Range enhanced fire fighting nozzle and method (centershot II)

Abstract

An enhanced range and landing pattern, straight stream and fog, fire fighting nozzle including solid bore and annular discharge ports wherein the nozzle discharges an inner stream surrounded by an outer stream.

Claims

1. An at least 95 gpm, at 100 psi, range and landing pattern optimized, fog nozzle for fire fighting, comprising: the nozzle having elements defining a nozzle inlet in fluid communication with a source of fire fighting liquid; an annular conduit in fluid communication with the inlet, having an annular discharge port and outward swedge angle; a sleeve surrounding the annular discharge port, adjustable to extend downstream from the elements defining the annular discharge port and outward swedge angle, the annular port and sleeve structured and adjustable in combination to discharge both a straight stream and a fog pattern from the annular port, including alternately; a solid bore conduit in fluid communication with the nozzle inlet, having a solid bore discharge port forming a discharge port of the nozzle, located radially inward of the annular conduit and discharge port, the solid bore conduit and port sized and structured to discharge at least 50% of the nozzle discharge; a stream straightener in the annular conduit, located approximately mid-nozzle; a stream straightener for the bore conduit located proximate to or upstream of an inlet of the bore conduit; and wherein the annular discharge port has an outward swedge angle of between 30 degrees to 50 degrees; the solid bore conduit, annular conduit, adjustable sleeve, bore conduit stream straightener, annular conduit stream straightener and outward swedge angle structured in combination to maximize nozzle discharge range and tightness of discharge landing pattern.

2. The nozzle of claim 1 wherein the nozzle provides generally laminar flow in both the annular conduit and the bore conduit from the nozzle inlet to the discharge ports, and wherein the stream straightener in the annular conduit divides the conduit into at least four sections.

3. The nozzle of claim 2 wherein the annular discharge port has an outward swedge angle of approximately 40 degrees.

4. The nozzle of claim 2 wherein the annular discharge port has an outward swedge angle of between 30 to 40.

5. The nozzle of claim 1 wherein each discharge port squeezes fluid flow in the conduit to discharge out of a gap.

6. The nozzle of claim 2 wherein each discharge port squeezes fluid flow in the conduit to discharge out of a gap.

7. The nozzle of claim 1 or 2 structured to flow at least 500 gpm.

8. The nozzle of claim 1 or 2 wherein the solid bore conduit and annular conduit are co-axial and significantly coextensive.

9. The nozzle of claim 8 wherein the nozzle provides the annular conduit and the solid bore conduit structured such that the cross-sectional area of each conduit does not increase more than 30% in the nozzle from a conduit inlet until the conduit discharge port.

10. The nozzle of claim 1 or 2 structured such that the inlet fire fighting fluid is divided between the solid bore and annular bore in a discharge ratio of between 50/50 to 90/10, solid bore to annular conduit.

11. The nozzle of claim 1 or 2 wherein at least one of the solid bore discharge port and annular discharge port are structured to adjust in diameter by replacing or adjusting a nozzle discharge tip element.

12. The nozzle of claim 1 or 2 wherein the annular conduit discharge port is defined by two elements that relatively adjust.

13. The nozzle of claim 12 wherein the two elements that relatively adjust include a first element that is replaceable with a second element, thereby permitting adjustment in size of the annular conduit discharge port.

14. The nozzle of claim 1 or 2 wherein the solid bore discharge port is adjustable by replacing a first solid bore tip element with a second solid bore tip element.

15. The nozzle of claim 14 wherein the replaceable solid bore tips adjust the gpm of the nozzle.

16. The nozzle of claim 14 wherein the replaceable solid bore tips adjust the discharge ratio of the solid bore and annular conduit.

17. A method for fighting fires, comprising: from a combination fog and solid bore nozzle for fire fighting including a solid bore conduit with a solid bore discharge port forming a discharge port of the nozzle, an annular conduit having an annular discharge por with an outward swedge angle, an adjustable sleeve, a bore conduit stream straightener located proximate to or upstream of an inlet of the bore conduit and an annular conduit stream straightener located proximately mid-nozzle, the conduits, discharge ports, stream straighteners and swedge angle structured in combination to provide generally laminar flow through both conduits, discharging at least 50% of a nozzle inlet fire fighting liquid through the solid bore conduit and solid bore discharge port in a solid bore stream from the nozzle; discharging at least 10% of the inlet fire fighting liquid through the annular discharge port located radially outward of the solid discharge port, the annular discharge port having an outward swedge angle of between 30 degrees and 50 degrees; and adjusting the sleeve to achieve a straight stream pattern for the annular discharge such that the discharge range and tightness of discharge landing pattern from such combined discharge are maximized.

18. The method of claim 17 including the annular discharge port squeezing fluid flow to discharge out of a gap.

19. The method of claim 17 including the solid bore discharge port squeezing fluid flow to discharge out of a gap.

20. The method of claim 18 including a solid bore port squeezing fluid flow to discharge out of a gap.

21. The method of claim 17 including the annular conduit stream straightener located approximately mid-annular conduit and the bore conduit stream straightener located proximate to or upstream of a bore conduit inlet.

22. The method of claim 17 that includes discharging at least 500 gpm.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) A better understanding of the present invention can be obtained when the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments are considered in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

(2) FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrates aspects of a preferred embodiment of the instant invention, the nozzle in these figures set for a ratio of solid bore discharge port to annular conduit discharge port of between 50/50 and 90/10.

(3) FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrates an alternate embodiment where an approximate 90/10 ratio of solid bore discharge port to annular bore discharge port is illustrated.

(4) FIGS. 3A and 3C illustrates placement of a stream straightener in the annular conduit and the location for a stream straightener for the solid bore conduit.

(5) FIGS. 3D and 3E illustrate a stream straightener SBSS, of a design as sold by Elkhart Brass, located in or proximate to an inlet of a solid bore conduit, more particularly, at locations X and Y as indicated in FIG. 3A.

(6) FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate possible additions to or changes to the nozzle body in order to restrict increases in crosssectional area of the annular conduit through the body of the nozzle.

(7) The drawings are primarily illustrative. It would be understood that structure may have been simplified and details omitted in order to convey certain aspects of the invention. Scale may be sacrificed to clarity.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(8) To clarify the use of language and terms herein, solid bore is used to indicate a conduit with a solid crosssectional area. An annular bore defines a conduit with an annular crosssectional area. A solid bore nozzle has a discharge orifice that defines a solid crosssectional area. An annular bore or fog nozzle has a discharge orifice that defines an annular crosssectional area. Fire fighting nozzle discharge ports generally have one of these two structural configurations, solid bore or annular bore. The annular bore design is frequently referred to as fog design.

(9) Fog nozzles are typically provided with a sliding outer sleeve, over the annular discharge orifice, which is used to select and to alternate between a fog pattern or a straight stream pattern. The annular discharge bore and port and sliding sleeve are structured in combination to provide this selection. A straight stream pattern of a fog nozzle optimizes its range. The straight stream discharge typically assumes the shape, at least initially, of a hollow cylinder or cone. The cone could either slightly flare out or slightly flare in. A full fog pattern is created when the nozzle discharges its fluid in a wide amplitude, a cone shape that significantly flares out, achieved with the sleeve back, and is usually used to cover and protect the fire fighter and associated equipment.

(10) Typically, the crosssectional area defined by a nozzle discharge port is smaller than the crosssectional area defined by the nozzle inlet. Reducing the crosssectional discharge area of the discharge port, or gap, permits recovery of head pressure at the discharge. The result is a discharge stream may be of somewhat lesser gpm but has greater range than that of a completely uniform bore.

(11) Range optimized solid bore nozzles may use stream straighteners at the entrance to the solid bore conduit to enhance laminar flow, and to reduce energy lost in turbulence through the conduit and to increase range. Providing laminar flow, again, is to be interpreted herein to mean providing a relatively smooth conduit for the liquid, free of significant lateral turns, especially 90 degrees turns.

(12) The outward swedge angle, sometimes referred to as the cut, of a fog nozzle is a flow angle defined by a beveled surface of the annular conduit barrel subsequent to (i.e. downstream of) the squeeze point or gap of an annular discharge port, and prior to intersection with a longitudinal portion of a surrounding sleeve. (If the outward swedge angle is not constant in a nozzle design, its average effective value should be used herein.)

(13) The phrase cylinder/cone discharge is used herein to indicate the shape of a straight stream discharged from an annular discharge port, the port of a fog nozzle design, adjusted to a straight stream pattern by a sliding sleeve or the like. This shape initially at least resembles a hollow cylinder or cone. The cone shape would be either of slightly increasing diameter or of slightly decreasing diameter. Fine adjusting of the shape of the cylinder/cone discharge pattern by the fire fighter is known in the art to optimize the straight stream pattern for range and for the landing footprint for that nozzle.

(14) The phrase water/foam concentrate is used to indicate a stream of liquid including water and/or foam concentrate. It should be understood that the water and/or foam concentrate may have already, at least partially, converted to foam. A stream of water/foam concentrate is assumed to perform similarly to a stream of water for range testing purposes.

(15) Subsequent to the initial discovery above, the instant inventor discovered that Akron Brass (AB) had a dual port nozzle (commercially called the Saberjet, U.S. Pat. No. 6,877,676) which reminded the instant invention of an old dual port Navy nozzle, where either a solid bore port or an annular port could be selected. In some models both ports of the Akron Brass nozzle could be selected simultaneously. Inspection has shown, however, that the Akron Brass dual port nozzle is not designed to optimize range. It appears to provide fog capability simultaneously with a solid bore discharge, but importantly, the AB nozzle does not provide for laminar flow through the annular conduit. (In fact, the annular conduit flow in the nozzle makes two 90 degree turns in route to the annular discharge port.) Clearly the annular conduit is not regarded as being able to enhance the range or the landing pattern of the nozzle. The AB nozzle also teaches and embodies no stream straighteners, either for the annular discharge conduit or for the solid bore conduit. This point emphasizes again that maximizing range was not a prime objective. The annular discharge swedge angle of the AB nozzle is also not designed or disclosed for range optimization of the annular discharge in a straight stream pattern, either as per the instant invention.

(16) The instant invention, by contrast, is novel in that it not only provides a simultaneous dual port, nozzle having a solid bore and a master stream fog nozzle design, but the instant inventive nozzle is structured such that it optimizes range and landing pattern, managing to achieve the best of both designs. The instant invention is based on the discovery that a range optimized solid bore nozzle design and a range optimized annular bore nozzle design can be combined and deployed simultaneously to retain close to the best solid bore nozzle design range while retaining the annular bore nozzle design tight landing pattern, as well as full fog capability. Thus, the instant invention retains key advantages of each design while a limitation of each design is minimized.

(17) FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2A and 2B illustrate aspects of preferred embodiments of prototypes of the instant invention. Nozzle NZ provides a nozzle inlet NI. Preferably, although not necessarily, downstream of nozzle inlet NI is solid bore inlet SBI and an annular conduit inlet ACI. In the adjustment shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, affected by a changeable solid bore tip CBT, between 50% to 90% of the fire fighting fluid will flow through the solid bore inlet and out the solid bore discharge port SBDP. The crosssection view provided by sections 1A and 2A illustrate aspects of the annular conduit AC and solid bore conduit SBC. Solid bore conduit SBC initially reduces in crosssectional area and diameter, at an indicated angle, approximately 6.5 degrees in FIG. 2A. The tip of the solid bore conduit SBC of FIG. 2 has been further diminished in diameter. That is, the solid bore conduit is shown in this embodiment as slightly further narrowed or further pinched in at its discharge port. In FIG. 1 a selectable center bore tip CBT has been selected to further reduce the area of the solid bore discharge SBDP. Bafflehead BH, also referred to as an annular conduit discharge port defining element E2, is shown squeezed against annular conduit discharge port defining element E1 to yield an annular discharge gap width of 0.117 inches. In this configuration 10% to 50% of the fire fighting fluid could exit the annular conduit discharge port ACDP, depending upon the solid bore discharge tip selected.

(18) Element E1 is shown defining a swedge angle SW of approximately forty degrees with respect to the axis of the nozzle NZ. FIGS. 1A and 2A present a water inlet NI of 3.5 inches. The solid bore discharge port of FIGS. 2A and 2B has a diameter of less than 2.25 inches. Such dimensioning of a nozzle can be used to yield a roughly 1500 gpm nozzle at a supply head pressure of approximately 100 psi at the nozzle inlet, depending upon the solid bore tip selected. Exact dimensioning to achieve 1500 gpm would have to be determined by testing and trial.

(19) Sliding sleeve SS is shown with typical handles H and rubber bumper RB. The sliding sleeve, preferably by a quick one-quarter rotation, slides longitudinally downstream of the nozzle from its fog orientation shown in FIGS. 1A and 2A. Sliding sleeve SS downstream longitudinally on the nozzle creates a straight stream pattern for the fire fighting fluid exiting the annular discharge port ACDP. Again, those of skill in the art of using master stream fog nozzles understand to make minor adjustments to sliding sleeve SS position with respect to nozzle NZ such that the optimum range for fluid exiting the annular discharge port in a straight stream pattern can be achieved for that nozzle.

(20) FIG. 2A illustrates the nozzle adjusted for an approximate 90/10 ratio, solid bore conduit vis--vis annular conduit. The embodiment of FIGS. 2A and 2B achieves its 90/10 ratio by means of an exchangeable tip. Note that exchangeable tip R/AT2 of FIG. 2 is different from exchangeable tip CBT of FIG. 1A or 1B. (Tips could be exchanged by screwing off and on or the like.) Tip R/AT2 not only slightly narrows the solid bore discharge port, from approximately 2.25 to approximately 2.04 inches, but adjusts the gap between elements E1 and E2 to a width of approximately point 0.122 inches. The actual dimensions for any given nozzle, again, can be refined by testing. The instant dimensions illustrate a starting point. One goal may be to create a nozzle at a 90/10 ratio discharge, solid port to annular discharge port, such that the total discharge is approximately 1500 gpm. Alternately, a positive annular conduit discharge port ACDP could be created by a tip that simply opened up, such as by screwing out tip R/AT2, without exchanging tips. In such case the solid bore discharge port would remain the same size and the annular conduit discharge port would vary. Such nozzle should discharge somewhat greater than 1500 gpm. For some nozzle applications, such a variation in flow would not be a problem.

(21) Alternately, not shown in a drawing, is a 50/50 ratio of discharge, solid bore to annular discharge port, that could be achieved in ways analogous to the above. E.g. replaceable/adjustable tips could be screwed onto the end of the structure creating the solid bore conduit, decreasing the discharge port of the solid bore conduit. Alternately, or in addition, the tip could increase or change the discharge port of the annular conduit. A tip at the end of the structure creating the solid bore could be adjusted, as by screwing in and out, such that the annular conduit discharge port enlarges while the solid bore discharge port diameter remains the same. With such designs, the total gpm of the nozzle could vary.

(22) FIGS. 3A-3C illustrates in particular the placement of stream straighteners in a nozzle NZ similar to FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2A and 2B. Annular conduit stream straightener ACSS is illustrated placed against the inner wall of the nozzle annular bore, proximately mid nozzle and extending toward the annular discharge port. A preferred annular conduit stream straightener would run two to three inches in length in the illustrated approximately 1500 gpm nozzle. Locations X and Y illustrate a preferred place for placing stream straighteners for the solid bore conduit. Such stream straighteners for solid bore conduits are known in the art and can be found illustrated, for instance, in the Elkhart Brass catalogue.

(23) FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate additional potential means for restricting increase in crosssectional area of the annular conduit through the nozzle. Structure ACS is illustrated on the inside of the annular conduit in FIG. 4 and on the outside of the annular conduit in FIG. 5. In fact, in FIG. 5 the additional structure ACS is incorporated into element E1 that partially defines the annular conduit discharge port. Annular conduit stream straighteners can be adapted to adjust to the presence of such additional structures ACS. The function of additional structures ACS would be to limit the increase in crosssectional area of the annular conduit AC through the nozzle to control energy loss. Structure ACS would preferably be formed of aluminum or plastic or other like yet durable materials. Structure ACS could be incorporated into an annular conduit stream straightener. When the annular conduit is allowed to increase in crosssectional area, water flowing through the annular conduit is decelerated. Acceleration can be recovered at the discharge port but only with some loss in energy and efficiency. Hence, significant deceleration through the nozzle is disfavored.

(24) It can be seen from review of FIGS. 1 through 5 that the annular conduit is designed in general to preserve laminar flow of the fire fighting fluid, from the nozzle inlet NI to the annular conduit discharge port ACDP. The same is true for the flow through the solid bore conduit. Unnecessary obstructions in the conduit cause friction, turbulence and loss of energy. Such is disfavored in nozzles designed to optimize the range of the thrown stream.

(25) The foregoing description of preferred embodiments of the invention is presented for purposes of illustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form or embodiment disclosed. The description was selected to best explain the principles of the invention and their practical application to enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments. Various modifications as are best suited to the particular use are contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention is not to be limited by the specification, but to be defined by the claims set forth below. Since the foregoing disclosure and description of the invention are illustrative and explanatory thereof, various changes in the size, shape, and materials, as well as in the details of the illustrated device may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. The invention is claimed using terminology that depends upon a historic presumption that recitation of a single element covers one or more, and recitation of two elements covers two or more, and the like. Also, the drawings and illustration herein have not necessarily been produced to scale.