Dry alarm valve station and fire-extinguishing facility comprising same

Abstract

The invention concerns a dry alarm valve station of a fire extinguishing installation. According to the invention it is proposed that the dry alarm valve station includes an alarm valve, an alarm line connected to the alarm valve, an alarm alert device, preferably with an alarm pressure switch, which is connected to the alarm line and is configured to trigger an alarm signal when there is a predetermined fluid pressure in the alarm line, and a pressure-operated valve which is interposed between the alarm alert device and the alarm valve, is controlled by a control chamber, and is configured to block the alarm line as long as there is the predetermined control pressure in the control chamber and to open it when the pressure falls below the predetermined control pressure in the control chamber.

Claims

1. A dry alarm valve station of a fire extinguishing installation comprising: an alarm valve which is configured to be connected at an inlet side thereof to an extinguishing fluid-filled supply line and at an outlet side thereof to a sprinkler line which is air-filled in a standby state of the fire extinguishing installation and comprises a pressure-operated valve body which is controlled by a control chamber and which is configured to separate the supply line from the sprinkler line in a blocking state as long as there is a predetermined control pressure in the control chamber, and to connect the supply line to the sprinkler line when in a release state, an alarm line connected to the alarm valve in such a way that the alarm line is deluged with extinguishing fluid when the alarm valve assumes the release state, an alarm device, the alarm device being connected to the alarm line and configured to trigger an alarm signal when there is a predetermined fluid pressure in the alarm line, and a first pressure-operated valve which is interposed between the alarm device and the alarm valve and is controlled by the control chamber and is configured to block the alarm line as long as the predetermined control pressure is maintained in the control chamber and to open the alarm line when the pressure in the control chamber is below the predetermined control pressure.

2. A dry alarm valve station as set forth in claim 1, further comprising: a fluid outlet and a second pressure-operated valve which is interposed between the control chamber and the fluid outlet, wherein the second pressure-operated valve is controlled by the alarm line downstream of the first pressure-operated valve and is configured to relieve the control chamber when the first pressure-operated valve opens the alarm line.

3. A dry alarm valve station as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first pressure-operated valve is in the form of a normally open valve.

4. A dry alarm valve station as set forth in claim 2, wherein the second pressure-operated valve is in the form of a normally closed valve.

5. A dry alarm valve station as set forth in claim 1, further comprising: a pilot control valve which is connected to the control chamber and is configured to block or relieve the control chamber.

6. A dry alarm valve station as set forth in claim 5, wherein the pilot control valve is a pressure-operated valve which is controlled by a pressure occurring at the outlet side of the alarm valve and is configured to block the control chamber as long as there is a predetermined standby pressure at the outlet side of the alarm valve and to relieve the control chamber as soon as the pressure falls below the predetermined standby pressure.

7. A dry alarm valve station as set forth in claim 6, wherein the pilot control valve is a diaphragm valve or a constant pressure valve.

8. A dry alarm valve station as set forth in claim 5, wherein the pilot control valve is a solenoid valve which is configured to be in signal communication with a fire alarm and/or an extinguishing control center and is configured to relieve the control chamber as a function of a trigger command from the fire alarm and/or the extinguishing control center.

9. A dry alarm valve station as set forth in claim 8, wherein the pilot control valve is a normally closed valve.

10. A dry alarm valve station as set forth in claim 5, wherein the pilot control valve is a first pilot control valve and the dry alarm valve station includes a second pilot control valve which is a solenoid valve which is configured to be in signal communication with a fire alarm and/or an extinguishing control center and is configured to relieve the control chamber as a function of a trigger command from the fire alarm and/or the extinguishing control center.

11. A dry alarm valve station as set forth in claim 10, wherein the second pilot control valve is a normally closed valve.

12. A dry alarm valve station as set forth in claim 10, wherein the second pilot control valve is a normally open valve.

13. A dry alarm valve station as set forth in claim 8, further comprising: a pressure transducer which is operatively coupled to the outlet side of the alarm valve and configured to be in signal communication with the fire alarm and/or the extinguishing control center.

14. A dry alarm valve station as set forth in claim 10, wherein the dry alarm valve station includes a third pilot control valve which is a solenoid valve which is configured to be in signal communication with the fire alarm and/or the extinguishing control center and is configured to relieve the control chamber as a function of a trigger command from the fire alarm and/or the extinguishing control center, wherein the second pilot control valve is a normally open valve and the third pilot control valve is a normally closed valve.

15. A fire extinguishing installation comprising: a sprinkler line, one or more sprinklers distributed along the sprinkler line, a supply line, and a dry alarm valve station connecting the supply line to the sprinkler line, wherein the dry alarm valve station is as set forth in claim 1.

16. A fire extinguishing installation comprising: a sprinkler line, one or more sprinklers distributed along the sprinkler line, a supply line, and a dry alarm valve station connecting the supply line to the sprinkler line, wherein the dry alarm valve station comprises the dry alarm valve station as set forth in claim 6 with at least one pilot control line and at least one pilot control sprinkler arranged at the pilot control line, wherein the pilot control valve is controlled by the pilot control line and is configured to block the control chamber as long as a predetermined standby pressure occurs in the pilot control line and to relieve the control chamber as soon as the pressure falls below the predetermined standby pressure.

17. A fire extinguishing installation comprising: a sprinkler line, one or more sprinklers distributed along the sprinkler line, a supply line, and a dry alarm valve station connecting the supply line to the sprinkler line, wherein the dry alarm valve station comprises the dry alarm valve station as set forth in claim 14, and a fire alarm and/or an extinguishing control center.

18. A fire extinguishing installation as set forth in claim 17, comprising: at least one fire alarm in signal communication with the fire alarm and/or the extinguishing control center, wherein the solenoid valve of the second pilot control valve or at least one of the solenoid valves of the second and third pilot control valves is a solenoid valve and is in signal communication with the fire alarm and/or the extinguishing control center and the fire alarm and/or the extinguishing control center is configured to control the second pilot control valve or at least one of the second and third pilot control valves in dependence on an alarm from the at least one fire alarm.

19. A fire extinguishing installation as set forth in claim 18, wherein the dry alarm valve station includes a pressure measuring transducer is in signal communication with the fire alarm and/or the extinguishing control center, wherein the fire alarm and/or the extinguishing control center is configured to control the second pilot control valve or at least one of the second or third pilot control valves as a function of pressure measurement values signaled from the pressure measuring transducer to the fire alarm and/or the extinguishing control center.

20. A fire extinguishing installation as set forth in one claim 17, wherein the alarm device includes an alarm pressure switch is connected in signal-conducting relationship to the fire alarm and/or the extinguishing control center.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention is described in greater detail hereinafter with reference to the accompanying Figures by means of preferred embodiments. In the drawings:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a fire extinguishing installation having a dry alarm valve station according to a first embodiment,

(3) FIG. 2 shows a fire extinguishing installation having a dry alarm valve station according to a second embodiment,

(4) FIG. 3 shows a fire extinguishing installation having a dry alarm valve station according to a further embodiment,

(5) FIG. 4 shows a fire extinguishing installation having a dry alarm valve station according to a further embodiment,

(6) FIG. 5 shows a fire extinguishing installation having a dry alarm valve station according to a further embodiment, and

(7) FIG. 6 shows a fire extinguishing installation having a dry alarm valve station according to a further embodiment.

MODE(S) FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

(8) FIG. 1 shows a fire extinguishing installation 100a. The fire extinguishing installation 100a has a dry alarm valve station 1 which includes an alarm valve 3 which is connected at the inlet side to a supply line 5 for an extinguishing fluid and at the outlet side to a sprinkler line 7 at which a plurality of sprinklers S are arranged in distributed fashion.

(9) The alarm valve which in the present embodiment is in the form of a spray deluge valve has a control chamber 11 in which a diaphragm-actuated control plunger is arranged, which controls a valve body 9 of the alarm valve 3 by pressure actuation. The control chamber 11 is pressurized from the inlet side of the alarm valve 3 by means of a bypass line 13 which optionally has a dirt trap and/or a throttle and/or a flap check valve in order to present the bypass state shown in FIG. 1 with the valve body closed. In this standby state the valve body 9 blocks the alarm valve 3 to prevent fluid from passing therethrough from the inlet side to the outlet side.

(10) The dry alarm valve station 1 has an alarm line 15 extending from the alarm valve 3 to an alarm alert device 17. The alarm alert device 17 has an alarm pressure switch 25 and a hydraulic alarm bell 27. The alarm alert device 17 is configured to be actuated when the alarm line 15 is deluged by opening of the valve body 9. Interposed between the alarm valve 3 and the alarm alert device 17 is a (first) pressure-operated valve 19 actuated by means of the pressure in the control chamber 11. The pressure-operated valve 19 is a normally open diaphragm valve.

(11) If there is a predetermined fluid pressure in the control chamber 11, corresponding to the standby state, the (first) pressure-operated valve 19 is held in the closed state. In this state the part of the alarm line 15 between the alarm valve 3 and the alarm alert device 17 is blocked. The pressure in the sprinkler line 7 is thus closed off. The downstream part of the alarm line 15 towards the alarm alert device 17 is preferably pressure-less.

(12) In addition to the (first) pressure-operated valve 19 the dry alarm valve station has a second pressure-operated valve 21, preferably a pressure-operated relief valve (PORV), which is in the form of a normally closed valve and at the outlet side has a relief opening 23 representing a fluid discharge of the dry alarm valve station 1.

(13) The second pressure-operated valve 21 is actuated by means of the pressure in the alarm line 15 downstream of the first pressure-operated valve 19 and opens as soon as the alarm line 15 is deluged after opening of the first pressure-operated valve. The second pressure-operated valve 21 is connected at the inlet side to the control chamber 11 of the alarm valve 3 and is configured to relieve same in the opened state so that closing of the valve body 9 as a result of a pressure build-up in the control chamber 11 after triggering of the extinguishing process is reliably prevented.

(14) The alarm valve 3 is pilot-controlled by means of a pilot control valve 29. The pilot control valve 29 is preferably a pressure-operated normally open valve configured in the open state to relieve the control chamber 11 and in the closed state to block same, wherein the pilot control valve 29 is actuated by means of the pressure at the outlet side at the alarm valve 3. Preferably a pressure in the sprinkler line 7 should be in a region between 0.5 and 2 bars so that the pilot control valve 29 is reliably held in the closed state. When a pressure drop is produced in the sprinkler line 7, for example by opening of one or more sprinklers, the pilot control valve 29 opens so that relief of the control chamber 11 begins and the valve body 9 can open the alarm valve 3. In that state then the first pressure-operated valve 19 is also opened whereby the alarm line 15 is deluged and then alarm alert is effected by the alarm alert device 17, wherein the second pressure-operated valve 21 prevents unintentional closing of the valve body 9 in the alarm valve 3.

(15) Optionally provided at the outlet side at the alarm valve 3 is a pressure measuring transducer 31 and/or a further pressure switch 33 to be able to monitor the pressure profile in the sprinkler line 7.

(16) The sprinkler line, the alarm line 15 and the corresponding control lines are preferably supplied by means of a compressed air feed 35.

(17) Optionally the fire extinguishing installation 100a has a venting accelerator 37 which when a predetermined pressure drop is registered within the sprinkler 7, opens a line cross-section to achieve accelerated venting.

(18) Insofar as the same reference numerals have been used in following FIGS. 2 through 6 as in FIG. 1 they denote functionally or structurally identical features. In regard to those features and the mode of operation thereof attention is directed to the foregoing description relating to FIG. 1.

(19) The fire extinguishing installation 100b shown in FIG. 2 is functionally identical in essential aspects to the fire extinguishing installation 100a shown in FIG. 1. Unlike the fire extinguishing installation 100a of FIG. 1 the fire extinguishing installation 100b has an electrically pilot-controlled dry alarm valve station 1 in which there is provided a pilot control valve 29′ which is in the form of a solenoid valve and which is a normally closed valve. The pilot control valve 29′ is connected in signal-conducting relationship to a fire alarm and/or extinguishing control center 101 which in turn is connected in signal-conducting relationship to a number of fire alarms D, the fire alarms D being configured to detect one or more fire characteristics. Functionally the fire extinguishing installation 100b and its dry alarm valve station 1 differ from the system shown in FIG. 1 insofar as triggering of actuation of the alarm valve 3 does not have to be effected by the opening of one or more sprinklers S, but upon detection of a fire characteristic by one or more of the sprinklers D pre-deluging of the sprinkler line 7 can already be effected if the fire alarm and/or extinguishing control center 101 sends a corresponding control command to the pilot control valve 29′. The sprinkler line 7 in the fire extinguishing installation 100b can be kept pressure-less in its standby state. It is only if it is desired to track the pressure profile in the sprinkler line 7 or to use it as a control parameter by means of the pressure measuring transducer 31 and/or the pressure switch 33 that a certain pressurization of the sprinkler line 7 should be effected, for example in a region of 0.5-1 bar. The less air that there is in the sprinkler line 7 venting is correspondingly faster in the application situation.

(20) FIG. 3 shows a further modification of the dry alarm valve station 1 in a fire extinguishing installation 100c. The fire extinguishing installation 100c differs from the fire extinguishing installations 100a, 100b in that to a certain extent as a synthesis of the two fire extinguishing installations 100a, b it has both a first pilot control valve 29 and also the second pilot control valve 29′ of FIG. 2. The first and second pilot control valves 29, 29′ are connected in series so that redundant actuation of both pilot control valves 29, 29′ has to be effected to relieve the control chamber 11.

(21) In this case the second pilot control valve 29′ can either be in the form of a normally closed valve, as in FIG. 2, or a normally open valve. In the latter case actuation of the alarm valve by the pilot control valve 29 is effected even when alarm alerting by the fire alarm and/or extinguishing control center 101 does not occur or the signal-conducting connection between the second pilot control valve 29′ and the fire alarm and/or extinguishing control center 101 is disrupted.

(22) FIG. 4 shows a fire extinguishing installation 100d based on the fire extinguishing installation 100b. Unlike the fire extinguishing installation 100b actuation of the pilot control valve 29′ is effected either alternatively, additionally or redundantly as soon as the pressure switch 33 registers a pressure drop in the sprinkler line 7 and has communicated a corresponding signal to the fire alarm and/or extinguishing control center 101. That is indicated by the directional arrows in the signal lines between the fire alarm and/or extinguishing control center 101, the pilot control valve 29′ and the pressure switch 33.

(23) FIG. 5 then shows a fire extinguishing installation 100e according to a further embodiment which to a certain extent represents a synthesis between the fire extinguishing installations 100c and 100d shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The dry alarm valve station 1 installed here, besides the first and second pilot control valves 29, 29′, additionally includes a third pilot control valve 29″ which is in the form of a normally closed solenoid valve and is connected in parallel with the first and second pilot control valves 29, 29′.

(24) In the embodiments of FIGS. 2 through 5 the respective alarm pressure switch 25 of the alarm alert device 17 is connected in signal-conducting relationship to the fire alarm and/or fire extinguishing center 101 in order to be able to send a corresponding signal thereto in an alarm situation.

(25) FIG. 6 finally shows a fire extinguishing installation 100f in which the dry alarm valve station 101, similar to the embodiment of FIG. 1, is pilot-controlled purely pneumatically by means of a pilot control valve 29. It will be noted however that the fire extinguishing installation 100f has a separate pilot control line 39 at which a number of pilot control sprinklers S′ are arranged in distributed relationship.

(26) The pilot control line 39 is preferably to be put under pressure by means of a dedicated compressed air supply 43. The pilot control valve 29 is actuated by means of the pilot control line 39 and is configured to relieve the control chamber 11 as soon as the pilot control sprinklers S′ and not the regular sprinklers S in the sprinkler line 7 are triggered. Further preferably the pilot control line 29 also has a connection with a venting accelerator 41 which in the trigger situation of one or more sprinklers S′ brings about accelerated venting of the pilot control line 39.

(27) In all illustrated embodiments which use a pressure-operated valve 29 as the pilot control valve it would be possible for example to use a diaphragm valve or a constant pressure valve, in which respect the constant pressure valve affords particular advantages in regard to a control pressure which is necessary in the standby state.

LIST OF UTILIZED REFERENCE NUMBERS

(28) 1 dry alarm valve station 3 alarm valve 5 supply line 7 sprinkler line 9 valve body 11 control chamber 13 bypass 15 alarm line 17 alarm alert device 19 first pressure-operated valve 21 second pressure-operated valve 23 fluid discharge 25 alarm pressure switch, alarm alert device 27 hydraulic alarm bell 29 pilot control valve, first 29′ pilot control valve, second 29″ pilot control valve, third 31 pressure measuring transducer 33 pressure switch (sprinkler line) 35 compressed air feed 37 venting accelerator 39 pilot control line 41 venting accelerator, pilot control line 43 compressed air feed, pilot control line 100a-f fire extinguishing installation 101 fire alarm and/or fire extinguishing center D fire alarm S sprinkler S′ pilot control sprinkler