Method and device for the testing of fire extinguishing systems

Abstract

An installation for testing open fire extinguishing systems includes a smoke and/or mist generator and a connecting conduit suitable and dedicated for being connected to a fire fighting system. A method for testing of fire extinguishing systems has the following steps performed in any suitable order: a) providing an installation for the generation of smoke and/or mist, b) connecting a conduit of the installation to a conduit of a first section of a preferably open fire extinguishing system, c) opening a valve which provides a connection between the first section of the fire fighting system and the connecting conduit of the installation, d) turning on the smoke and/or mist generator, such that, by the exiting of the smoke and/or mist, the spray heads of the first section of the fire extinguishing system can be inspected on their openness, e) repeating steps b-d for any further section of the fire extinguishing system.

Claims

1. An installation, suitable for testing a deluge fire extinguishing system, comprising: a smoke and/or mist generator and a connecting conduit, suitable and dedicated for connecting the smoke and/or mist generator to the deluge fire extinguishing system; wherein the smoke and/or mist generator comprises a compressor and/or a pump which is able to generate a gas flow of at least 18 liters per second and/or is able to generate a pressure drop of at least 0.2 bars and/or which is able to generate a smoke to be generated with an optical smoke density of at least 10 per meter.

2. The installation according to claim 1, wherein the installation comprises a gas flow to be generated of at least 50 liters per second.

3. The installation according to claim 1, wherein the installation comprises a smoke to be generated with an optical smoke density of at least 20 per meter.

4. The installation according to claim 1, wherein the installation comprises a smoke to be generated with an optical smoke density of at least 100 per meter.

5. The installation according to claim 1, wherein the smoke and/or mist generator comprises a heating element.

6. The installation according to claim 1, wherein the smoke and/or mist generator comprises a storage container.

7. The installation according to claim 1, wherein the connecting conduit comprises a connecting element, which fits on a connecting element of the deluge fire extinguishing system.

8. The installation according to claim 1, wherein the installation forms part of the deluge fire extinguishing system or is permanently installed thereon, therein or in fluid connection therewith.

9. A method for testing a deluge fire extinguishing system, comprising the following steps to be performed in any suitable order: a) providing an installation for generating smoke and/or mist; b) connecting a conduit of the installation to a first section of the deluge fire extinguishing system; c) opening a valve, to connect the deluge fire extinguishing system to the connecting conduit of the installation; d) turning on a smoke and/or mist generator, such that a network of conduits of a first section of the deluge fire extinguishing system fills up with smoke and/or mist; inspecting spray heads of the first section of the deluge fire extinguishing system to determine a measure of exiting smoke and/or mist; e) repeating steps b-d for any further section of the deluge fire extinguishing system.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein a mass flow of the smoke and/or mist is chosen such that an exiting speed of the smoke and/or mist from the spray heads is at least 10 meters per second and/or wherein an optical smoke density of the smoke and/or mist is at least 1 per meter and/or wherein the installation can generate a pressure drop of at least 0.2 bars.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein a reach of spray of the individual spray heads is being inspected, by registering a cone and/or cloud of smoke and/or mist exiting from the spray head.

12. A method of passing smoke and/or mist through a network of conduits of a deluge fire extinguishing system for testing openness of the deluge fire extinguishing system, wherein the smoke and/or mist comprises an optical smoke density of at least 1 per meter and/or wherein a flow of the smoke and/or mist being inserted in the deluge fire extinguishing system is chosen such that a speed of the smoke and/or mist exiting from spray heads of the deluge fire extinguishing system is at least 10 meters per second.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the deluge fire extinguishing system is associated with an installation for production and/or reclaiming of oil and/or gas.

14. The installation of claim 1, in combination with a fire extinguishing system associated with an installation for production and/or reclaiming of oil and/or gas.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention will be further elucidated by means of embodiments which are depicted in the figures, in the figures,

(2) FIG. 1 depicts a schematic representation of a smoke and/or mist generator according to a first embodiment of the invention;

(3) FIG. 2 depicts a schematic representation of a fire fighting system for the application of the invention;

(4) FIG. 3 represents a schematic depiction of an alternative firefighting system for the application of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(5) It is noted that the figures are only a schematic representation of preferred embodiments of the invention. The figures should not be considered limited for the invention in any way or form. In the figures, the same or similar parts are referred to by the same or similar reference numerals.

(6) The expression “connected with”, “being in connection with” and/or words of such meaning, that is used in this specification and/or the conclusions, should be understood as, is however not limited to the existence of a substantially fluid tight connection between the parts in question.

(7) The expression “gas flow rate” that is used in this specification and/or the conclusions should be considered as, is however not limited to a volume flow, normally expressed in cubic meters per second, where in the exiting volume flow is meant.

(8) The expression “pressure drop” that is used in this specification and/or the conclusions, should considered as, is however not limited to a measurement for the amount of pressure that a pump or compressor can meet.

(9) The expression “smoke density” that is used in this specification and/or the conclusions, should be considered as, is however not limited to a measurement for the amount of extinction of a light source by amount of smoke over a certain path length.

(10) The expression “length of sight” is the maximum distance over which a normal human eye can distinctly examine a non-lit object.

(11) The expression “smoke” that is used in this specification and/or other claims is to be considered as, is however not limited to a fine distribution of drops or particles in a gas. In the application normally nebula or mist is used. The expression “smoke” is to be explicitly understood as nebula and mists as well. In that case a liquid is evaporated in a gas flow, which cools down and condensates to a fine mist or nebula.

(12) In FIG. 1, a schematic depiction of a smoke and/or mist generator 1 is shown. The smoke and/or mist generator comprises a storage container 2, which is connected through a conduit 3 and a valve 4 to a pump 5. The pump is connected with a heating chamber 6, wherein heating element 7 transfers the liquid smoking agent into a smoke and/or mist. Consequently the smoke and/or mist is guided to a connecting element 9 by means of a smoke conduit 8. The connecting element 9 fits substantially free of leaks on a connecting element 10 of the fire extinguishing system. In order to generate sufficiently mist and/or smoke or to provide smoke and/or mist with a sufficient pressure, a ventilator or compressor 23 can be connected to the heating chamber 6. This ventilator or compressor 23 can alternatively also be mounted within the smoke and/or mist conduit 8.

(13) FIG. 2 discloses a first embodiment of a fire extinguishing system. This system comprises a number of five extinguishing sections 16A-16E each with its own network of conduits. The sections 16A-16E are connected with the pump 13 through a header 12 and a conduit 14. Each section 16A-16E can be provided with a three-way valve 22A-22E, which can be each connected to the connecting element 9 of the smoke and/or mist generator through the connecting conduit 10A-10E. On each network of conduits of these sections 16A-16E spray heads 17A-17E are connected. In an open fire extinguishing system, also known as deluge system, the spray heads 17A-17E are in open connection with the network of conduits and is the system, when idle, substantially empty. In contrast to sprinkler systems where all spray heads are closed and opened only by heat, in an open fire extinguishing system all spray heads are open.

(14) If the fire extinguishing system for a certain section 16A-16E is being opened by automatically operation or operation by hand of one or more of the valves 11A-11E, the pump 13 will start to operate and fills the network of conduits of the section with extinguishing agent and all the spray heads 17a-17e of the section in question 16a-16e starts to spray.

(15) In the system as being shown in FIG. 2, the extinguishing agent is seawater that is obtained through suction conduit 15 directly from the open sea. In the system as is shown in FIG. 3, the extinguishing agent is stored in a storage container 21. The extinguishing agent can in this case be water but can also be any other suitable agent. By closing valve 11A from section 16A, opening the 3-way valve 22A to the connecting conduit 10A and to the connection element 9 of the smoke and/or mist generator, and hereafter turning the smoke and/or mist generator on, the network of conduits of the section 16A can fill up with smoke and/or mist. During the fill up of the network of conduits with mist or smoke, the spray heads 17A, which are in open connection with the network of conduits of the section 16A, will start to exhaust smoke and/or mist. Thus, it can be inspected whether each of the spray heads 17a is open. If smoke and/or mist is entered in the network of conduits with sufficient flow rate, each individual spray head can be tested on the reach of the spray as well. Thus crooked, blocked and/or wrongly installed spray heads can be identified and instantly be replaced and/or repaired.

(16) Furthermore, it can be inspected whether the fire extinguishing system sufficiently reaches all the installations and spaces to be protected without any shut down of the installations to be inspected. In open fire extinguishing systems, the openness of the system is predominantly tested and the openness of the individual spray heads is tested. Typical deluge systems comprise per section between 5 and 100 open nozzles. Each nozzle comprises an opening of substantially between 0.5-1.5 cm diameter and eventually a deflector being positioned in front of the opening. The deflector can be positioned in front of the opening and can transfer the exiting water from the nozzle of the spray head to a cone shaped spray. Typical deflectors are plates, cones, spirals and curved plates, eventually or not provided with holes. In order to properly test such a system, sufficiently smoke needs to be entered into the system to detect an exiting amount of smoke at all nozzles.

(17) It is noted that the invention is not restricted to the embodiments as discussed herein above. It is for example possible to use a sort of foam instead of smoke and/or mist during the testing. The smoke and/or mist can comprise a specific colouring agent, such that the distinction between from the installation exiting of smoke and/or mist and the smoke and/or mist existing from the fire extinguishing system during testing can be distinguished.

(18) Alternatively to the application of the 3-way nozzle 22A-22E, the smoke and/or mist generator can also be connected to a drain connection 20A-20E, to a connector for a pressure gauge, to a nozzle or to a spray head. This can be of advantage in case the three-way valves 22A-22E and/or the connection conduits 10A-10E are absent within the system to be tested.

(19) Though in FIGS. 2 and 3 three-way valves 22A-22E are being applied, alternatively also a T-connector with a valve can be used. As a security measurement, a signal in relation to the position of the valves 11a-11e can be guided to a central operating system.

(20) Such and other alternatives will be clear for the skilled man and are considered to be within the frame of the invention as claimed in the appended claims.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

(21) 1. Smoke and/or mist generator 2. Storage container 3. Conduit 4. Valve 5. Pump 6. Heating chamber 7. Heating element 8. Smoke and/or mist conduit 9. Connecting element 10. Connecting conduit 11A-E. Valves 12. Header 13. Pump 14. Pressure conduit 15. Suction conduit 16A-E. Sections 17A-E. Spray heads 18A-E. Network of conduits 19A-E. Drain valves 20A-E. Drain connecting valves 21. Storage container 22A-E. 3-way valves 23. Ventilator or compressor.