FIRE SUPPERSSION SYSTEM WITH ALARM M.Dinakaran ¹, Cha.ArunPrakaash², P.Deepak kumar², S.Manikandaprabhu²,K.Maheswaran² ¹Associate Professor,² UG Students Department of Automobile Engineering, KSR College of Engineering, Tiruchengode-637215. Tamil Nadu, INDIA. arunprakaashap5@gmail.com² Abstract: The recent occurrence rate of car fires is high at 12% of the total number of fire incidents, ranking second only to residential fires. Early extinction of car fires is difficult and car fires can result in complete destruction of the vehicle and significant material damage and loss of life. Various countries including the India are in process of obligating the installation of an automatic extinguishing system to protect against car fires. The automatic extinguishing system applied to automobiles needs to operate when the vehicle is in motion, so research on methods of fire detection is necessary. Therefore, in this study, an automatic extinguishing system structure is proposed for car fires in commercial automobiles. I. INTRODUCTION According to 2011 statistical data on fires compiled by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the occurrence rate of car fires was high, responsible for 12% of the total number of fire incidents, and only out ranked y residential fires. Also, as to the causes of car fires, mechanical causes (302%) are declining with electrical causes (23.7%) are increasing and are predicted to continue to increase. With the fire extinguisher equipped within automobiles law, car fires are virtually impossible to extinguish in the early phases due to flammable substances and engine overheating. Further, it is difficult to extinguish car fires by the dispatch of a fire truck within the golden time, this usually still results in massive material damage and loss of life due to complete destruction of the vehicle. A representative car fire case was the chain collision of 29 automobiles on the Seohae Grand Bridge in October 2006, which resulted in 12 burnt cars. The mandatory installment of automatic extinguishing system in building but their installment in vehicle is not obligatory. However, as car fires continue to increase in frequency, multilateral efforts centered on NEMA are being made to make such installments compulsory through legislation. International and domestic studies on automatic extinguishing systems for automobiles have been conducted on a basic level. Research on automobile related automatic extinguishing systems is being carried out by differentiating policy-related and technical-related studies. Numerous domestic studies are focused on legally mandating automatic automobile extinguishing systems. Also, the subject of technical studies on automatic extinguishing systems has mostly been fixed buildings or smart homes, rather than automobiles. Meanwhile, research overseas is being conducted on automatic extinguishing system that can automatically extinguish car fires. In this study, a system is proposed that can automatically extinguish fires in commercial automobiles. Moreover, the structure and operation method of the automatic extinguishing system have been presented considering the characteristics of commercial vehicles. Lastly, the performance of lab scale equipment simulating the proposed method was evaluated to verify its actual applicability. II. LITERATURE REVIEW & BACKGROUND The FSAI set a strategic goal to reduce by 20 percent the rate of death caused by fire related incidents from the 1998 rate by 2013. Since the Commission s inception, it has been investigating the causes of and damages resulting from residential fires. In recent years, the CPSC has conducted research into vehicle fires. Case work has been done in the fire and security association of India by CPSC field investigators. This background chapter contains information on relevant studies of past vehicle fires, means of detecting and extinguishing these fires, and current attempts to prevent the fires through education and legislation, which will help in formulating recommendations to the CPSC on the issue of vehicle fire safety. III. CLASSES OF FIRE Class A - fires involving solid materials such as wood, paper or textiles. Class B - fires involving flammable liquids such as petrol, diesel or oils.
Class C - fires involving gases. Class D - fires involving metals. Class E - fires involving live electrical apparatus. (Technically Class E doesn t exists however this is used for convenience here) Class F - fires involving cooking oils such as in deep-fat fryers. IV. CAUSES OF FIRE The biggest causes of vehicle fires are fuel (gasoline) related. Types of extinguishers Fuel Related Car Fires. Vehicle Fires due to Electrical Causes. Car Fires Related to the Exhaust System. Car Fires Caused by Petroleum Based Fluids. Fig. 1 types of extinguisher Water extinguishers Water extinguishers are one of the most costeffective ways to fight Class A fires, those fuelled by solid materials such as paper, wood and textiles. There are four different types of water extinguishers: water jet, water spray, water with additives and water mist or fog. Water jet extinguishers work by spraying a jet of water at the burning materials, cooling them and preventing reignition. They should not be used on live electrical equipment. Water extinguishers with additives are water extinguishers with foaming chemicals added. The water loses its natural surface tension meaning that it can soak into the burning materials more effectively. Adding the chemicals to the water means that a smaller extinguisher can produce the same fire rating as a larger, water only, extinguisher. All water extinguishers have a red label. Foam extinguishers Foam fire extinguishers can be used on Class A and B fires. They are most suited to extinguishing liquid fires such as petrol or diesel and are more versatile than water jet extinguishers because they can also be used on solids such as wood and paper. The foam extinguishes liquid fires by sealing the surface of the liquid, preventing flammable vapors reaching the air and starving the fire of fuel. They are not suitable for use on free flowing liquid fires. Foam extinguishers have a cream label. Powder extinguishers Powder extinguishers are a good multi-purpose fire extinguisher because they can be used on Class A, B and C fires. They can also be used on fires involving electrical equipment however; they do not cool the fire so it can re-ignite. Powder extinguishers can also create a loss of visibility and may create breathing problems. They are not generally recommended for use inside buildings unless there is absolutely no alternative. Powder extinguishers have a blue label. Carbon dioxide extinguishers (CO₂) CO₂ extinguishers are ideal for places with a lot of electrical equipment such as offices or server rooms because they are safe to use on fires involving electrical apparatus. Carbon dioxide extinguishers do not leave any residue, unlike a foam extinguisher. They can also be used on Class B fires, those involving flammable liquids such paraffin or petrol. CO₂ extinguishers work by smothering the fire and cutting off the supply of air. Carbon Dioxide Extinguishers (CO₂) have a black label.
Wet chemical extinguishers Wet chemical extinguishers are suitable for use on Class F fires involving cooking oils and fats, such as lard, olive oil, sunflower oil, maize oil and butter. They are extremely effective, when used correctly. The wet chemical rapidly knocks the flames out, cools the burning oil and chemically reacts to form a soap-like solution, sealing the surface and preventing re-ignition and they are primarily designed for use on Class F fires, cooking oils and deep fat fryers. They can also be used on Class A fires (wood, paper and fabrics) and Class B fires (flammable liquids). Wet chemical extinguishers have a yellow label. Fire blankets Fire blankets are primarily for use on hot oil fires such as frying pans or small deep fat fryers. They can also be used on someone whose clothing has caught fire. They work by smothering the fire, stopping access to the oxygen fuelling it and extinguishing it. V. HARDWARE REQUIRED 5.1.Flame sensor There are multiple sources that can detect fire in a vehicle like Ionization detectors it work on the principle that burning materials release many different products of combustion. Sense the presence of invisible charged particles (ions) Small amount of radioactive material. Smoke particles enters the chamber, they neutralize the charged particles and interrupts the current flow. This interruption activates the alarm it is more common & less expensive. React more quickly to fast burning fires. Fumes, dust and steam trigger unwanted alarms. Photoelectric smoke detectors it use a light beam & a photo cell to detect larger visible particles of smoke. Operate by reflecting a light beam, into or away from the photocell, depending on the design. When visible particles reflect in or away from the photocell, the alarm is activated. More responsive to slow-burning or smoldering the fires. Less prone to fumes, dust and steam unwanted alarms. Both types are acceptable life-safety devices. Combination ionization/ photoelectric smoke alarms look very similar to each other. Only way to identify correct type is to read the label on the back of the case. But these devises are not that fast active or that much accurate. As fire can spread to the entire vehicle in nothing more than two minutes or it cannot be approachable in less than one minute it becomes unavoidable that we need a much more modern and effective system that can detect fire in beginning stage. So we use flame detection sensor, Flame Detection Sensor Module is sensitive to the flame, but also can detect ordinary light. Usually used as a flame alarm. Detect a flame or a light source of a wavelength in the range of 760nm-1100 nm. Detection points of about 60 degree, particularly sensitive the flame spectrum. Sensitivity is adjustable, stable performance. So we can detect fire in starting stage. Fig. 2 flame sensor 5.2 Solenoid valve A solenoid valve is an electromechanically operated valve. The valve is controlled by an electric current through a solenoid: in the case of a two-port valve the flow is switched on or off; in the case of a three-port valve, the outflow is switched between the two outlet ports. Multiple solenoid valves can be placed together on a manifold. Solenoid valves are the most frequently used control elements in fluidics. Their tasks are to shut
off, release, dose, distribute or mix fluids. They are found in many application areas. Solenoids offer fast and safe switching, high reliability, long service life, good medium compatibility of the materials used, low control power and compact design. Besides the plunger-type actuator which is used most frequently, pivoted-armature actuators and rocker actuators are also used. Fig. 4 solenoid valve While there are multiple design variants, the following is a detailed breakdown of a typical solenoid valve design. A solenoid valve has two main parts: the solenoid and the valve. The solenoid converts electrical energy into mechanical energy which, in turn, opens or closes the valve mechanically. A direct acting valve has only a small flow circuit, shown within section E of this diagram (this section is mentioned below as a pilot valve). In this example, a diaphragm piloted valve multiplies this small pilot flow, by using it to control the flow through a much larger orifice. Solenoid valves may use metal seals or rubber seals, and may also have electrical interfaces to allow for easy control. A spring may be used to hold the valve opened (normally open) or closed (normally closed) while the valve is not activated. The diagram to the right shows the design of a basic valve, controlling the flow of water in this example. At the top figure is the valve in its closed state. The water under pressure enters at A. B is an elastic diaphragm and above it is a weak spring pushing it down. The diaphragm has a pinhole through its center which allows a very small amount of water to flow through it. This water fills the cavity C on the other side of the diaphragm so that pressure is equal on both sides of the diaphragm; however the compressed spring supplies a net downward force. The spring is weak and is only able to close the inlet because water pressure is equalized on both sides of the diaphragm. Fig. 3 function of solenoid valve A- Input side B- Diaphragm C- Pressure chamber D- Pressure relief passage E- Electro Mechanical Solenoid F- Output side Once the diaphragm closes the valve, the pressure on the outlet side of its bottom is reduced, and the greater pressure above holds it even more firmly closed. Thus, the spring is irrelevant to holding the valve closed. The above all works because the small drain passage D was blocked by a pin which is the armature of the solenoid E and which is pushed down by a spring. If current is passed through the
solenoid, the pin is withdrawn via magnetic force, and the water in chamber C drains out the passage D faster than the pinhole can refill it. The pressure in chamber C drops and the incoming pressure lift the diaphragm, thus opening the main valve. Water now flows directly from A to F. When the solenoid is again deactivated and the passage D is closed again, the spring needs very little force to push the diaphragm down again and the main valve closes. In practice there is often no separate spring; the elastomer diaphragm is molded so that it functions as its own spring, preferring to be in the closed shape. From this explanation it can be seen that this type of valve relies on a differential of pressure between input and output as the pressure at the input must always be greater than the pressure at the output for it to work. The pressure at the output, for any reason, rise above that of the input then the valve would open regardless of the state of the solenoid and pilot valve. Solenoid valve is activated by relay circuit with flame sensor. It generates power to valve to extinguish fire. Flame sensor detect fire and send information to relay that supply power to valve so extinguisher is activate to suppress fire in vehicle. In our application, the liquid is essentially incompressible and of low viscosity, and only The following factors need be considered in sizing a valve CV = Flow factor of valve Q = Flow expressed in U.S. gallon per minute (GPM) P = Pressure drop across the valve (= P1-P2) P1 = Inlet Pressure (psig) P2 = Outlet Pressure (psig) G = Specific Gravity of the fluid (G = 1.0 for water at 16 C (60 F)) These factors are related according to the equation 5.3 Relay module The relay module is a separate hardware device used for remote device switching. With it you can remotely control devices over a network or the Internet. Devices can be remotely powered on or off. You can control computers, peripherals or other powered devices from across the office or across the world. The Relay module can be used to sense external On/Off conditions and to control a variety of external devices. The PC interface connection is made through the serial port. The Relay module houses two SPDT relays and one wide voltage range, optically isolated input. These are brought out to screw-type terminal blocks for easy field wiring. Individual LED s on the front panel monitor the input and two relay lines. The module is powered with an AC adapter. Relays are switches that open and close circuits electromechanically or electronically. Relays control one electrical circuit by opening and closing contacts in another circuit. As relay diagrams show, when a relay contact is normally open (NO), there is an open contact when the relay is not energized. When a relay contact is Normally Closed (NC), there is a closed contact when the relay is not energized. In either case, applying electrical current to the contacts will change their state. Relays are generally used to switch smaller currents in a control circuit and do not usually control power consuming devices except for small motors and Solenoids that draw low amps. Nonetheless, relays can "control" larger voltages and amperes by having an amplifying effect because a small voltage applied to a relays coil can result in a large voltage being switched by the contacts. Fig. 5 relay module
Protective relays can prevent equipment damage by detecting electrical abnormalities, including overcurrent, undercurrent, overloads and reverse currents. In addition, relays are also widely used to switch starting coils, heating elements, pilot lights and audible alarms. Electromechanical Relays Basic parts and functions of electromechanical relays include: Frame: Heavy-duty frame that contains and supports the parts of the relay. Coil: Wire is wound around a metal core. The coil of wire causes an electromagnetic field. Armature: A relays moving part. The armature opens and closes the contacts. An attached spring returns the armature to its original position. Contacts: The conducting part of the switch that makes (closes) or breaks (opens) a circuit. Break: This is the number of separate places or contacts that a switch uses to open or close a single electrical circuit. All contacts are either single break or double break. A single break (SB) contact breaks an electrical circuit in one place, while a double break (DB) contact breaks it in two places. Single break contacts are normally used when switching lower power devices such as indicating lights. Double break contacts are used when switching high-power devices such as solenoids. Pole: This is the number of completely isolated circuits that relays can pass through a switch. A single-pole contact (SP) can carry current through only one circuit at a time. A double-pole contact (DP) can carry current through two isolated circuits simultaneously. The maximum number of poles is 12, depending upon a relays design. Throw: This is the number of closed contact positions per pole that are available on a switch. A switch with a single throw contact can control only one circuit, while a double-throw contact can control two. 5.4 Buzzer A buzzer or beeper is an audio signaling device, which may be mechanical, electromechanical, or piezoelectric (piezo for short). Typical uses of buzzers and beepers include alarm devices, timers, and confirmation of user input such as a mouse click or keystroke. Electromechanical Early devices were based on an electromechanical system identical to an electric bell without the metal gong. Similarly, a relay may be connected to interrupt its own actuating current, causing the contacts to buzz. Often these units were anchored to a wall or ceiling to use it as a sounding board. The word "buzzer" comes from the rasping noise that electromechanical buzzers made. 5.5.Solenoid control circuit Fig. 6 control circuit Working As per the circuit diagram sensor, relay module, buzzer and batteries are connected. Solenoid valve is connected in co₂ extinguisher then the pipe is connected to solenoid valve. When fire or flame occurs sensor sense that and transmit that signal to relay module, relay switched the way path (NC to NO) of current so it activate the solenoid valve then the gas co₂ is released from extinguisher to suppression the fire. This whole process is done within 3 second so it is very useful for fire suppression in vehicle it can save passenger from injuries and dead. VI. ASSESSMENT The firefighting system can detect fire in 2 meter, so it has to be used in a vehicle to detect the position of the fire. So a single unit with four sensors is enough to cover a whole vehicle. It is
enough for a car to be protected. This system can be used not only for vehicle but also for industrial domestic and commercial purpose. Structures like large heavy vehicle would require more than one unit. Normally the standard length of a car is average 4 meters. So for a 4 meters length vehicle we have calculated that we need 1 firefighting system with four flame sensors and CO₂ extinguisher. The amount of the system is low in compare to other fire extinguisher. 6.1 Cost The cost of our project is more than a normal extinguisher. By a survey it is proved that by using fire extinguisher the safety of the people are increasing but at the same time the price of the fire extinguisher are also increased at the same rate. In compare to that fire suppression system our automatic fire extinguisher system is not costlier. So it is more profitable than any other fire extinguisher. 6.2 Safety: The firefighting system is automated. So it can works automatically, no one has to operate the system or use it at risky position when fire hazard occurs. So it is too much safe in compare with other fire extinguisher. We know that firefighting is a very risky occupation. Many people are becoming injured by using fire extinguisher, but automated firefighting system can ensure us a safe environment without destroying anyone s life VII. CONCLUSION In our daily life, whether it s a vehicle or domestic, the most common and fatal accidents occurred are due to fire. This results in both human loss and property loss. Fires claim the lives of innocent people around the world every single day. A small amount of fire is able to damage a huge part of a society. Although smoke detectors and fire alarms alert people of danger, they often have few choices other than escaping from a building and calling the fire department. Although waiting for fire fighters to rescue people may not always be the best choice. The modern day home and business should be equipped with at least one fire extinguisher. Using modern fire extinguisher is not so easy and only a professional user can use it. Firefighting is a highly technical profession which needs a lot of training and education to become a professional. So using a fire extinguisher is not at all suitable for people s residence. For those purpose automated firefighting system will be the best choice. In this study, a system that automatically extinguishing fires in commercial automobiles was proposed. The structure and the operational method of the automatic extinguishing system were proposed considering the characteristics of commercial vehicles. Lab scale simulation of the proposed method was employed to determine its performance: the following conclusions were obtained. However, the performance of the automatic extinguishing system proposed in this study was assessed only in lab environment. Thus, research on product testing and a mass production design process for commercialization is necessary. Furthermore, study on fire extinguishing medium or extinguishing method that does not affect the engine parts is necessary in order to resolve the issue of completely replacing automobile engine par VIII. REFERANCE [1] Anis Ahmed & Ruma Paul "More than 100 die in garment factory fire, the deadliest in Bangladesh's history". The Christian Science Monitor. Archived from the original on 25 November 2012.Retrived 3 may 2013 [2] A. Bardshaw, The UK security and firefighting advanced robot project, in IEE Coll. on Advanced Robotic Initiatives in the UK, London,UK, 1991. [3] Shafkat Hossain (9 April 2014). Fire detection two Source http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9pyn0v5daa [4] Solenoid valve for processing applications, www.omega.com