Abstract: A fire suppression valve for use with a cannister of fire suppression material. The valve has a housing with a central connection for attachment to the cannister and communicating with a central chamber. The central chamber has a relatively smaller outlet port on one side and diametrically opposite thereto a concentric and relatively larger piston port. A two-stage piston operates inside the central chamber to control access to the outlet port. In the closed position, the pressure of the fire suppression material serves to bias the two-stage piston toward the open position. The two-stage piston is oriented along an axis that is angled with respect to the orientation of the central connection, to thereby minimize the amount of vertical space required by the valve maximize cannister size for a given space limitation.

Abstract: A fire suppression valve for use with a cannister of fire suppression material. The valve has a safety shuttle valve located in a discharge port for preventing unintended discharge of fire suppression material in the absence of connection to a discharge hose. The shuttle valve has an actuating surface and a body portion with shuttle ports. An outside end of the body portion projects into an outlet connection sized to receive the discharge hose. When the hose is connected, it abuts the outside end to support the shuttle valve in an open position. When the hose is removed, the shuttle valve is free to slide to a closed position, in which the actuating surface substantially blocks the discharge port. Accordingly, when the valve is triggered without an attached hose, the pressurized suppression material pushes against the actuating surface to move the shuttle valve to the closed position.

Abstract: A nozzle unit for discharging and atomizing a fire or explosion suppressant comprises a rigid-walled cylindrical container having a nozzle portion at one end with radially directed discharge orifices. A rupturable barrier normally blocks the nozzle portion from the interior of the container. At the other end of the container, a piston is positioned so as to be sealingly slidable along the container in response to pressure generated by a gas pressure generator. The moving piston pressurizes the suppressant agent within the hollow interior until the rupturable barrier bursts. The suppresessant agent is accelerated substantially instantaneously and discharged in atomised form through the discharge orifices. The gas pressure generator may be a pyrotechnic gas generator. The arrangement is such that the pressurizing gas does not come into contact with the suppressant agent.