Regular testing and maintenance guarantee a most service life and functional and failure-related security of technical appliances. ราคาเพรสเชอร์เกจ to foam-based fireplace extinguishing methods and the foam proportioners installed in them.
Up to now, such testing and maintenance have required the presence of personnel on-site. However, it would be simpler and extra cost-efficient for extinguishing system operators if this was attainable in a totally computerized and remote-controlled manner. For example, this is in a position to also make common upkeep personnel journey to remotely positioned proportioners redundant. In addition, this is in a position to make positive that requirements by the producer, requirements and sets of regulations are observed without any useful deviations and unsuitable time intervals.
The distant testing system inside the ‘Smart Proportioner’ growth framework has been created just for this purpose. pressure gauge is an development of the distant monitoring system.
Brief overview of the remote monitoring system
The distant monitoring system is used for proportioner monitoring in testing mode throughout upkeep and reside firefighting operations.
In the course of distant monitoring, the proportioning rate and different operating parameters are determined, recorded and forwarded to the system operator if necessary. Thus, the sleek functionality and operational readiness of the system are monitored and ensured this way.
A remote monitoring system consists of a management system, including an optionally available native display unit (HMI) if applicable, and sensor technology. The sensor expertise includes, at the least, the likelihood to discover out the water motor’s variety of revolutions and to determine the foam agent circulate price. These values are used to calculate the proportioning fee. This determine is the core attribute during the operation and testing of a foam proportioner. Further sensor technology is out there on an elective basis.
The distant monitoring system helps the working and service personnel on-site. It can be suitable for remote monitoring of the foam proportioner.
However, it is a primary incontrovertible reality that personnel are always necessary to hold out the upkeep work or the proportioning rate testing on-site because the system plays a monitoring function solely. It doesn’t actively interact with the functioning of the proportioner.
In the course of distant monitoring, the proportioning fee and different working parameters are decided, displayed and forwarded. Images equipped by Author / Contributor
Evolution – from distant monitoring to distant testing
The query is the method to additional minimize the upkeep effort on foam proportioners.
The answer lies within the distant testing system, the following step of the clever FireDos proportioners. The distant testing system allows monitoring of the proportioner and individual upkeep, together with proportioning fee testing.
The condition of the proportioner could be checked with out having to start up the fireplace extinguishing system. No personnel are required on-site. Proportioners in a remote place or which would possibly be solely rarely inspected by personnel on-site can be checked without upkeep employees and related expenses, similar to travel expenditure. In specific, growing the testing interval is possible without extra efforts. The instruction guide for FireDos proportioners requires regular starting-up, using the service crank manually as a minimum. This is meant to prevent deposits inside the tools, impairing its ease of motion and thus conserving the proportioner’s performance. The remote testing system can undertake these regular movements and check the proportioning rate, increasing the service life and practical security of the proportioner.
What is the design of a distant testing system?
The distant testing system is mostly primarily based upon the distant monitoring system. It is, nonetheless, significantly extended by method of actuators. This is as a end result of they permit the fully independent operation of the distant testing system; i.e., the proportioning fee of the proportioner is tested without activating the water pumps of the fireplace extinguishing system.
The core components include a central management system, with an optionally available HMI, sensor know-how, electrical ball valve drives, an electrical drive for the proportioner and a bypass line previous the water motor.
The connection of the electrical drive and the proportioner is designed in order that the electrical drive may have no interference with the proportioner’s performance within the case of a fire. This way, the advantages of the mechanical proportioning precept are preserved.
How does the remote testing system work, and how can the proportioning price be checked with out activating the water pumps?
If in ready-to-operate mode, the proportioner is all the time within the proportioning position. Upon initiation of an automated testing course of, regardless of if after an outlined time interval, upon request through a cloud answer or from the hearth extinguishing system/a local operator, the proportioner is put into testing operation. Specifically, the control system puts the proportioner into testing operation utilizing an electrically actuated ball valve drive whereas the froth agent isn’t blended into the extinguishing water but returned to the foam agent tank. At the same time, it opens the electrically actuated ball valve in the bypass line previous the water motor. Next, the electric drive of the proportioner is activated, driving the entire proportioner at its start-up circulate price. The start-up circulate price is the bottom operating point of a proportioner to achieve its nominal proportioning price.
Due to the external electrical drive, the water motor works like a pump and generates a water flow by way of the bypass from the water motor’s outlet to the water motor’s inlet. The operation causes no change of strain in the extinguishing water line. The hearth extinguishing system is due to this fact not influenced when the proportioner is examined.
As the extinguishing water circulate price simulated by the exterior drive is also identified as a result of identified ratio of the water motor’s number of revolutions and the water flow price, just the froth agent flow fee have to be decided to permit the next calculation of the proportioning rate. This is finished by a volumetric flow meter between the proportioning pump’s outlet and the ball valve, which switches between returning and proportioning mode. This permits willpower of the froth agent circulate price, each in testing mode and while proportioning in case of an alarm.
The proportioning fee is determined in accordance with the formulation as required within the requirements and laws EN 13565-1, NFPA 11, FM 4-12, and the Nordtest NT Fire 042 technique.
Foam agent circulate fee [l/min]
(Extinguishing water circulate fee x a hundred = proportioning fee %+ foam agent circulate rate) [l/min]
After completion of the testing process, the electric drive of the proportioner stops, the bypass line is closed, and the proportioner is returned to proportioning mode.
Sensor know-how installed as a further choice or inside the electric drive permits obtaining further data and conclusions concerning the state and situation of the respective unit. It is checked, for instance, whether or not the ball valves are in their appropriate positions or adequate oil is within the crankshaft housing of the proportioning pump. In addition, the strain values at the pump inlet/outlet and the pressure on the water motor are recorded. Finally, measuring the whole system’s torque and the circulate price contained in the bypass line allows checking the overall condition of the proportioner.
The data may be displayed locally or via a cloud resolution. Controlling the upkeep operation is also potential by way of both interfaces.
What if there’s an alarm during a testing process?
An essential query is: Does the proportioner work without any limitations and as traditional if there is an alarm? The reply is: Yes!
The distant testing system is designed in such a means that extinguishing water can flow by way of the water motor and start it up at any time, even if the electrical drive is working on the similar time. In addition, a unique, fully automatic and purely mechanical decoupling mechanism ensures that the electrical drive doesn’t intervene with the proportioner’s functioning and readiness to operate.
In case of an alarm, the ball valves within the bypass line and people for switching between returning and proportioning are instantly switched so that the proportioner is in proportioning mode for firefighting. Thus, the control system is put into alarm mode on this case. This alarm mode causes the disabling of all functions not essential at that moment and all ball valves to be set to their right place.
Therefore, in case of an alarm during testing operation, the ball valves swap to their appropriate position totally mechanically and the electrical drive is switched off. Even if the electric drive is still working or coming to a stop, the extinguishing water can circulate through the water motor and drive the proportioning pump with out limitations. The alarm mode of the management system prevents re-activation of the electric drive or any unintended ball valve switching.
What benefits does a distant testing system provide?
Compared with commonplace proportioners and those outfitted with a remote monitoring system, a distant testing system supplies varied advantages. They function the next:
ν Proportione
Display view for testing operation of the FireDos distant testing system. Images provided by Author / Contributor
cian need to be on-site.
Regular proportioning fee testing: Regular proportioning rate testing ensures optimum functioning of the proportioner in case of a hearth. If the proportioning fee is merely too low, the extinguishing success could be compromised. Overdosing causes the foam agent to be consumed quicker than meant, resulting in the untimely ending of the foam operation.
Increasing useful and failure safety due to increased testing intervals: An elevated check interval causes the proportioner to be examined absolutely automatically at shorter intervals of time. This notably reduces the chance of a failure remaining undetected for a longer period of time. In addition, extra frequent testing prevents the formation of deposits contained in the water motor.
Early fault detection and diagnostics: Faults in the proportioner or elements of the extinguishing system, instantly affecting the proportioner’s functionality, may be identified at an early stage of time. This contains, for instance, stress variations in the extinguishing water line or a jammed suction line.
Inclusion of all functions and advantages of the remote monitoring system: All capabilities and advantages of the remote monitoring system are additionally present in the distant testing system, i.e. all relevant operating parameters are recorded and processed repeatedly and correctly as well as documented in a log file. In addition, all data are displayed by a visualization.
Reduction of costs: Regular functional testing makes it possible to detect faults even earlier. This means, maintenance and repairs can happen before any more critical injury happens. The elevated performance and fault security of the proportioner ensures that the service life of the proportioners is maximized and the chance of a failure is minimized. As a end result, lowered service and operating workforce on-site cut back prices significantly, significantly if the proportioner is located in a remote place. In addition, functional testing of the proportioner permits early identification, analysis and probably limiting a fault remotely. This makes service visits extra efficient and due to this fact cheaper.
Summary and prospect
The remote monitoring system already provides various benefits and helps scale back costs, however it cannot cut back the workforce required on-site.
The distant testing system is a solution for decreasing maintenance necessities. It is the subsequent evolution in the midst of growing intelligent FireDos proportioners.
The remote testing system permits reducing the workforce required on-site to a minimum, along with shorter testing intervals and increased failure safety. This increases the proportioner’s service life.
If the proportioner is in a fault-free state, no further upkeep by personnel on-site is necessary, apart from an oil change. The oil change could be carried out by the operator’s personnel, too, easily and without any deeper data of the working principle of proportioners. If a service go to or restore should nonetheless turn into necessary, remote monitoring and early fault detection will make the planning and completion of such work extra environment friendly.
Like the remote monitoring system, the remote testing system is an optimum symbiosis of mechanical proportioners and an clever digital upgrade. Thus, the advantages from each know-how fields are combined with out compromising the performance of mechanical FireDos proportioners.
For more information, go to www.firedos.com
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