JP7828492B2 - Fire extinguishing system - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a fire extinguishing system using a foam fire extinguishing device.

For example, in buildings under construction, it is common for temporary material storage areas and waste material storage areas known as industrial waste yards to be set up. In the following explanation, such storage areas will be collectively referred to as material storage areas. There have been actual cases of fires occurring in temporary material storage areas set up during construction, and there is growing interest in disaster prevention measures for such material storage areas.

Material storage areas during the construction of a building do not necessarily have to be indoors; they may be set up in temporary outdoor locations, for example. Possible causes of fires in material storage areas include arson and careless handling of ignition sources during construction work.

As an example of conventional technology for detecting arson, there is the following arson detection system (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The system described in Patent Document 1 includes a flame sensor having a flame detection unit, a human body sensor having a human body detection unit, a sensitivity setting unit that sets the sensitivity of the flame detection unit, a transmitter that transmits an intrusion signal when the human body detection unit detects a human body, and a receiver that receives the intrusion signal.

The system described in Patent Document 1 controls the sensitivity setting unit to switch to high sensitivity when an intrusion signal is received. If a flame is detected by the flame sensor, a fire signal is wirelessly transmitted to the receiver. The receiver, having received the fire signal and the intrusion signal, determines that arson has occurred and transfers the arson signal to a mobile device.

As a result, even if the device is installed outdoors with the sensitivity normally set to low, false alarms caused by sunlight and other factors are reduced, and the manager carrying the mobile device is quickly notified that a fire has been detected.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-303093

However, the conventional techniques have the following problems.
As mentioned above, the material storage area for a building under construction may be set up in a temporary outdoor location, and once construction work is completed, the material storage area will be removed or moved, eliminating the need for fire detection at the original temporary location. Therefore, unlike in the case of continuous fire monitoring in a normal building, it is important that the system has a simple configuration that allows for easy installation and removal.

Furthermore, even if the fire monitoring target is a temporary installation, if a fire breaks out in a place such as the materials storage area of a building under construction as mentioned above, it could result in significant losses in terms of money and construction time. Therefore, there is a strong desire to establish a fire extinguishing system that is configured to more reliably extinguish fires in material storage areas.

However, the system described in Patent Document 1 does not specifically disclose how to extinguish a fire after it has occurred.

This disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a fire extinguishing system with a simple configuration suitable for extinguishing fires that occur in monitored areas.

The fire extinguishing system disclosed herein is a fire extinguishing system that includes a foam fire extinguishing device that extinguishes fires by releasing foam toward a target being monitored for the occurrence of a fire, and a damming means that is higher than the height of the target being monitored and is installed around the target being monitored to prevent the foam from flowing outside the periphery, and the foam fire extinguishing device is installed at a position higher than the damming means.
In addition, the fire extinguishing system disclosed herein comprises a box-shaped container that is temporarily installed outdoors and serves as a material storage area for storing materials for disposal, a foam fire extinguishing device that is installed in a position such that foam enters the container when foam is released, and a damming means that is installed around the container, so that the foam released into the container remains inside the damming means.

This disclosure provides a fire extinguishing system with a simple configuration suitable for extinguishing fires that occur in monitored locations.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of a fire extinguishing system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific configuration of a damming means according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the fire extinguishing system of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.
The fire extinguishing system disclosed herein has a technical feature that, when using a foam fire extinguishing device to extinguish a fire at a monitored object such as a material storage area, a simple damming means is provided around the monitored object, and the foam remains inside the damming means, thereby improving the fire extinguishing efficiency of the monitored object.

Embodiment 1.
FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a fire extinguishing system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 illustrates a case in which a material storage yard 1 temporarily installed outdoors during the construction of a building is targeted for fire monitoring. A typical example of the material storage yard 1 is an industrial waste yard installed outdoors of a building under construction to store materials for disposal. Here, the industrial waste yard is sometimes called an industrial waste container, and is composed of a box-shaped container that may also store waste generated during construction work, in addition to materials.

The fire extinguishing system of this embodiment 1 shown in Figure 1 includes a structure 10, a smoke detector 20, a foam fire extinguishing device 30, a controller 40, and a damming means 50.

The structure 10 comprises a roof 11 that can be temporarily installed above the material storage area 1, and supports 12 that support the roof 11; what is commonly called a pipe tent can be used. The roof 11 can also be configured with a hanging wall (not shown) added to the end of the roof 11 as a smoke-retaining shape to retain smoke generated in the material storage area 1.

During the construction of a building, a structure 10 having a roof 11 can be easily temporarily installed using supports 12 on a material storage area 1 that has been temporarily installed outdoors. By temporarily installing such a structure, smoke generated in the material storage area 1 moves upward and remains on the roof 11. Here, "temporarily installing a structure" means that the structure can be assembled easily and in a short amount of time, and after use has finished, the structure can be easily dismantled and returned to its original, empty state.

A smoke detector 20 is installed on the roof 11 as a fire detector that outputs a fire signal when it detects smoke in the monitored material storage area 1. The smoke detector 20 may be, for example, a spot-type smoke detector with multi-level sensitivity adjustment. This spot-type smoke detector 20 is dust-resistant, and can reduce false detections caused by dust even when installed outdoors.

Although not shown in the figure, a highly sensitive smoke detector can also be used, which outputs a fire signal when it detects the occurrence of smoke in the monitored material storage area 1. A highly sensitive smoke detector can be a type that uses a sampling pipe with multiple sampling holes, for example, to constantly draw in air stagnating in the roof area through the multiple sampling holes and optically monitor the ambient air in the entire area.

Although this high-sensitivity smoke detector is not as resistant to dust as smoke detector 20, it has a wider sensitivity setting range than smoke detector 20 and can be set to detect smoke with higher sensitivity than smoke detector 20. However, when used at high sensitivity, there are more false positives, especially when used outdoors, so it is recommended to use the high-sensitivity smoke detector with a sensitivity set slightly higher than that of the low-sensitivity smoke detector 20 (class 3 sensitivity).

Therefore, smoke generated in the material storage area 1 can be detected with a minimal configuration in which the smoke detector 20 is installed on the roof 11. Furthermore, by combining the smoke detector 20 with a high-sensitivity smoke detector and configuring it so that smoke is detected when both the smoke detector 20 and the high-sensitivity smoke detector are activated, it is possible to achieve dust-resistant and highly accurate smoke detection. Furthermore, the fire detector may not only be a smoke detector, but also a flame detector, such as an infrared three-wavelength flame detector or other detection means.

The configuration in Figure 1 illustrates a case in which a foam fire extinguishing device 30, which extinguishes fires by discharging foam toward the material storage area 1 that is the monitored object, is installed on the controller 40. The foam fire extinguishing device 30 is a device that discharges foam to extinguish fires that have occurred within the protected area (i.e., within the monitored area). It is desirable to discharge high-expansion foam with a high foaming ratio.

To explain the foam fire extinguishing device 30 in more detail, the foam fire extinguishing device 30 is installed at a higher position than the damming means 50 using a mounting base (not shown), and is installed in a position such that when foam is released, the foam enters the box-shaped container that makes up the material storage area 1.

Note that while Figure 1 only shows the portion that releases foam, a foam solution made by mixing foam concentrate and water is supplied to the foam fire extinguishing device 30 via a pump through piping. When the pump is started, the supplied foam solution is directed toward a foam net (not shown) installed at the tip of the device, and foam is continuously released from the foam net.

In this case, instead of a pump, a gas cylinder such as nitrogen can be used as a means for supplying the foam solution to the foam fire extinguishing device 30, and the foam solution can be supplied using the pressure inside the gas cylinder. Using a gas cylinder is more efficient in terms of installation and removal at construction sites. Furthermore, since commercial power is often not available for buildings under construction, it is preferable to use a gas cylinder as a supply means, as it can supply the foam solution without the need for a power source.

The foam fire extinguishing system 30 is not limited to being installed as shown in Figure 1. For example, if the material storage area 1 is located adjacent to the wall of a building, the foam fire extinguishing system 30 can be installed on that wall. In this case, the aforementioned pumps, gas cylinders, etc. that make up part of the foam fire extinguishing system 30 are installed inside the building under construction, and the foam fire extinguishing system 30 can be installed using the building's framework, ensuring stable installation of the system.

The controller 40 controls the foam fire extinguishing system 30 based on the fire signal output from the smoke detector 20. Specifically, when the smoke detector 20 is activated and the controller 40 receives a fire signal output from the smoke detector 20, it outputs a foam release command to the foam fire extinguishing system 30 (including the pump), causing foam to be released toward the material storage area 1.

When the controller 40 receives a fire signal output from the smoke detector 20, it can execute an alarm process to notify the user that a fire has occurred. Here, the alarm process refers to activating an alarm device, such as a buzzer (not shown), to notify the user of the possibility of a fire.

Furthermore, the fire extinguishing system according to this embodiment 1 has a technical feature in that it is provided with a damming means 50 to increase the efficiency of extinguishing a fire that has broken out in the material storage area 1 using the foam released from the foam fire extinguishing device 30. Therefore, the damming means 50 will be described in detail using Figure 2.

Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the specific configuration of the damming means 50 in embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. Figure 2(A) is a cross-sectional view illustrating the positional relationship between the material storage yard 1 and the damming means 50. Figure 2(B) is a top view illustrating the positional relationship between the material storage yard 1 and the damming means 50.

As shown in Figure 2(A), the damming means 50 has a height H1 that is higher than the height H2 of the material storage area 1 that is the object of monitoring. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2(B), the damming means 50 is installed around the material storage area 1 that is the object of monitoring. The reason for setting H1 > H2 is that there is a risk that the material placed in material storage area 1 may protrude higher than the height H2 of material storage area 1.

By providing the damming means 50 with this height relationship, the foam released from the foam fire extinguishing device 30 toward the material storage area 1 enters and accumulates within the box-shaped container that makes up the material storage area 1. The foam that overflows from the container then spreads outward, but is prevented from flowing outside the damming means 50, and the materials placed in the material storage area 1 can be covered with foam.

In other words, by providing the damming means 50, the foam released into the material storage area 1 remains inside the damming means 50, making it possible to more effectively cover a fire that breaks out in the material storage area 1 with foam in a shorter time, thereby improving fire extinguishing efficiency. Because the height of the damming means 50 is higher than the material storage area 1, even if materials such as wood protrude from the top surface of the material storage area 1, as long as the materials are lower than the height of the damming means 50, the material storage area 1 will be completely filled with the accumulated foam, and the fire will be extinguished by suffocation.

The damming means 50 can be made of various materials capable of blocking foam, such as metal, steel plate, sheet material, and resin material. Materials other than mesh can also be used as the damming means 50, as long as they are capable of blocking foam. If the foam released from the foam extinguishing device 30 is high-expansion foam, a damming means 50 with openings, such as wire mesh, can adequately block the foam. When steel plate is used as the damming means 50, it is possible to block even low-expansion foam.

Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2 (B), a door 51 is provided as a structure that can be opened and closed on part of the damming means 50. By opening the door 51, it is possible to easily transport materials to and remove materials from the material storage area 1.

Figure 2(B) also illustrates an example in which the damming means 50 arranged around the material storage area 1 are installed at positions distances W1 to W4 from the material storage area 1. The greater the distance W, the larger the space between the material storage area 1 and the damming means 50, and the longer it takes for foam to build up. As a result, the longer it takes for foam to build up at the material storage area 1, which may delay fire extinguishing.

On the other hand, from the perspective of the work of transporting materials to and removing materials from material storage area 1, distance W must be the minimum distance necessary to carry out the work efficiently. Therefore, considering the trade-off between the speed of fire extinguishing and improved work efficiency, it is desirable to provide damming means 50 for material storage area 1 so that distances W1 to W4 are each in the range of 0.3 m to 1.0 m.

Note that if one of the sides of material storage yard 1 is positioned adjacent to a building wall or the like, distance W will be close to 0 m for that adjacent side. In other words, it is not necessary to set distance W in the range of 0.3 m to 1.0 m on all sides of material storage yard 1, but it is desirable to set distance W in the range of 0.3 m to 1.0 m on the side where workers access material storage yard 1 to allow for easy passage of people.

In other words, as long as there is a distance W to the damming means 50 only on the front side of the material storage area 1, where the door 51 serving as an opening and closing means is located, and materials, waste garbage, etc. can be loaded and unloaded into the material storage area 1, the distance W to the damming means 50 on the side and back sides of the material storage area 1 can be 0 m.

The damming means 50 described using Figure 2 can be assembled easily and quickly, and after use can be easily disassembled and returned to its original empty state, making it a suitable structure for temporary installation.

The effects of the fire extinguishing system according to the first embodiment described above can be summarized as follows.
<Effect 1: Improved fire extinguishing efficiency with foam>
The minimum configuration is to provide a damming means around the monitored object that is higher than the monitored object, and to ensure that foam released toward the monitored object remains inside the damming means. As a result, the monitored object can be covered with foam in a shorter time, suppressing the spread of smoke and improving fire extinguishing efficiency. In addition, by minimizing the spread of smoke outside the fire extinguishing area, it is possible to achieve the effect of facilitating fire response and evacuation activities.

When extinguishing a fire by spraying water, the water spreads beyond the area being monitored, which can make rapid extinguishing impossible depending on the fire situation, such as an oil fire, and can require large amounts of water. In contrast, the fire extinguishing system of this embodiment 1 is equipped with a configuration that combines a foam fire extinguishing device with a damming means, improving the fire extinguishing efficiency of the foam fire extinguishing device and ensuring that fires in the material storage yard, whether they are ordinary fires or oil fires, can be extinguished quickly.

<Effect 2: Achieving both rapid fire extinguishing and improved work efficiency>
By providing a gap of 0.3 m to 1.0 m between the damming means installed around the monitored object and the monitored object, it is possible to achieve both rapid fire extinguishing and improved work efficiency. Also, it is not necessary to provide gaps all around the perimeter; it is sufficient to set the distance from the surface where workers access the material storage area 1 to be within the range of 0.3 m to 1.0 m. Furthermore, providing an openable door on part of the damming means makes it easier to carry in and remove the material.

<Effect 3: Linking with sensors>
Foam fire extinguishing devices may be manually operated, but by linking them with smoke detectors, etc., foam fire extinguishing operations can be automated without human intervention.

In particular, at construction sites, it is conceivable that a material storage area will be temporarily set up outdoors or in a location with a high ceiling. It is also conceivable that the location of the material storage area will be moved depending on the progress of the construction. In this case, the structure 10 and the damming means 50 can be dismantled, and then reassembled and temporarily set up in accordance with the new location. Therefore, it is possible to easily provide a fire extinguishing system suitable for construction sites and the like.

The placement of the smoke detector 20 and the foam fire extinguishing device 30 is not limited to the layout shown in Figure 1. The smoke detector 20 can be placed in any desired location suitable for detecting smoke generated by the monitored object or temperatures above a threshold. The foam fire extinguishing device 30 can be placed in any desired location suitable for foam fire extinguishing, depending on the size, height, installation location, etc. of the monitored object.

Furthermore, in the above-mentioned first embodiment, a material storage area during the construction of a building was described as a specific example of a "target to be monitored for the occurrence of a fire," but the "target to be monitored for the occurrence of a fire" in this application is not limited to such a material storage area at a construction site. For example, a material storage area other than a construction site, an area at an outdoor event where fires should be monitored, or other monitored targets to which a configuration combining a foam fire extinguishing system and a damming means can be applied are included in the "target to be monitored for the occurrence of a fire" in this application.

Although the above explanation assumes that the material storage area is located outdoors, outside a building under construction, this embodiment can also be applied to indoor storage areas. Indoors, buildings under construction may not have smoke exhaust systems and may be exposed to smoke. To address this issue, the foam fire extinguishing device of the present invention can be installed as an easily installable and removable fire extinguishing device for indoor use.

In the examples, the material storage area is, as an example, composed of a box-shaped container, and foam is poured into the container from the foam fire extinguishing system. However, if there is a large amount of materials or waste and they cannot fit inside the container, they may be placed at the front of the container. In such cases, if materials outside the container ignite and a fire breaks out, it is preferable to release foam between the material storage area and the damming means rather than pouring foam into the container from the foam fire extinguishing system. For this reason, the foam fire extinguishing system may be provided with a deflector mechanism that can manually switch the direction of foam release, allowing foam to be selectively released either into the container or outside the container.

1 Material storage area, 10 Structure, 11 Roof section, 12 Support, 20 Smoke detector, 30 Foam fire extinguishing device, 40 Controller, 50 Damming means, 51 Door.

Claims (4)

A foam fire extinguishing device that extinguishes a fire by releasing foam toward a target where a fire has occurred;
a damming means that is provided higher than the height of the monitored object and around the monitored object, and that prevents the foam from flowing out beyond the periphery,
A fire extinguishing system, wherein the foam fire extinguishing device is installed at a position higher than the damming means. A box-shaped container that is temporarily installed outdoors and forms a material storage area for storing materials for disposal;
a foam fire extinguishing device that is installed at a position where foam enters the container when foam is discharged;
and a damming means provided around the container,
A fire extinguishing system in which foam discharged into the container remains inside the damming means. a roof portion that can be temporarily installed above the container;
and a support pillar supporting the roof portion,
The fire extinguishing system according to claim 2, further comprising a fire detector installed on the roof that outputs a fire signal when it detects smoke in a container that is a monitored object. 4. The fire extinguishing system according to claim 2 or 3, wherein a gas cylinder is used as a means for supplying the foam water solution to the foam fire extinguishing device, and the foam water solution is supplied to the foam fire extinguishing device by pressure within the gas cylinder.