Fire protection systems and methods using fire protection devices installed in pipe fittings with an internally housed seal member

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11872425-B2
Application number	US-202217915291-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 17, 2022
Priority date	Feb 17, 2021
Publication date	Jan 16, 2024
Grant date	Jan 16, 2024

Abstract

Fire protection systems and methods having piping interconnections for connecting afire protection device to a fluid source. The piping interconnections include a branch connector connected to a pipe header. The branch connector includes a tubular member and an internal annular seal member housed in an internal gasket chamber of the tubular member. The tubular member includes an internal stepless surface between a terminal end of the tubular member and the internal gasket chamber.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fire protection system, comprising:
a pipe header having internal fluid passageway extending along a longitudinal axis, the pipe header having an opening formed therein radially about the longitudinal axis;
a branch connector including a unitary tubular member having a first terminal end, and a second terminal end spaced from the first terminal end, the unitary tubular member including an internal gasket chamber surface between the first terminal end and the second terminal end with a single annular seal member housed in the tubular member and supported therein by the internal gasket chamber surface, an internally threaded surface between the gasket chamber surface and the second terminal end, and an internal stepless surface extending from the first terminal end to the internal gasket chamber surface, the first terminal end being welded about the opening in the pipe header with the stepless surface in fluid communication with the internal fluid passageway of the pipe header; and
a fire protection device comprising a frame having a frame body with a frame inlet, a frame outlet and a frame internal passageway extending from the frame inlet to the frame outlet along a device axis, the frame body being in a threaded engagement with the internally threaded surface of the tubular member to compress the annular seal member and establish the frame internal passageway of the fire protection device in fluid communication with the fluid passageway of the pipe header;
wherein the first terminal end and the second terminal end are axially spaced and coaxially aligned along a central axis with each of the stepless surface, the internal gasket chamber surface and internally threaded surface being circumscribed about the central axis, the stepless surface including a first segment and a second segment, the second segment being contiguous with and between each of the first segment and the internal gasket chamber surface, the first segment of the stepless surface extending parallel to the central axis to define a constant internal diameter about the central axis and the second segment of the stepless surface being skewed at a constant slope with respect to the central axis to define a decreasing diameter about the central axis from the first segment to the internal gasket chamber surface.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the internal gasket chamber surface includes a backstop surface for sealing engagement with the annular seal member, the backstop surface being a planar surface circumscribed about and perpendicular to the central axis of the tubular member, the second segment of the stepless surface terminating contiguously with the backstop surface.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the internal gasket chamber surface includes a first restriction defining a first internal diameter of the tubular member; a second restriction axially spaced from the first restriction, the second restriction defining a second internal diameter of the tubular member, the first and second restriction engaging a peripheral surface of the annular seal member to support the annular member; and a relief wall between the first restriction and the second restriction, the relief wall defining a third internal diameter of the tubular member greater than the first and second internal diameters.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein each of the first internal diameter of the first restriction and the second internal diameter of the second restriction is less than an outer gasket diameter defined by the peripheral surface of the annular seal member in an unloaded state of the annular seal member.

5. The system of claim 3 , wherein the relief wall is defined by a plurality of adjacent planar surfaces of the gasket chamber surface, the plurality of adjacent surfaces circumscribed about the central axis including a central surface extending axially parallel to the central axis and a pair of skewed surfaces disposed about the central surface and skewed with respect to the central axis.

6. The system of claim 3 , wherein the first restriction includes a first portion disposed perpendicular to the central axis and a second portion adjacent and contiguous with the backstop surface, the second portion of the first restriction being skewed with respect to the central axis.

7. The system of claim 2 , wherein the stepless surface defines a minimum internal diameter of the tubular member and the fire protection device engages the annular seal member to load the seal member against the backstop surface in a sealed engagement with an inner gasket diameter of the annular seal member being greater than the minimum internal diameter.

8. A fire protection system, comprising:
a pipe header having internal fluid passageway extending along a longitudinal axis, the pipe header having an opening formed therein radially about the longitudinal axis;
a branch connector including a unitary tubular member having a first terminal end, and a second terminal end spaced from the first terminal end, the unitary tubular member including an internal gasket chamber surface between the first terminal end and the second terminal end with a single annular seal member housed in the tubular member and supported therein by the internal gasket chamber surface, an internally threaded surface between the gasket chamber surface and the second terminal end, and an internal stepless surface extending from the first terminal end to the internal gasket chamber surface, the first terminal end being welded about the opening in the pipe header with the stepless surface in fluid communication with the internal fluid passageway of the pipe header; and
a fire protection device comprising a frame having a frame body with a frame inlet, a frame outlet and a frame internal passageway extending from the frame inlet to the frame outlet along a device axis, the frame body being in a threaded engagement with the internally threaded surface of the tubular member to compress the annular seal member and establish the frame internal passageway of the fire protection device in fluid communication with the fluid passageway of the pipe header;
wherein the fire protection device includes a fluid deflection member coupled to the frame and a protective cap disposed over the fluid deflection member, the protective cap includes an internal surface for engaging and gripping the frame and an external surface for applying a torque to the protective cap to thread in the fire protection device into engagement with the internally threaded surface of the tubular member, the internal surface preventing relative rotation between the protective cap and the fire protection device.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the internally threaded surface is defined by a straight pipe thread.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the fire protection device includes an external tapered thread for engagement with the straight pipe thread.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the tapered thread of the fire protection device is of a nominal size ranging from 1 inch to 1½ inch and the tubular member defines a length from the first terminal end to the second terminal end that ranges from 1 inch to 1½ inches and the stepless surface defines a minimum internal diameter of the tubular member that is 5-25% greater than the nominal size of the tapered thread.

12. The system of claim 8 , wherein the annular seal member has a first end seal surface, a second end seal surface, an overall seal member height defined from the first end seal surface to the second seal end surface, an inner surface and a peripheral surface extending between the first and second end seal surfaces of the annular seal member, the peripheral surfac

Assignees

• Minimax Viking Res & Dev Gmbh

Inventors

• Feenstra Shawn J
• Pleyte Gary William
• Scheffers Derek John

Classifications

• F16L15/003

  with sealing rings · CPC title

• A62C31/28 Primary

  Accessories for delivery devices, e.g. supports · CPC title

• A62C31/02 Primary

  Nozzles specially adapted for fire-extinguishing · CPC title

• A62C37/11

  heat-sensitive · CPC title

• A62C35/68

  Details, e.g. of pipes or valve systems (valves in general F16K) · CPC title