisture invades it. Essentially, the moisture short circuits the circuit of the fire's static electricity needed to balance its combustion process.
This phenomenon is seen in nature on a broad scale during cold and dry climates, static electricity abounds. It is the fire's electrostatic field that keeps the microscopic gas molecules evenly and properly spaced apart, and in balance during the combustion process. Unequal spacing of the gas molecules, due to a fire's electrostatic collapse, causes the complicated burning dynamics of a fire to become in disarray, causing the flame of a fire to become in disarray, causing the flame of a fire to be extinguished.
The inventive Electro-Static Fire control and extinguishing device (ESFED) 1000, as seen generally in
As illustrated in
The control panel 10 is configured to send commands to the microcontroller 25. The microcontroller 25 is configured to control a High Voltage Regulator (HVR) 20. The HVR 20 controls the output levels of the High Voltage Static Generator (HVSG) 100. It is the HVSG 100 that produces the electrostatic field 700. Depending on the intensity of the fire 800, the HVR 20 regulates the voltage values that the HVSG 100 will output. The HVSG 100 applies the HVEF 700 to the Electrostatic Field Grid 200 by way of a High Voltage Insulated Wire 150.
A power supply 30 provides the necessary electrical power to the ESFED 1000 system. The power supply 30 is grounded, either directly or capacitively, to the Earth Ground 50. This coupling to ground 50 guarantees efficiency of the generated electrostatic field 700. The power supply 30 can include a battery, AC household current, solar or wind power, a hand powered generator, or any combination of these, or any other suitable source of electrical power without departing from the scope of the invention. The distribution of the electrical power eminating from the power supply 30 is controlled by the microcontroller 25.
The MEGUs 210–260 may consist of different electrical conductive materials, as described above in reference to the single EFG 200, including grids made of electrical conductive materials, an electrostatically charged vapor stream, mist, charged particles or combinations thereof.
The ESFED 1000 may incorporate a feedback loop for regulating automatic operation thereof. Fire Electrostatic Sensors (FES) 300, 302 and 304 detect real-time fire characteristics being presented to the ESFED 1000. These characteristics include fire type, flame level, intensity and dimension. This is done automatically during the initial power-up or alternatively may be done by a manual re-sense command given by the operator using the control panel 10.
In both embodiments, the microcontroller 25 also transmits control signals to the control panel 10. The control panel 10 subsequently carries both the power and command signals generated by the ESFED 1000 operator back to the microcontroller 25. All ultimate power options to the HVR 20 and the HVSG 100 are established by the microcontroller 25. The microcontroller 25 is configured to contain algorithms for producing an efficient high voltage electrostatic field 700.
The resultant fire level and type indication can be viewed on a display means 12. The display means 12 may provide visual data by way of a meter or other visual indicator (not shown) adapted on the control panel 10. The display means 12 can include the following display items:
In operation, during the initial power-up, the ESFED 1000 system is always defaulted into the manual mode in a standby condition until commands are issued. To prevent unauthorized use, the control panel 10 may include a security key interlock means (not shown). A manual over-ride will allow for direct user control of the levels of the HVEF 700.
When the ESFED 1000 is in operation, there is a strong force created in the interaction between the electrostatic field of the fire 800 and the EFG's 200–260. This force is quantified and used to establish the high voltage electrostatic field 700 used in the flame control. The polarity of the ESFED's 1000 grid 200 or 210–260 can be reversed to create an attraction between the EFG 200–260 and the flame 800. This action will cause the collapse of the high voltage electrostatic field 700 barrier between the fire 800 and the EFG 200–260. This change in electrostatic polarity will place the ESFED 1000 into a fire attraction mode. consequently, the EFG 200–260 will now attract the flames of the fire 800 toward it in this opposite mode transitioning. A resultant electrostatic field is produced due to the dynamic push and pull of the electromotive forces.
The electrostatic field of the fire's flame 800 and the ESFED 1000 produced high voltage electrostatic field 700 dynamically push against each other. It is because the mass of the ESFED 1000 is much more than the mass of the light gases of the fire 800 that the EFG 200–260 is able to dominate control in the dynamic reactions between the two compelling electrostatic fields. The electrostatic field's timings and pulsing of the polarities may be manipulated to enhance flame steering capabilites by the EFG 200–260.
Since other modifications and changes varied to fit particular operating requirements and environment will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention is not considered limited to the example chosen for purposes of disclosure, and covers all changes and modifications which do not constitute a departure from the true spirit and scope of the invention.
For example, the actual schematic representations of these two embodiments can be of various electronic design variations as represented by using different circuit design arrangements providing the same function without departing from the scope of the invention. The ESFED 1000 device, as disclosed, may also be adapted for use in different physical form variations including, but not limited to, industrial versions for warehouses, buildings, homes, outdoor fire barriers, fire proof suits, vehicles, aircraft, and/or all other items and applications in which the ESFED 1000 may be configured in future design concepts.
Having thus described the invention, what is desired to be protected by Letters Patent is presented in the subsequent appended claims.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3740570 | Kaelin et al. | Jun 1973 | A |
| 3765842 | Purt | Oct 1973 | A |
| 4168903 | Tolmie | Sep 1979 | A |
| 4688644 | Hemming | Aug 1987 | A |
| 5090482 | Baron et al. | Feb 1992 | A |
| 5752381 | Speller | May 1998 | A |
| 5794704 | Brennecke et al. | Aug 1998 | A |
| 20030178568 | Parham et al. | Sep 2003 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20040216898 A1 | Nov 2004 | US |
