Fire extinguishing system and method using high stored energy
US20260183591A1
Abstract
A fire extinguishing system and method includes a pressure vessel and a control module. The pressure vessel is charged with a predetermined mixture to a stored energy of greater than 100 bar*L/kg. The predetermined mixture includes a propellant gas and a fire extinguishing agent. The control module is configured to fully discharge the pressure vessel to a protected compartment in response to a fire threat detected in the protected compartment by at least one sensor in communication with the control module.
Description (excerpt)
GOVERNMENT INTEREST The embodiments described herein may be manufactured, used, and/or licensed by or for the Government of the United States of America without payment by the Government of any royalties thereon. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a fire extinguishing system and method. BACKGROUND The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art. Halogenated hydrocarbons (halons), particularly halon 1301 (CF 3 Br), have been widely used in commercial, industrial, and military fire protection applications since the 1960s due to fire extinguishing effectiveness, low toxicity, and no need for cleanup. Hydrofluorocarbons (HFC) began replacing halons in the 1990s following implementation of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer which phased out production of halons and other ozone-depleting substances (ODS). The 2016 Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol and the 2020 American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act have begun to impact the availability of HFCs due to their high global warming potential (GWP) which necessitates research and testing to identify safe and technically feasible replacements. Protecting occupants of military vehicles presents unique challenges as the automatic fire extinguishing system (AFES) must extinguish hydrocarbon fuel fires or explosions without injuring the crew and maintain a habitable environment long enough for the crew to egress safely. To accomplish this, the AFES must rapidly detect a fire threat, safely discharge fire extinguishing agent at a high rate, effectively extinguish fires within fractions of a second, and maintain a safe environment within the occupied compartment after agent discharge. Other potential applications where this approach may be effective against explosive fires that may occur in occupied or unoccupied spaces include oil and gas refineries, aerosol can fill rooms, grain processing facilities, etc. Alternatives to halons and HFC-based gaseous agents have been investigated and dry chemical fire extinguishing agents have been found to be one of the best performing classes of agents. A dry chemical fire extinguishing agent is comprised of small particles (e.g., sodium bicarbonate or potassium bicarbonate) that extinguish fires by interrupting the fire's chemical chain reaction and absorption of heat. Dry chemical agents are very efficient at fire extinguishing on a mass basis and have zero GWP and Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP). These agents also do not produce toxic decomposition byproducts such as HF, HBr, or COF 2 like HFCs or halons do. However, dry chemical agents have historically shown reduced effectiveness at preventing reflashes when compared to gaseous agents, especially when applied in cluttered areas, e.g., vehicle compartments with many objects and/or people that can inhibit distribution of the dry chemical agent. As a solid particle, the dry chemical agent has no internal energy and therefore does not efficiently fill a cluttered area to extinguish a fire as gaseous agents would. The invention of the present disclosure remedies these and other issues associated with the known fire extinguishing systems by providing an improved fire extinguishing system and method. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This section provides a general summary of the disclosure and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features. According to one form, the present disclosure provides for A fire extinguishing system includes a pressure vessel and a control module. The pressure vessel is charged with a predetermined mixture to a stored energy of greater than 100 bar*L/kg. The predetermined mixture includes a propellant gas and a fire extinguishing agent. The control module is configured to fully discharge the pressure vessel to a protected compartment in response to a fire threat detected in the protected compartment by at least one sensor in communication with the control module. In variations of the fire extinguishing system of the above paragraph, which may be implemented individually or in any combination: the fire extinguishing system further includes a valve coupled for fluid communication with an outlet of the pressure vessel, wherein the controller is configured to change the valve from a closed state to an open state to fully discharge the pressure vessel to the protected compartment in response to the fire threat detected in the
Filing details
- Inventors
- Joshua Ryan Fritsch
- Assignee
- Government Of The United States, As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army
- Filed
- Jul 29, 2025
- Granted
- Application pending
Bibliographic data and excerpted text sourced from Google Patents (public record) as part of IP TechMatch's current-filings monitor. This filing is not part of the 2019 historical archive. For the authoritative full text, drawings, and legal status, see the source links above or consult USPTO records directly.