J07-0011P-WO PCT

Pulverizing device, its use and corresponding method for downwards oriented spreading of a physical agent

Field of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a pulverizing device for downwards oriented spreading of a physical agent, the use of said pulverizing device and a method for downwards oriented spreading a physical agent using such a pulverizing device.

Background of the invention

[0002] A quick, even pulverized spreading of an agent has long been an issue in several fields of activity. Some of these fields are firefϊghting, explosive prevention, localization and confinement of toxic chemicals or radioactive material, cleaning of oil spreads on water surfaces, heat protection, camouflage or crowd/ terrorist control. A common problem has been that in order to ensure a proper effect and to achieve a sufficiently even coverage, very often a much larger amount of agent has been used. Obviously this leads to a significant amount of waste of the agent. Even though in many cases the price of the agent is negligible, the time and cost to produce, deliver, prepare for use and distribution of it is significant. Thus the use of unnecessary excessive amounts of agent just to ensure that the entire area is covered with at least some of the agent leads to serious disadvantages. Not only significant amounts of the agent are wasted, but in many cases an excess of said agent may cause further damages.

[0003] For example if some sort of decontaminant needs to be spread evenly on a large surface, if one uses classical means for said spreading there is a constant danger that either spots are missed, or if this is avoided by an excess of agent, some areas might be overdosed. If used in large amounts even weak chemicals might cause serious damages. Additionally, some decontaminants can be very expensive, so an optimal use is cost-critical.

[0004] A further example is firefighting, where usually a larger amount of agent, i.e. water, foam, etc., is spread in order to ensure that the entire burning surface is covered and no spots are missed. However, the effectiveness of the water usage can be as low as 1%. A side effect of this is that in many cases, even though the fire is successfully extinguished, the affected property (building, vehicle, etc) is completely soaked and a significant part of the damage is caused by the fire extinguishing agent itself. It has been reported numerous times that even if a burning building has been relatively quickly extinguished, it had to be demolished since the excess water has weakened the structure of the building, making it unsafe. A further danger firefighters have to face is electrocution. It is statistically proven that a very high percentage of all fires are caused by electricity. However, firefighters often can not intervene due to the high risk of electrocution. Often critical time is lost until the area is disconnected from all power sources.

[0005] In case of forest fires and such extended areas, the vast surface that needs to be covered with a fire extinguishing agent makes the waste of these agents even more severe. Since very often forest fires occur in remote and/or dry areas the mere task of providing sufficient amount of fire extinguishing agent, quite often water, is difficult or even impossible. Thus the efficient use of the resources available is essential.

[0006] An other field where a very thin but even coverage is a requirement is the confinement/ treatment of water pollution such as oil spills. Confinement and treatment of water contamination usually involves large surfaces of open water which need to be treated fast and thorough. There are two stages of such disaster relief efforts: confinement and treatment. In first step the pollution has to be somehow confined in order to prevent the contamination of further areas. In a second stage, the area affected has to be treated. The even spreading of an agent has to be done for both stages but comes into play essentially in the second stage when some sort of biosorbent has to be spread on the contaminated water surface. An even coverage of the surface with such biosorbents will ensure a proper decontamination of the area allowing a quick recovery of the local ecosystem. However, an exaggerated use of these biosorbents by excessive coverage can cause even more damage to the ecosystem heavily affecting the quality of water and the natural habitat. Furthermore, the price of these agents and the high amount needed to cover extended surfaces ask for an effective and precise method for spreading said agent that can minimize the amount needed but at the same time ensure that the entire surface is covered.

[0007] In crowd control, a quick but controlled deployment of smoke, tear gas, pepper spray, sticky foam, or other incapacitants is essential. At the same time an overdose, i.e. an inadequate concentration of these agents might cause serious injuries causing legal issues.

[0008] A special field of pulverized spreading of an agent is the suspended method, when a pulverizing device is suspended vertically above the surface to be pulverized. The pulverizing device is usually suspended from an aircraft like small or medium sized airplanes or helicopters or alternatively from cranes or other land-based support structures. However, the suspension from an aircraft is the preferred method due to its mobility and fast deployment capabilities. Depending on the type and area of the surface to be treated, the pulverizing device is suspended at different heights above the surface. This suspended method proved to be very helpful but presents great challenges not fully solved in the prior art. Due to the fact that the pulverizing device is suspended sometimes at relatively great heights (to ensure the safety of the aircraft carrying the pulverizing device) there is an inadvertent risk of considerable amounts of agents to be lost due to high winds or currents carrying the agent away from the surface to be pulverized. This is of major concern in forest firefighting for example which are quite often accompanied by high winds that often blow away considerable amounts of fire extinguishing materials. Furthermore, in many cases, the great heat generated by a forest fire causes a complete evaporation of the fire extinguishing material before reaching the source of the fire, thus making such efforts useless in extinguishing the fire. Since forest fires generate great amounts of heat even far above the forest height, the aircrafts carrying such extinguishing devices often need to fly very high above the forest making the above-mentioned problem even worse.

[0009] The objective of the present invention is thus to provide a suspendable pulverizing device and a corresponding method which enable a quick but uniform distribution of a physical agent while at the same time minimizing the amount of agent required without compromising the uniformity of the coverage.

[0010] A further object of the present invention is to provide a pulverizing device that allows an efficient and uniform coverage even when deployed as suspended at great heights above the surface to be covered.

[0011] A further object of the present invention is to provide a pulverizing device that is easy and cheap to produce, with high versatility suitable for spreading a wide range of agents in an effective manner.

[0012] An even further objective is to provide a pulverizing device that is easy to use and which is at the same time also reusable to minimize cost and waste.

[0013] A further objective of the present invention is to provide a pulverizing device that is scalable and customizable for specific deployment areas. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0014] The above-identified objects are solved by the present invention by a pulverizing device for downwards oriented spreading of a physical agent comprising multiple dispersing device units in a lateral side-by-side arrangement, each of these dispersing device units comprising an individually activateable igniter which will in turn trigger a detonating explosive of the respective dispersing device unit providing for a transformation of a pressure wave created by a detonating explosive when triggered into a pressure wave travelling through the physical agent to be spread and a mixing of exhaust by-products created by said detonating explosive when triggered with the physical agent and also providing for a pulse pulverization of said physical agent upon release of said physical agent through a release portion of said device.

[0015] A combined effect of

- a mixing of exhaust by-products created by said detonating explosive when activated with the physical agent,

- said pulse pulverization of said physical agent upon release

- and of the transformation of a pressure wave created by said weak detonating explosive when activated into a pressure wave travelling through said physical agent together create a so-called gas dispersive pressure vortex that ensures a universal, effective pulverization on long distances, large areas and high volumes of the various agents.

[0016] According to the present invention, said physical agent can be any one or a combination of the following: different liquids, gelatin, dictilate plastic, dense solutions, viscous materials, powders, sand or other granular material, snow, foam, dry or wet fire extinguisher chemicals, biosorbents, incapacitants, radioactivity neutralizing particles, etc.

[0017] Further advantageous embodiments of the present invention are defined in dependent claims 2 to 12. [0018] The pulverizing device of the present invention, by employing one of the above-enlisted agents finds its use in various fields according to use claims 13 to 20.

[0019] Said objectives of the present invention are further solved by a method for downwards oriented spreading of a physical agent wherein: a pulverizing device comprising multiple dispersing device units is provided; a receptacle of each dispersing device unit is filled with a physical agent; a detonating device is provided for each dispersing device unit; said dispersing device units are bundled together is a lateral side-by-side arrangement; the entire pulverizing device is carried above a surface to be spread; an igniter of any of the dispersing device units is activated by an activator, which will in turn trigger a detonating explosive of the respective dispersing device unit providing for a transformation of a pressure wave created by said detonating explosive into a pressure wave travelling through said physical agent; a mixing of exhaust by-products created by said detonating explosive when triggered with the physical agent ; and a pulse pulverization of said physical agent upon release of said physical agent through a release portion of the respective dispersing device unit.

[0020] Further advantageous methods according to the present invention are described in dependent method claims 21 to 26.

[0021] The main advantage of the present invention is that an efficient spreading of the physical agent is possible thus minimizing the amount of agent needed for a uniform coverage of a surface of choice.

[0022] Generally, the cheap and easy production of the present invention makes this dispersing device widely accessible and due to its versatility it can be used for various purposes. Another advantage of the present invention is that the dispersing device is completely scalable, i.e. its size and capacity can be varied freely without the need to modify the basic design at all. On the other hand the system is built in a modular arrangement, i.e. an array or set of dispersing device units are joined to build a system where multiple pulverizing shots can be performed one after the other or at the same time without the need for refilling. [0023] A further important advantage of the present invention is that due to the fact that it is a suspended system deployable from great heights, it can be used without the need to be in close proximity of the surface to be covered thus minimizing the danger related to direct or even indirect contact or proximity with the surface to be covered. This is especially important in the case of fires, radioactive or chemical contamination, etc.

[0024] Further advantageous effects of the present invention are related to one or more of the following fields of applicability: - in firefighting, the present invention allows a quick and efficient spreading of any fire-extinguishing agent transformed into a so-called gas dispersive pressure vortex which provides for instantaneous extinguishing of the fire; when used for confinement of toxic chemicals or radioactive materials, the agent (a decontaminant or radioactivity neutralizing particles) can be spread evenly on extended surfaces without neither missing spots nor requiring the use of excess agent, which might cause further damage to the contaminated surface (soil, water, etc); when used for camouflage or crowd control purposes, the dispersing device or method of the present invention allows a quick and controlled deployment of smoke, tear gas, pepper spray, sticky foam, or other irritants and incapacitants allowing fast intervention while eliminating the danger of abusive overuse causing injuries. Furthermore, pulverization of natural materials such as water, sand, dust, soiled water, gelatins, snow or ice might be effective for these purposes as well.

Brief description of the drawings

[0025] Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will in the following be described in detail by means of the description and by making reference to the following figures ^* . Which show:

Fig. IA A structural lateral view of a first embodiment of the pulverizing device according to the present invention depicting a lateral side- by-side arrangement of multiple dispersing device units;

Fig. IB A structural bottom view of a first embodiment of the pulverizing device according to the present invention depicting a lateral side- by-side arrangement of multiple dispersing device units;

Fig. 2A A structural lateral view of a further embodiment of the pulverizing device according to the present invention depicting a lateral side-by-side arrangement of multiple dispersing device units;

Fig. 2B A structural bottom view of a further embodiment of the pulverizing device according to the present invention depicting a lateral side-by-side arrangement of multiple dispersing device units;

Fig. 3 A detailed lateral view depicting the structure of a first embodiment of a single dispersing device unit;

Fig. 4A A detailed cross sectional view depicting the structure of a further embodiment of a single dispersing device unit;

Fig. 4B A side-view depicting the outer structure of a further embodiment of a single dispersing device unit;

Fig. 4C A bottom view depicting the outer bottom structure of a further embodiment of a single dispersing device unit; Fig. 5 A detailed cross sectional view depicting the structure of a further collapsible embodiment of a single dispersing device unit in a not yet to be used state packed for storage/ transportation;

Fig. 6A A symbolic representation of an embodiment of the pulverizing device according to the present invention being used in firefighting as suspended from an aircraft;

Fig, 6B A symbolic representation of an embodiment of the pulverizing device according to the present invention being used in firefighting after being activated and dropped from an aircraft and its igniter being triggered at a predetermined height above the fire;

Fig. 7 A symbolic representation of a further cluster-type embodiment of the pulverizing device according to the present invention being used in firefighting as suspended from an aircraft with some of the individual dispersing device units being dropped wherein some of the dropped dispersing device units being triggered at a predetermined height above the fire;

Fig. 8A A symbolic representation of an embodiment of the pulverizing device according to the present invention being used for localizing/ treating a contaminated water surface as suspended from an aircraft;

Fig. 8B A symbolic representation of an embodiment of the pulverizing device according to the present invention being used for localizing/ treating a contaminated water surface being activated and dropped from an aircraft and its igniter being triggered at a predetermined height above the contaminated water surface.

*The figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0026] The term activation of an igniter or of a series of igniters will be used in the context of the present invention as meaning some sort of putting into function of an igniter. This activation can be a spark, an electrical signal applied to an igniter or any other action which corresponds to engaging the specific igniter used. After activation, an igniter will in turn cause a triggering of a connected detonating explosive. However, the activation never causes directly a detonation of the explosive; it will only initiate the series of events leading to a detonation.

[0027] The term "to trigger"/ "triggering" will be used in the context of the present application with the meaning of some sort of action causing a detonation, ignition, etc of an explosive or deflagrating gun powder. Generally speaking, triggering will cause said explosive or deflagrating gun powder to detonate/ deflagrate and create a pressure wave as a result of said detonation/deflagration. The triggering can be by an electric detonator, a mechanical detonator, a simple fuse or other known means used in the field to detonate an explosive material.

[0028] The term detonating explosive is being used in the context of the present application to refer to any type of explosive or deflagrating material that is suitable to create a pressure wave when triggered.

[0029] Figures IA and IB show structural views of a first embodiment of the pulverizing device 10 according to the present invention depicting a lateral side-by-side arrangement of multiple dispersing device units 20.

[0030] Figure IA is a side view, where the lateral side-by side arrangement can be seen as being suspended from above with a suspension system 30. As shown on Figure IA, the structure of the pulverizing device 10 comprises mainly the side-by-side arrangement of multiple dispersing device units 20 bundled together by means for carrying 3 and a common activator 4 for activating igniters 12 of any of said multiple dispersing device units 20. [0031] Figure IB is a bottom view, where the lateral arrangement of the dispersing device units 20 bundled together by the means for carrying 3 can be further examined.

[0032] One should note that the embodiment shown on Figures IA and IB is a general, multi-purpose pulverizing device 10, i.e. it could be used with little or no modification for any of the above-enlisted purposes.

[0033] The detailed structure of the dispersing device units 20 will be described in relation with figures 3 to 5 which show detailed representations of a single dispersing device unit 20.

[0034] The means for carrying 3 shown on Figures IA and IB used for bundling together multiple dispersing device units 20 and carrying said bundle can be of various types without departing from its basic function, i.e. holding the dispersing device units 20 together in a tight stable manner without preventing these to explode, as explained in further paragraphs. The means for carrying 3 can be thus a net, a plastic bag or similar structure with sufficient strength to carry the weight of the arrangement of multiple dispersing device units 20. Furthermore, the means for carrying 3 should be made alternatively of a cheap lightweight material or it should be a reusable part of the pulverizing device 10 so that it does not increase the overall cost of the pulverizing device 10 significantly. All embodiments of the means for carrying 3 ensure that the free release/ deployment of the dispersing device units 20 is not limited in any way and that said dispersing device units 20 can perform their function without obstructions. Thus the net, the plastic bag or other embodiments of the means for carrying 3 should be formed so that an explosion of the dispersing device units 20 can tear these apart and that the power of said explosion is not significantly reduced by the added resistance of the means for carrying 3. A reusable, cluster-type embodiment of the means for carrying 3 is shown on figure 7, where a cluster of solid frames is built to house the individual dispersing device units 20. The frames can be made of lightweight metals or hard plastic as long as they provide the sufficient stiffness to support the weight of the dispersing device units 20 without breaking or deforming when being suspended. In a further embodiment, each cluster of the cluster-type means for carrying 3 is provided with means for releasing 25 the dispersing device units 20 individually or in groups. This means for releasing 25 is depicted as simple releasable hook on figure 7 which is titled when the dispersing device unit 20 suspended by it is to be released/ deployed. However, more elaborate systems can be used which enable a precisely timed remote release of any of the dispersing device units 20. In an even further embodiment of the present invention, the means for releasing 25 for each cluster are connectable to the common activator 4 which can cause the release of the dispersing device units 20 in various patterns or according to specialized programs meant to optimize the use of the entire system according to height, wind conditions, target surface and type, etc.

[0035] Figure IA also shows the suspension system 30 used to suspend the pulverizing device 10 above the surface to be covered by the physical agent 2. This suspension system 30 is designed to correspond to the particular embodiment of the means for carrying 3 used. Where the means for carrying 3 is a simple net, then the suspension system 30 is preferably a simple rope or cable with proper connections on both ends, i.e. on one end the suspension system 30 must connect to the means for carrying 3 and on the other end it must be connected to the structure or aircraft that the pulverizing device 10 is suspended from. In the cluster-type embodiment of the means for carrying 3 shown on figure 7, the suspension system 30 is a more elaborate system comprising an arrangement of multiple suspension cables enabling a well-balanced suspension of the cluster platform. In a further embodiment of the present invention, the suspension system 30 is fitted with carabiners or other suitable fast-locking devices for quick suspension of the pulverizing device 10. This is especially useful in quick intervention scenarios when a new pulverizing device 10 has to be attached to the carrier as quickly as possible after being used up for repeated intervention.

[0036] As shown on figure IA, the pulverizing device 10 further comprises a common activator 4 used to activate the igniter 12 of any of the multiple dispersing device units 20. This activator 4 can be firmly attached to the suspension system 30 or to the bundle of dispersing device units 20 according to particular embodiments. The activator 4 can be a simple detonator having connections to a battery or other source of electricity which in turn aid in providing an electrical charge or spark to activate the igniter 12 of the particular dispersing device unit 20. In an alternative embodiment, the activator 4 is a numerically controlled activator 4 wherein special programs can be loaded to precisely control the activation of the igniters 12 of the dispersing device units 20. In an even further embodiment, the activator 4 is provided with an altimeter so that the activation of the igniters 12 of the dispersing device units 20 can be set to a precise altitude above the target area. Thus when the pulverizing device 10 is dropped/ released from the suspending structure/ aircraft, it will fall freely until said predetermined height at which point the altimeter will emit a signal to the activator 4 which in turn will activate the igniter 12 of any of the dispersing device units 20.

[0037] In a further embodiment, for example as the one shown on figure 7, the activator 4 will be connected to the means for releasing 25 of any of the dispersing device units 20, so that the individual dispersing device units 20 are dropped/ released upon activation. Thus the activation of the igniter 12 of a dispersing device unit 20 is simultaneous with the release of that particular dispersing device unit 20. In a similar manner to the case described in the previous paragraph, when the activator 4 is provided with an altimeter, not only the height of activation but also the height of the release of a particular dispersing device unit 20 can be set to a predetermined height above the target surface to be covered with the physical agent 2. These additional features have the main advantage that the pulverizing device 10 is fully autonomous and after the activator 4 is pre-programmed, they do not require any manual intervention which makes them very reliable and fail-safe or they can be employed even in automatic, human operator-free systems.

[0038] The dispersing device units 20 of the embodiment shown on figures IA and IB are of the stiff type, i.e. their main body, the receptacle 1 is made of a relatively stiff material so that they do not deform when they are pressed together to form the lateral side-by-side arrangement. This can be seen very well on figure IB where the bottom section of each dispersing device unit 20 remains perfectly circular, as they were in their initial unitary state. Figures 2A and 2B on the other hand show an embodiment where the main body of each dispersing device unit 20, i.e. the receptacle 1 is made of relatively soft material which allows the dispersing device units 20 to deform when they are bundled together.

[0039] A detailed lateral view depicting a first embodiment of the dispersing device unit 20 according to the present invention is shown on figure 3. It should be noted that the suspension system 30 which is also shown on this figure is not part of the dispersing device unit 20, rather of the pulverizing device 10 as a whole. It is shown here only for the purpose of clarity and should not be interpreted as if each dispersing device unit 20 comprises its own suspension system 30 which in turn is not excluded either.

[0040] The main body part, as referred to earlier, of the dispersing device unit 20 is the receptacle 1 for receiving the physical agent physical agent 2 that is to be spread with the dispersing device pulverizing device 10. This receptacle 1 is usually a longitudinal enclosing suitable for receiving considerable amounts of the physical agent 2. The receptacle 1 can be made of literally any material sufficiently strong to withstand the destructive force of a small detonation, caused by a detonating explosive 6 to be described in detail later. A common requirement of the material used for producing the receptacle 1 is for it to be available in relatively large quantities, to be relatively cheap and easy to shape/ produce. Depending on the size and application of the pulverizing device 10, the receptacle 1 can thus be made of various plastics such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate), different lightweight metals or even composite materials. Highly flexible and elastic materials are also suitable for producing the receptacle 1 due to their low cost and reduced weight.

[0041] The receptacle 1 as shown on figure 3 comprises a lower part 5 for receiving said physical agent 2 and serving as a release portion through which said physical agent 2 is to be released and an upper part 8 with an inner cavity for receiving a detonating explosive 6 and heavy granular material 16. The two parts of the receptacle 1, i.e. the lower part 5 and the upper part 8 can be one solitary piece made of one single material. In this case the lower part 5 may be made comparatively thinner than the upper part 8 for enabling it to act as a release portion through which said physical agent 2 is to be released, i.e. to make it weak enough to be torn apart by the destructive force of the detonating explosive 6 when triggered. However, the lower part 5 must still be made strong enough to be able to hold significant amounts of the physical agent 2 without braking apart. In further embodiments, the lower part 5 and the upper part 8 of the receptacle 1 can be made of two separate parts joint together. This has the advantage that the two parts can be made separately from different materials if needed. Furthermore, if required, the upper part 8 is made strong enough to withstand the destructive forces of the detonating explosive 6 when triggered and thus the upper part 8 can be made as a reusable part of the dispersing device unit 20. The lower part 5 is still made of a weaker material that can be torn apart by the detonating explosive 6 to enable the release of the physical agent 2. Additionally, it is possible to make only a portion of the lower part 5 that is to act as a release portion weaker, while the rest of the lower part 5 and the receptacle 1 stronger to withstand the detonating explosive 6.

[0042] Generally speaking, the lower part 5 is a bag-like or balloon shape hollow container capable of receiving significant amounts of the physical agent 2.

[0043] As depicted on figure 3, the lower part 5 itself may comprise a lower bag-like part and an upper barrel or cone-shaped part. In this embodiment, said lower bag-like part will act as the release portion through which the physical agent 2 is to be released.

[0044] The upper part 8 of the receptacle 1 is a further container-type element of the receptacle 1, provided with an inner cavity for receiving a detonating explosive 6 and heavy granular material 16. The upper part 8 has a considerably smaller size than the lower part 5, a size which is adapted to the amount of detonating explosive 6 and heavy granular material 16 required for an ideal detonation and subsequent pulse-pulverization of the physical agent 2 as its consequence. The main role of the upper part 8 is to provide a suitable cavity for the detonating explosive 6 and related heavy granular material 16 and at the same time provide sufficient stiffness to make sure the pressure-wave created by the detonating explosive 6 when triggered is directed downwards into and through the physical agent 2. In other words the upper part 8 will focus the pressure wave in the direction of the physical agent 2 rather than allowing it to spread in all directions. This focusing is further aided by the positioning of the detonating explosive 6 within the upper part 8, i.e. preferably on the lower side, in close proximity of the physical agent 2. The construction of the detonating explosive 6 and its cartridge 7, as described in later paragraphs also plays a role in this focusing. Furthermore, a suitable amount of heavy granular material 16 is provided which can distribute the pressure created by the detonating explosive 6 when triggered evenly on the entire cross-section of the upper part 8 which comes into contact with the lower part 5 comprising the physical agent 2 ensuring a full cone-shaped pulverization of the entire amount of physical agent 2. The heavy granular material 16 can be any one or a combination of the following materials: wet or dry sand, granulated powders, mud, granulated or porous rubber or other elastic material. The heavy granular material 16 has the further role of absorbing the recoil forces due to the triggering of the detonating explosive 6 thus protecting not only the upper part 8 of the receptacle 1 but also the structure or aircraft that suspends the pulverizing device 10 from small fragments travelling at high-speed.

[0045] In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the upper part 8 also comprises an opening through which the detonating explosive 6, eventually in a cartridge 7, can be inserted into said cavity inside the upper part 8.

[0046] The detonating explosive 6 can be various types of explosives, such as black gun-powder, trinitrotoluene, hexogen pulverized in porous thick material or deflagrating gun-powder for example. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention the detonating explosive 6 is chosen so that the pressure wave created by detonating explosive 6 when activated is travelling at a relatively slow speed between 1000 and 3000m/s. [0047] According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the ratio of the physical agent 2 and the detonating explosive 6 is preferably between 1/50 up to 1/500 in certain cases. The aforementioned ratio is valid for all embodiments described and presented herein.

[0048] In the preferred embodiment of the present invention as shown on figure 3, the detonating explosive 6 is provided in a cartridge 7. This way the detonating explosive 6 is safely protected in said cartridge 7, minimizing the danger of said detonating explosive 6 leaking out or being exposed in any way. The use of a cartridge 7 makes the refitting of a dispersing device unit 20 with a new load of detonating explosive 6 after its use a lot faster and easier step. This is especially preferred when the dispersing device unit 20 in question is to be used with variable pulverizing charges. Thus instead of replacing the entire dispersing device unit 20 or even the whole pulverizing device 10, one only needs to place a new cartridge 7 with detonating explosive 6 into the cavity of the upper part 8, fill the lower part 5 or a new lower part 5 with physical agent 2. This step can thus be carried out even by the user itself without any tools or special knowledge.

[0049] In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cartridge 7 with the detonating explosive 6 is itself inserted into a tube 13 which in turn is inserted into the upper part 8 of the receptacle 1 through an opening of the upper part 8.

[0050] This tube 13 can be installed permanently inside the upper part 8 of the receptacle 1 so that a detonating explosive 6 in a cartridge 7 and a connected igniter 12 can be inserted in this tube 13, or in an alternative embodiment, preassembled tubes 13 are provided, wherein the detonating explosive 6 is readily connected with an igniter 12 and packed together to form a ready-to use unit, which only needs to be inserted into the upper part 8 of the receptacle 1 through said opening. The main advantage of this second alternative is the quick assembly of a ready-to use dispersing device unit 20 without the need to connect the detonating explosive 6 with an igniter 12 on-site. On the other hand, the first alternative where the tube 13 does not come with the detonating explosive 6 and igniter 12 pre-fitted, offers the advantage that the choice of a particular detonating explosive 6 combination can be made on-site depending on the current needs.

[0051] In the preferred embodiment of the present invention shown on figure 3, the cartridge 7 and/or the tube 13 are/is covered on their/its lower part by an elastic film or profiled cover 11 meant to confine the detonating explosive 6 but at the same time provide for a weaker segment of the enclosure where the explosive pressure wave can escape easily. This further aids in the focusing of the pressure wave as discussed in an earlier paragraph. This elastic film or profiled cover 11 is made just strong enough to be able to provide a proper enclosure for the detonating explosive 6, however it is made significantly weaker than the tube 13 or the cartridge 7 to make sure that the pressure wave created by a triggering of the detonating explosive 6 will travel in the direction defined by this elastic film or profiled cover 11.

[0052] The igniter 12 used by each dispersing device unit 20 as shown on figure 3 can be of various types as long as it is capable of causing a triggering of the detonating explosive 6 it is connected to. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the igniter 12 is a delay detonator, i.e. the time of triggering the explosive can be precisely set. Various known detonators can be used, ranging from mechanical detonators to state-of the art electrical detonators fitted with altimeters or remote control capabilities. Generally speaking, to enable an efficient use of the physical agent 2 it is preferred that the height of the triggering of the detonating explosive 6 can be precisely controlled. This can be achieved in several ways: one may provide the igniter 12 with an altimeter, which will provide a signal to the igniter 12 at a predetermined height causing said igniter 12 to trigger the detonating explosive 6; alternatively one may use a classic delayed detonator which will trigger the detonating explosive 6 after a predetermined amount of time after being activated. In this case one (for example the pilot or co-pilot, of the aircraft suspending the dispersing device unit 20 using onboard computers), could calculate at what altitude the igniter 12 of the dispersing device unit 20 needs to be activated by the activator 4 and the dispersing device unit 20 be released/ dropped, so that after said predetermined amount of time at an estimated freefall the dispersing device unit 20 to be at the desired altitude when the detonating explosive 6 detonates. We need to point out however, that in this second case, the activator 4 of the pulverizing device 10 needs to be fitted with its own altimeter, as described in the paragraph related to the activator 4, with a timing set by an onboard computer of the aircraft for example. This alternative might be more cost efficient since it requires only one single common altimeter to be connected to the activator 4 instead of an altimeter for each dispersing device unit 20. Furthermore, the dispersing device units 20 are quite often for single use, being destroyed when the detonating explosive 6 is triggered, thus making to use of an altimeter for each dispersing device unit 20 quite costly. However, in some applications, where the altitude of the triggering of the detonating explosive 6 needs to be set at a precision that goes beyond the accuracy of the estimated altitude covered by the dispersing device unit 20 in a freefall after being dropped/ released, the use of individual altimeters for each dispersing device unit 20 can be beneficial.

[0053] As shown on figure 3, in certain embodiments the igniter 12 of each dispersing device unit 20 is connected to a power source. Said power source can be a battery, a capacitor, a piezoelectric device or any other suitable power source. It is to be noted that this depends highly on the specific igniter 12 used and the source is always chosen correspondingly.

[0054] Probably the most important and various aspects of the present inventions is the physical agent 2 which fills the lower part 5 of the receptacle 1 described above. This physical agent 2 can be, depending on application, a liquid such as water, dense/ viscous/ sticky/ powdered/ granular/ mixed or natural-ground material, mud, sand, snow, ice and many other suitable materials. These materials can further be doped with different chemicals depending on application. For fire-fighting applications, the physical agent 2 comprises water, fire-extinguishing foam, sand, mud, snow, or other fire- suppressing materials. For contamination-treatment applications, the physical agent 2 comprises biosorbents such as microorganisms or biological agents to break down or remove said contamination, or in case of nuclear contamination treatment, different radioactivity neutralizing particles. For crowd-control applications said physical agent 2 contains non-lethal agents such as tear gas, pepper spray, sticky foam, various irritants, or other incapacitants. When the pulverizing device 10 is used for camouflage purposes, the physical agent 2 comprises some sort of loose opaque agent. Furthermore, pulverization of natural materials such as water, sand, dust, soiled water, gelatins, snow or ice might be effective for these purposes as well.

[0055] However, it is not the specific physical agent 2 alone what makes the present invention very efficient in comparison with prior art devices, but the way said physical agent 2 is distributed/ spread. Upon triggering of the detonating explosive 6 by the igniter 12 of a dispersing device unit 20, a pressure wave travelling through said physical agent 2 is created and the exhaust by-products created by said detonating explosive 6 are mixed with the physical agent 2 followed by a pulse pulverization of said physical agent 2 upon its release through said release portion thus explosively spreading said pulse-pulverized physical agent 2 from above.

[0056] Figure 4A shows a further embodiment of the igniter 12 and its cartridge 7. In this embodiment, these have a torus or ring shape in order to provide, upon being triggered, a cone-shaped gas-dispersive whirl with uniform front expending towards a target surface. Irrespective of its shape, the detonating explosive 6 is of the same type as described earlier.

[0057] A further alternative of the receptacle 1 is also shown on figure

4A, where its upper part 8 is formed by a standard barrel 17 with a cover 18 on top of it. This embodiment has the main advantage that the receptacle 1, the major component of the pulverizing device 10, is a commonly available and cheap barrel 17. For weight and cost saving this barrel 17 can be a standard plastic barrel for example.

[0058] A further embodiment of the dispersing device unit 20 according to the present invention is shown on figures 4B and 4C, wherein the lower part 5 of the receptacle 1 has a so-called multi-cut bottom section. As well depicted on figures 4B and 4C, this multi-cut bottom section is characterized in that it comprises a succession of interchanging solid and hollow segments. This feature is meant to ease the breaking of the lower part 5 by the pressure-wave caused by the triggering of the detonating explosive 6. Said succession is an array of longitudinal strips running along the lower part 5 of the receptacle 1. The solid segments are meant to provide the required strength to carry the weight of the physical agent 2 and the hollow strips are designed to allow the lower part 5 to tear apart and spread the physical agent 2 evenly in a pulse-pulverized manner. This multi-cut bottom section also serves the purpose of weight and/or material saving since the hollow sections provide for a significant reduction in material used. Furthermore, the multi-cut bottom section design yields significant savings when the pulverizing device 10 is transported or stored being folded together to save space, the receptacle 1 taking up its final shape only when being filled with physical agent 2.

[0059] Figure 5 shows a foldable embodiment of the dispersing device unit 20, wherein the lower part 5 of the receptacle 1 is made from a soft material which can be folded easily while being stored and/ or transported. It is to be observed that all other elements of the dispersing device unit 20 are unaffected by the foldable construction of the receptacle 1 and that as soon as the lower part 5 of the receptacle 1 is filled with the physical agent 2, the dispersing device unit 20 takes up to same form as any of the previously presented embodiments.

[0060] The sequence of figures 6A and 6B presents the use of the pulverizing device 10 for firefighting. The preparatory steps for such use, which can not be seen on the figures, are:

providing a pulverizing device 10 comprising multiple dispersing device units 20; filling the receptacle 1 of each dispersing device unit 20 with a suitable fire extinguishing physical agent 2; providing a detonating explosive 6 in the inner cavity of the upper part 8 of the receptacle 1 of each dispersing device unit 20; - bundling together multiple dispersing device unit 20 in a lateral side-by- side arrangement using said means for carrying 3. [0061] Figure 6A depicts the following step, i.e. suspending the pulverizing device 10 using the suspension system 30 from an aircraft and carrying it above the surface, fire in this case, to be spread by said physical agent 2, fire-extinguishing agent in this application.

[0062] After reaching the desired point above the surface to be spread, the pulverizing device 10 is released from the suspending aircraft and the activator 4 activates the igniters 12 of the dispersing device units 20. Figure 6B shows the stage when the pulverizing device 10, after being released/ dropped, reaches the predefined altitude and the igniter 12 triggers the detonating explosive 6 of each dispersing device unit 20. The detonating explosive 6, upon being triggered, provides for: a transformation of a pressure wave created into a pressure wave travelling through said physical agent 2; a mixing of exhaust by-products created by said detonating explosive 6 when triggered with the physical agent 2 and a pulse pulverization of said physical agent 2 upon release through said release portion of the lower part 5. Thus a so-called, gas dispersive whirl widely expending at a trajectory downwards towards a target is created which instantly extinguishes the fire.

[0063] In order to suppress local points of fire and repeated enflaming, the igniters 12 of all dispersing device units 20 can be simultaneously activated at low altitude by said activator 4.

[0064] In further usage scenarios the pulverizing device 10 can be used for so-called multi-stage forest fire extinguishing, wherein in a first stage, after being activated by said activator 4, the igniter 12 will trigger said detonating explosive 6 at a predetermined height for lowering the smoke and heat, and wherein in subsequent stages multiple dispersing device units 20 are simultaneously activated at low altitude by said activator 4 for suppression of local points of fire and repeated enflaming.

[0065] A further embodiment of the present invention is shown on figure

7 as being used for firefighting. In this embodiment, the means for carrying 3 is a cluster-type frame suspension where a cluster of solid frames is built to house the individual dispersing device units 20. The frames can be made of lightweight metals or hard plastic as long as they provide the sufficient stiffness to support the weight of the dispersing device units 20 without breaking or deforming when being suspended. In the depicted embodiment, each cluster of the cluster-type means for carrying 3 is provided with a means for releasing 25 the dispersing device units 20 individually or in groups. This means for releasing 25 is depicted as simple releasable hook which is titled when the dispersing device unit 20 suspended by it is to be released/ deployed. However, more elaborate systems can be used which enable a precisely timed remote release of any of the dispersing device units 20. In an even further embodiment of the present invention, the means for releasing 25 for each cluster are connectable to common activator 4 which can cause the release of the dispersing device units 20 in various patterns or according to specialized programs meant to optimize the use of the entire system according to height, wind conditions, target surface and type, etc.

[0066] In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the means for releasing 25 are connected to the igniter 12 of each dispersing device unit 20 which are in turn controlled by the common activator 4 of the entire pulverizing device 10. This ensures that when the igniter 12 of a dispersing device unit 20 is triggered, the dispersing device unit 20 is immediately released/ dropped form the cluster-type frame suspension. This measure ensures that the detonating explosive 6 of a dispersing device unit 20 will not detonate while still inside the cluster. Figure 7 illustrates a time when several dispersing device units 20 have been released/ dropped and some of them have already reached their predefined height above the target and have detonated, while others are still falling.

[0067] Similarly to other embodiments, the dispersing device units 20 depicted on figure 7 also comprise igniters 12 with delay means or altimeters which ensure that after being released, the detonating explosive 6 of each dispersing device unit 20 detonates at the exact predefined altitude or after a predetermined amount after release has lapsed.

[0068] The sequence of figures 8A and 8B presents the use of the pulverizing device 10 for treating a contaminated water surface. The preparatory steps for such use, which can not be seen on the figures, are: providing a pulverizing device 10 comprising multiple dispersing device units 20; filling the receptacle 1 of each dispersing device unit 20 with a suitable water contamination treatment physical agent 2, comprising biosorbents such as microorganisms or biological agents to break down or remove said contamination ; providing a detonating explosive 6 in the inner cavity of the upper part 8 of the receptacle 1 of each dispersing device unit 20; bundling together multiple dispersing device unit 20 in a lateral side-by- side arrangement using said means for carrying 3;

[0069] Figure 8A depicts the following step, i.e. suspending the pulverizing device 10 using the suspension system 30 from an aircraft and carrying it above the contaminated water surface, to be spread by said physical agent 2, contamination treatment agent in this application.

[0070] After reaching the desired point above the surface to be spread, the pulverizing device 10 is released from the suspending aircraft and the activator 4 activates the igniters 12 of the dispersing device units 20. Figure 8B shows the stage when the pulverizing device 10, after being released/ dropped, reaches the predefined altitude and the igniter 12 triggers the detonating explosive 6 of each dispersing device unit 20. The detonating explosive 6, upon being triggered, provides for: a transformation of a pressure wave created into a pressure wave travelling through said physical agent 2; a mixing of exhaust by-products created by said detonating explosive 6 when triggered with the physical agent 2 and a pulse pulverization of said physical agent 2 upon release through said release portion of the lower part 5. Thus the physical agent 2 is evenly spread across the contaminated water surface providing for an efficient and complete treatment of the contamination with the minimum amount of physical agent 2.

[0071] In a similar procedure as the ones depicted on figures 6A and 6B or 8A and 8B, the pulverizing device 10 can be used for treating radioactive soil contamination, wherein said physical agent 2 contains radioactivity neutralizing or localizing particles and wherein after being activated by said activator 4, the igniter 12 will trigger said detonating explosive 6 at a predetermined height, based on the type and area of the radioactive contaminated soil, in order to enable an efficient spreading of the radioactivity neutralizing particles.

[0072] According to the present invention, the pulverizing device 10 can also be used for treating airborne radioactive contamination by pulse- pulverizing said physical agent 2 over and/or inside a cloud of said airborne radioactive contamination, wherein said physical agent 2 contains radioactivity neutralizing particles.

[0073] In any one of the presented embodiments of the present invention, the activator 4 may be configured to simultaneously activate the igniter 12 of all dispersing device units 20 in order to create a cone-shaped, gas dispersive whirl widely expending at a trajectory downwards towards a target to be covered with the physical agent 2.

[0074] Furthermore in any one of the presented embodiments of the present invention, the activator 4 or any of the igniters 12 of each dispersing device unit 20 can be remotely controlled by a wired/ wireless remote control allowing an operator to manually remotely control said activator 4 or any of said igniters 12.

Reference List:

Pulverizing device 10 receptacle 1 physical aqent 2 means for carryinq 3 activator 4 lower part 5 detonatinq explosive 6 cartridqe (for 6) 7 upper part 8 elastic film or profiled cover 11 iqniter 12 tube (12) 13 heavy qranular material 16 barrel 17 cover 18 dispersing device units 20 means for releasinq 25 suspension system 30