Patent Grant
10307626
The present invention relates generally to fire suppression, and more particularly to a system for suppressing fires using soil.
Fires are a common phenomenon in the environment, and arise from natural causes such as lightening, or human interactions that are negligent or deliberate (e.g., arson). Many fires pose great danger with respect to human life, property damage, and environmental damage, and often spread if left unattended. For those and other reasons, fires often necessitate human intervention to achieve their suppression or extinguishing. The dangers are much worse in forest fires where temperatures can reach over 1400 degrees Fahrenheit. These forest fires can pose grave danger to firefighters, and can melt vehicles and equipment as far away as 50 feet and can cause ignition of equipment, especially vehicles, up to 100 feet away.
A variety of approaches to fire suppression have been developed. Many approaches involve deploying a plurality of trained firefighters, specialized equipment (e.g., fire trucks, helicopters and/or other aircraft), and extinguishing chemicals and/or water. As such, the monetary and logistical cost of firefighting can be staggering. These and other issues may be exacerbated by the scarcity of firefighting resources and/or the increasing prevalence of environmental conditions (e.g., drought, climate change) that are conducive to fire. Characteristics of a site at which a fire burns may complicate fire suppression as well, such as its remote location (e.g., in the wilderness), low accessibility (e.g., high elevation, rough terrain), etc.
Even when successfully deployed to a burn site, a firefighting brigade may face factors which reduce its efficacy. For example, a tradeoff may be imposed between the ability to closely approach a fire yet maintain a sufficient distance to protect firefighters and equipment.
Several attempts have been made to resolve the problems stated above by using soil as a fire suppressant. However, these attempts have various limitations and problems. For example, some attempts require vehicles to be placed in dangerous proximity to a fire, (e.g., within 100 feet) require expensive and imported sand for operation, and are not able to project soil effectively. Specifically, the methods heretofore have not demonstrated the ability to move or project soil to distances beyond ten to twenty-five feet, which is not adequate to fight the fires safely. Patented references have disclosed inventions that ‘throw or spray’ soil rather than ‘shoot, “propel, shoot or project” in a small-circumference, fast-moving steam, thus, those references do not show that their devices project soil far enough to keep personnel and equipment at a distance away from the extreme temperatures of wild fires and forest fires for safety, or to provide continuous, sustain operations of the firefighting systems or equipment. Equipment and methods must be developed for firefighting operators to bring soil to the fire rather than people and equipment to the fire. Therefore the soil must be shot in a high velocity stream, rather than thrown, sprayed or spread, to be successful in fighting such large fires. In addition, the inventions of the referenced patenentees do not provide systems or devices that will project soils to distances resulting in the extinguishing or suppression of fires in large areas. As an example, the larger the distance of soil projection, the larger the area (acreage) that can be extinguished, in a much shorter and critical time period, and lessons the need and frequency of redployment.
A. Nelson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,361,988 discloses a “material spreader”, which is a vehicle-mounted system that “spreads” particulate material. Said material spreader is not configured or capable of “spreading” soil more than a few feet. The disclosure does not claim to project or shoot soil to a large distance and certainly has limitations determined by the design and configuration that prohibit the soil spreading to be accomplished with the accuracy and/or precision required for large, more distant fires. Further, the apparatus is vehicle-mounted, which precludes effective operation at forest fires or range fires.
B. Whitman, U.S. Pat. No. 4,410,045, discloses a Firefighting Vehicle comprising a vehicle (a pickup truck) with a tower mounted on the back that is equipped with a nozzle for spraying water (as stated in the detailed description) on a fire. The device is not designed or configured to shoot soil, and being vehicle-mounted, has the same limitations as other similar patents, specifically, it cannot operate within 50 feet and in some cases 100 feet of a forest fire.
C. Berjhuijs, U.S. Pat. No. 9,630,030B2, discloses an air cleaning system comprising a fire suppression component. The limitation of this system is that the fire suppression operates on the clean air within the enclosed system, which may be contaminated with combustible material. It is not applicable to fighting fires in the environment and could not be used on forest or rang fires.
D. Cai, U.S. Patent No. CN103736226, discloses a vehicle-mounted firefighting system. Its limitations, if it were to be used in a forest or range fire, are that it is vehicle-mounted and could not be used in close proximity such fires. Its operational capability is described as gathering soil (including rock), grinding the soil and rocks, conveying the soil to a small (approximately 15 foot high) tower, dropped about 3 feet to a funnel from which the soil (with rocks) is dropped (lowered) another 2 feet to a blower fan. The soil, with rocks, which may be ground or pulverized, is passed through said blower fan. There is no viable system or device disclosed which will consistently or assuredly produce or provide a screened or prepared soil product of a predetermined soil size range required for consistant propulsion of said soil. The blower fan “sprays” the soil on a fire, as disclosed. The blower fan, may be assisted with high-pressure gas injected into the stream. As stated in the detailed description, the soil is “sprayed onto the fire” (the term sprayed is used in the disclosure). This patent does not describe how, or to what extent the soil is “ground or pulverized) and it is unclear how soil, from the tower conveyer, will enter and effectively be sprayed onto the fire. The drawings indicate soil entering both sides of the blower fan which means the blower fan is moving soil in two directions, including in a direction against itself (e.g., against the intended direction of the firefighting soil), which severely lessens the effectiveness of the sprayed soil. Even if the invention is successful in spraying without a gravity assist and in the soil speed increase from spraying and the increase from the blower fan and compressed gas, this invention will only “spray soil at most, 25-30 feet. As an there would be a gravity assist of a total of 5.7 feet as indicated in the drawings, and calculating using the physics of falling bodies for a small drop from the pipe to the funnel. If the invention doubles the distance with the blower fan and doubles it again with the compressed gas, the invention may spray the soil to 28.5 feet. This distance is not close to meeting the needs for fighting forest fires and would not allow the vehicle on which this invention, as assembled and configured to operate in the fire zone.
As such, there exists a need for a firefighting system that can reduce the cost, complexity, challenges, and risks associated with traditional firefighting approaches.
This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features of essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any or all disadvantages noted in any part of this disclosure.
Disclosed is a firefighting system, the firefighting system comprising, a soil processing and screening apparatus, said apparatus configured tp provide a predetermined optimally determined screened soil product, said firefighting system further comprising a conveyance system, configured to receive and significantly elevate and deliver said screened soil {sized soil of a specific soil particle size range determined by site conditions (e.g., of particle size between 0.05 mm and 0.5 mm or between 270 mesh and 35 mesh)} to an elevation sufficient that the soil will (in addition to the impact or action of other elements comprising said firefighting system) achieve adequate speed and momentum to shoot (propel or project) to a target area 50 to 1000 feet or more in distance away. Also disclosed are a nozzle to emit or shoot the soil at a fire site in a stream, a chute (a long hollow cylinder or channel), configured to receive the screened soil at an entry point, and further configured with up to 250 feet of length or more and further comprised of fire resistant, low-friction (smooth) material, such as steel, said low-friction configuration on the interior surface of said chute, to facilitate moving soil at high-speed as it drops in elevation, and which also may be configured, at its bottom end, to form part of a nozzle in a tapered configuration around an auger (e.g., the outer housing comprising said nozzle), such that the movement of the blades of the augur effectively move the soil forward and emit (project, propel or shoot) it from the exit point (opening) at the end of said nozzle. Also disclosed is a mechanical soil speed augmentation device comprising said nozzle and said auger, said auger comprising a solid steel auger body (solid cylinder, which, by definition, is a 3-dimentional geometric object that tapers smoothly from a flat circular bottom to a point called an apex or vertex)) with blades, said auger configured with blades either or integral to the body of the augur. Said blades are further configured at an angle to move soil under pressure to the forward end (end at which screened soil is emitted) to increase the flow speed of the screened soil, and further, to minimize the width or circumference of the soil stream (for efficient projection), to maximize the distance that the soil stream travels (is projected or shot) by reducing air resistance (drag), air turbulence and soil scattering.
In another aspect, the augmentation device mechanical soil speed augmentation device comprises an a nozzle and auger. The auger is designed and configured, uniquely, to propel or shoot soil forward rather than contemporary augers which push soil backward (toward the rear or upward). Typical augers, such as for example, excavation and boring augers (such as used in drilling wells), move the soil backward or upward out of an excavation or bore hole. This auger The auger of the present disclosure requires the special design of the blades, which must be configured at the correct angle (moving against the soil when the auger is rotating), as described above in {0008] and requires the special design of the bottom of the chute to completely and tightly fit around and enclose the auger blades {forming the housing (nozzle) around the auger}, said tight fitting configuration allowing sufficient and optimum clearance for soil movement, to further maximize the pressure, which maximizes the efficiency of the auger and the speed of the soil stream. Calculations for increasing the speed of the projected, screened soil have been carried out using a 500 horsepower engine to rotate the auger at the drive shaft at the point it connects to the auger.
In another aspect the nozzle the firefighting system comprises a gas soil speed augmentation device that selectively introduces pressurized gas into the nozzle above (prior to) screened soil entering the blades. Said soil speed gas augmentation device is selectively designed to introduce the gas at a point in the system at several points in the system that will not interfere with the soil moving through the chute or the nozzle. Furthermore, the gas supplied to the soil speed gas augmentation device is configured to introduce gas at several points around the circumference of the nozzle, pointing (directed) in the direction of the moving soil, to maximize the increase in the increase of soil speed. And configured with an aerodynamic design to minimize interference with the pathway of and flow of the screened soil.
In another aspect the nozzle a gas soil speed augmentation device comprises a tank holding the pressurized gas, or, comprises a motor, piping and a tank, said system with a one-way valve to assist in collecting and pressurizing the exhaust gas from said motor.
In another aspect, the firefighting system is collapsible in a manner that allows for rapid dismantlement of the, soil screening and processing apparatus, the conveyer, the chute, and the nozzle, a mechanical soil speed augmentation device, to facilitate quickly moving the firefighting system to another location for safety or for timely use in another location. The entire soil-based firefighting system, has components (e.g., the soil screening apparatus, the conveyance, the chute, and the mechanical soil speed augmentation), some of which are up to 250 feet in length and 20 feet in width or diameter, which pose immense problems and challenges for rapid dismantlement and re-deployment of the soil-based firefighting system. This is not a quick folding, vehicle-mounted system or other small piece of equipment that is easily maneuver and altered. The system cannot suffer twisted, bent, uneven or deformed parts, flanges or piece-to-piece misalignments. To ensure that such components, for example the conveyance and the chute, with daunting size and shapes, function without jamming and stoppages (the conveyance), or degraded or impaired soil flow from misaligned flanges or connections (the chute), dismantlement must be enabled with robust and easily employed quick-release connections and joints, This requirement results in the need to configure the equipment with robust and quick disconnecting features for better operation upon re-deployment and to speed up the dismantlement and redeployment operation so that the system can be quickly moved to another fire site. Such dismantlement and reassembly features and configurations may be configured with a host of quick disconnect and reattachment snap-connections and/or snap on/off connections.
In another aspect, the chute is uniquely configured to increase the speed of the screened soil by its smooth inner surface configuration, by its configuration to reduce elevation of the screened soil by gravity and by its forming of a tapered fit (tapered geometry) around the auger and auger blades, said chute forming the outer wall of the nozzle or to taper into a stand-alone nozzle.
In another aspect, the soil is emitted with force, increasing the speed it is propelled (i.e. projected or shot) in a solid soil stream at an exit point after passing the mechanical soil speed augmentation device (the auger and nozzle). Said force created by a rugged, solid steel auger, and further configured with solid steel auger blades which may include a spiral or helical configuration to maximize pressure on the screened soil against the nozzle, wherein release from the nozzle will result in depressurization resulting in increased screened soil speed.
In another aspect, a differential height between the entry point and exit point is between 20 feet and 50 feet 25 and 250 feet.
In another aspect, the conveyance comprises a conveyer belt machine, or conveyer device, configured with solid, continuous, sealed, leak-free, rigid containers, comprised of steel or other suitable material of strength, which minimize or eliminate spillage of soil, and further configured to tip, in order to deposit the soil into the chute entry point. Said conveyance may be combined with said soil screening and processing apparatus, configured with screens inside said containers of the conveyance.
In another aspect, a distance between the nozzle and the fire site is between 50 feet and 150 feet 50 and 1000 feet.
These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the attached drawings and the detailed description of the preferred embodiments, which follow.
The preferred embodiments of the claimed subject matter will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings provided to illustrate and not to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter, where like designations denote like elements, and in which:
The rotary projector is no longer contemplated.
It is to be understood that like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the described embodiments or the application and uses of the described embodiments. As used herein, the word “exemplary” or “illustrative” means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any implementation described herein as “exemplary” or “illustrative” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. All of the implementations described below are exemplary implementations provided to enable persons skilled in the art to make or use the embodiments of the disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure, which is defined by the claims. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field, background, brief summary or the following detailed description. It is also to be understood that the specific devices and processes illustrated in the attached drawings, and described in the following specification, are simply exemplary embodiments of the inventive concepts defined in the appended claims. Hence, specific dimensions and other physical characteristics relating to the embodiments disclosed herein are not to be considered as limiting, unless the claims expressly state otherwise.
Disclosed is a firefighting system. An example (
The illustration of
Soil discussed in [0034] may be processed by separating large particles (e.g. rocks) and debris, said process to be called screening (e.g. resulting in screened soil). Screened soil may be fed to a reservoir 106 which in turn feeds the screened soil to a conveyance 108. The conveyance 108 is configured to lift the screened soil to a desired elevation, thereby imbuing the screened soil with gravitational potential energy which is converted to kinetic energy to raise the speed and momentum of the screened soil. The speed of the soil follows the formula of a falling body, specifically: V=Square Root of (2gD) where V equals final velocity of soil, g is the acceleration due to gravity {32 feet per (second squared)}, and D is the distance of the fall which in firefighting system 100 is up to 250 feet. This formula (calculated at 250 feet elevation above the elevation of the immediate site) results in the screened soil velocity of 122 miles per hour or more. Firefighting system 100 may, thus, be referred to as a “gravity-assisted” system. In this way, a concentrated and partially-pressurized and/or high-speed stream of screened soil can be supplied to fire site 102 for fire suppression therein. Once raised to the desired location by conveyance 108, the screened soil can be fed to a chute 110 in which the screened soil can travel to a relatively lower elevation while gaining speed and momentum via gravity. A augmentation system mechanical soil speed augmentation system comprising an auger and nozzle, generally indicated at 112, may complement the assistance provided by gravity by further increasing the speed and momentum of the screened soil stream. Details regarding various implementations of the mechanical soil speed augmentation system 112 are described below with reference to the illustration of
Following its interaction with the Mechanical Soil Speed Augmentation Device 112, comprising the auger and nozzle, the screened soil stream may pass through said nozzle comprising said auger, said nozzle, which may provide via tapering geometry around the auger, through a concentrated orifice through which the soil stream is emitted with high precision and accuracy, thereby reducing waste of soil, reducing scatter, and reducing turbulence and clouding of the soil stream, thus increasing the speed of the soil.
As an example, chute 110 may have a diameter between 6 inches and 2 feet 1 and 4 feet, a length (e.g., unfurled length) between 50 and 150 feet between 25 and 250 feet, and may be comprised of polished steel or other fire-resistant materials, and further configured to increase smoothness, e.g., further polished or treated. As another example, the differential height between an entry point 116 at which the screened soil enters the chute 110, and an exit point 118 at which the screened soil exits the nozzle 114, may be between 20 and 50 feet or between 10 and 100 feet may be between 25 and 250 feet. As yet as another example the distance between exit point 118 and where the screened soil exits the nozzle 114, and the point at which the emitted soil contacts locations at the fire site (e.g., trees 104) may be between 50 and 1000 feet. In this way, the screened soil may be emitted in a manner that accurately targets fires within the fire site, yet is at a distance away from fire site that sufficiently separates human operators, firefighters, and firefighting system 100 from the fire site—e.g., sufficient separation may be achieved from the high temperatures at the fire site, in particular. Any suitable dimensions, emission ranges, and material compositions are possible, however.
Firefighting system 100 may be collapsible to enable rapid, dynamic and reversible deployment to adapt to rapidly changing fire conditions. The illustration
The illustration of
The finely-screened soil may substantially include and/or exclude particles of various size ranges. As one example, the screened soil may substantially include soil particles less than 2.0 mm (e.g., average diameter). As another example, the finely-screened soil may substantially include particles (or discard) as small as 0.02 mm (e.g., fine soil and silt) and up to 0.10 mm (e.g., moderately sized sand), and/or up to 1.0 mm (e.g., large sand and soil particles). It will be understood that the size of finely-screened soil produced via process 200 may vary with various environmental conditions, such as moisture, clay content, density and/or mineral content. Further, while not depicted in the illustration of
Process 200 may enable continuous production of screened soil that can be sufficiently used by firefighting system 100 to suppress fire without degrading the firefighting system in an interrupted manner. The uninterrupted provision of screened soil may be advantageous, as the interruption of fire suppression can severely inhibit firefighting—e.g., interruption caused by excessively large debris or particles that might otherwise be fed to firefighting system 100. Instead, process 200 enables the provision of so-called “pre-screened” or “pre-sized” soil to firefighting system 100 with undesirable particles, rocks, debris, and the like removed.
The illustration of
The illustration of
The illustration of
The illustration of
Alternative or additional mechanical implementations of the mechanical soil speed augmentation device 112 are contemplated. For example, an impeller may be used alternatively or in addition to augur 502, and may be of relatively smaller length, of relatively more robust construction, and/or may be more suited to denser soils and materials. As another example, a blade assembly similar to those used for blowing snow but having relatively thicker blades and/or having a relatively more advantageous or steeper blade angle may be used, which improve on the blade construction of, for example, blades similar to those used for blowing snow are contemplated. The blades would be improved to accommodate the density of screened soils, and the rotational drive mechanism would be gear or chain-operated to move the soil. A more severe (steeper), and more advantageous blade angle may be used for soils. As yet another example, two or more impellers may be employed with either a single nozzle or two or more nozzles (e.g., a respective nozzle foe each impeller). For implementation where two or more impellers are employed, chute 110 may be endowed with a relatively greater diameter and/or one or more blades positioned in the nozzle or in the chute or another soil-based firefighting system housing or device.
The illustration of
The illustration of
At 802, method 800 includes separating rocks from soil. The soil may be collected at a fire site or proximate the fire site. Rocks and/or other debris may be separated from the soil via process 200 presented in the illustration of
At 804, method 800 includes routing the screened soil through a bail feed. Slide 302 of the illustration of
At 806, method 800 includes collecting the screened soil at a hopper. The hopper may be reservoir 106 of the illustration of
At 808, method 800 includes carrying the screened soil to high elevations via a conveyor belt. The conveyor belt may be conveyance 108 of the illustration of
At 810, method 800 includes dropping the screened soil into a metal tubing. For example, the screened soil may be supplied to chute 110 at entry point 116, both of the illustration of
At 812, method 800 includes air-compressing the screened soil to increase soil speed. Air or any other suitable gas(es) may be used, which may be supplied via the gas augmentation system presented in the illustration of
At 814, method 800 includes emitting the screened soil through a nozzle at relatively high speeds. The screened soil may be emitted from nozzle 114 at exit point 118, both shown in the illustration of
In view of the above, firefighting system 100 may provide a collapsible, dynamically deployable approach to suppressing and/or extinguishing fires by utilizing naturally abundant resources available at or proximate to a fire site. In this way, the cost, complexity, and risks associated with other firefighting approaches may be reduced.
Since many modifications, variations, and changes in detail can be made to the described preferred embodiments of the invention, it is intended that all matters in the foregoing description and shown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. Thus, the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4410045 | Whitman | Oct 1983 | A |
| 5361988 | Nelson | Nov 1994 | A |
| 20140124224 | Berghuijs | May 2014 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 103736226 | Apr 2014 | CN |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20180104520 A1 | Apr 2018 | US |
