1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a system and method of containing a fire within a semi-enclosed space.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Fire suppression is an important consideration in mechanical equipment housings. This is especially true with respect to a cooking apparatus, such as an oven, fryer, or griddle. For example, in the field of popcorn machines, fire is a risk because popcorn requires heating corn and oil to produce popcorn. Typically popcorn is prepared in a kettle contained in a cabinet. The kettle contains an electrical heating element which heats the corn and oil to produce popcorn.
In the case of a fire, prior art systems are available to provide power cutoff, but for maximum protection, it is desirable for the fire to be contained within the semi-enclosed space as long as possible to protect a user as well as to provide time to put out the fire. In order to comply with newer safety regulations, the advent of fire must be contained within a certain period of time while fire suppression systems, such as are commercially available from Ansul Incorporated, are activated. The containment of fire within a certain area within a machine is particularly challenging because in a semi-enclosed space, after a fire consumes the available oxygen available within that space, the fire will escape outside the semi-enclosed space in order to seek fresh combustion air to continue the fire. Prior art systems tend to try to reduce the amount of air available, under the theory that a fire cannot continue without more air for combustion. However, given the semi-enclosed nature of such equipment, such prior art systems suffer from the fact that the fire seeks to expand out of the semi-enclosed space to continue the combustion. Unfortunately, this is the same area in which an operator is most likely to be located when trying to control the fire or access controls on the machine to shut off the cooking element. Thus, this tendency of the fire to surge outward is particularly dangerous to any nearby operators, as well as to the nearby surroundings.
Considering these disadvantageous features of prior art systems, there is a need for a fire containment system that intentionally directs fire away from an open side of a semi-enclosed space. There further is a need for a fire containment system that supplies a source of combustion air within the semi-enclosed space to direct the fire toward a rear wall, providing enhanced safety to nearby operators and surroundings, as well as increased time to control and extinguish the fire.
The present invention addresses shortcomings in prior art fire containment systems, while providing the above mentioned desirable features.