Regular testing and maintenance ensure a maximum service life and functional and failure-related security of technical appliances. The similar applies to foam-based fireplace extinguishing techniques and the froth proportioners installed in them.
Up to now, such testing and maintenance have required the presence of personnel on-site. However, it will be simpler and more cost-efficient for extinguishing system operators if this was possible in a completely computerized and remote-controlled manner. For example, this is ready to also make common maintenance personnel travel to remotely situated proportioners redundant. In addition, this would be positive that necessities by the manufacturer, requirements and sets of rules are observed without any useful deviations and unsuitable time intervals.
The distant testing system throughout the ‘Smart Proportioner’ improvement framework has been created just for this purpose. It is an development of the distant monitoring system.
Brief overview of the distant monitoring system
The distant monitoring system is used for proportioner monitoring in testing mode throughout maintenance and stay firefighting operations.
In the course of remote monitoring, the proportioning price and different operating parameters are decided, recorded and forwarded to the system operator if essential. Thus, the smooth functionality and operational readiness of the system are monitored and ensured this way.
A remote monitoring system consists of a control system, together with an elective native show unit (HMI) if relevant, and sensor know-how. The sensor expertise contains, as a minimum, the possibility to discover out the water motor’s variety of revolutions and to discover out the foam agent circulate price. These values are used to calculate the proportioning rate. This determine is the core characteristic in the course of the operation and testing of a foam proportioner. Further sensor know-how is out there on an optionally available basis.
The distant monitoring system supports the operating and repair personnel on-site. It can additionally be suitable for distant monitoring of the froth proportioner.
However, it’s a fundamental fact that personnel are always necessary to hold out the maintenance work or the proportioning fee testing on-site because the system performs a monitoring position solely. It does not actively interact with the functioning of the proportioner.
In the course of distant monitoring, the proportioning price and other operating parameters are determined, displayed and forwarded. Images equipped by Author / Contributor
Evolution – from distant monitoring to distant testing
The query is how to additional decrease the upkeep effort on foam proportioners.
The answer lies in the remote testing system, the next step of the clever FireDos proportioners. The remote testing system permits monitoring of the proportioner and particular person maintenance, including proportioning rate testing.
The situation of the proportioner can be checked with out having to begin up the fireplace extinguishing system. No personnel are required on-site. Proportioners in a remote place or which are only not often inspected by personnel on-site could be checked with out upkeep staff and related bills, such as travel expenditure. In particular, increasing the testing interval is feasible with out additional efforts. The instruction handbook for FireDos proportioners requires regular starting-up, utilizing the service crank manually as a minimum. This is meant to prevent deposits contained in the gear, impairing its ease of movement and thus conserving the proportioner’s performance. The remote testing system can undertake these regular movements and take a look at the proportioning price, growing the service life and useful safety of the proportioner.
What is the design of a distant testing system?
The distant testing system is mostly based upon the distant monitoring system. It is, however, significantly extended by the use of actuators. This is as a end result of they enable the fully impartial operation of the remote testing system; i.e., the proportioning rate of the proportioner is examined without activating the water pumps of the fire extinguishing system.
The core elements embrace a central control system, with an optional HMI, sensor technology, electrical ball valve drives, an electrical drive for the proportioner and a bypass line past the water motor.
The connection of the electrical drive and the proportioner is designed so that the electrical drive could have no interference with the proportioner’s performance within the case of a fireplace. This way, some great advantages of the mechanical proportioning precept are preserved.
How does the remote testing system work, and the way can the proportioning rate be checked without activating the water pumps?
If in ready-to-operate mode, the proportioner is always in the proportioning position. Upon initiation of an automatic testing course of, regardless of if after a defined time interval, upon request through a cloud resolution or from the fireplace extinguishing system/a local operator, the proportioner is put into testing operation. Specifically, เพชเชอร์เกจ puts the proportioner into testing operation using an electrically actuated ball valve drive whereas the foam agent is not combined into the extinguishing water but returned to the froth agent tank. At the identical time, it opens the electrically actuated ball valve within the bypass line previous the water motor. Next, the electric drive of the proportioner is activated, driving the whole proportioner at its start-up circulate fee. The start-up circulate fee is the lowest working point of a proportioner to achieve its nominal proportioning rate.
Due to the exterior electrical drive, the water motor works like a pump and generates a water move via 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 fireplace extinguishing system is subsequently not influenced when the proportioner is examined.
As pressure gauge weksler ราคา simulated by the exterior drive can also be known because of the recognized ratio of the water motor’s number of revolutions and the water flow fee, simply the froth agent flow fee should be decided to permit the next calculation of the proportioning fee. This is finished by a volumetric move meter between the proportioning pump’s outlet and the ball valve, which switches between returning and proportioning mode. This permits dedication of the foam agent circulate rate, each in testing mode and whereas proportioning in case of an alarm.
The proportioning fee is decided in accordance with the formulation as required in the standards and regulations EN 13565-1, NFPA eleven, FM 4-12, and the Nordtest NT Fire 042 technique.
Foam agent flow rate [l/min]
(Extinguishing water circulate price x one hundred = proportioning price %+ foam agent circulate rate) [l/min]
After completion of the testing process, the electrical drive of the proportioner stops, the bypass line is closed, and the proportioner is returned to proportioning mode.
Sensor expertise installed as a further choice or inside the electric drive allows acquiring further information and conclusions about the state and condition of the respective unit. It is checked, for example, whether the ball valves are in their appropriate positions or enough oil is within the crankshaft housing of the proportioning pump. In addition, the strain values on the pump inlet/outlet and the pressure at the water motor are recorded. Finally, measuring the whole system’s torque and the circulate rate contained in the bypass line allows checking the overall condition of the proportioner.
The knowledge could be displayed domestically or by way of a cloud resolution. Controlling the maintenance operation can be potential via each interfaces.
What if there’s an alarm throughout a testing process?
An necessary query is: Does the proportioner work without any limitations and as usual if there is an alarm? The answer is: Yes!
The remote testing system is designed in such a way that extinguishing water can flow through the water motor and start it up at any time, even if the electrical drive is working on the same time. In addition, a singular, fully automated and purely mechanical decoupling mechanism ensures that the electrical drive doesn’t interfere with the proportioner’s functioning and readiness to function.
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 management system is put into alarm mode in this case. This alarm mode causes the disabling of all features not necessary at that second and all ball valves to be set to their appropriate position.
Therefore, in case of an alarm during testing operation, the ball valves swap to their correct place totally automatically and the electrical drive is switched off. Even if the electrical drive remains to be operating or coming to a stop, the extinguishing water can flow by way of the water motor and drive the proportioning pump without 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 normal proportioners and people outfitted with a distant monitoring system, a distant testing system offers varied advantages. They characteristic the next:
ν Proportione
Display view for testing operation of the FireDos remote testing system. Images provided by Author / Contributor
cian need to be on-site.
Regular proportioning price testing: Regular proportioning rate testing ensures optimum functioning of the proportioner in case of a hearth. If the proportioning fee is too low, the extinguishing success can be compromised. Overdosing causes the foam agent to be consumed sooner than supposed, leading to the untimely ending of the foam operation.
Increasing useful and failure security due to increased testing intervals: An elevated check interval causes the proportioner to be examined totally mechanically at shorter intervals of time. This notably reduces the chance of a failure remaining undetected for a longer time frame. In addition, more frequent testing prevents the formation of deposits inside the water motor.
Early fault detection and diagnostics: Faults in the proportioner or elements of the extinguishing system, instantly affecting the proportioner’s functionality, could be recognized at an early stage of time. This consists of, for example, pressure variations within the extinguishing water line or a jammed suction line.
Inclusion of all features and benefits of the remote monitoring system: All capabilities and advantages of the remote monitoring system are additionally present within the distant testing system, i.e. all relevant operating parameters are recorded and processed repeatedly and correctly in addition to documented in a log file. In addition, all information are displayed by a visualization.
Reduction of prices: Regular practical testing makes it attainable to detect faults even earlier. This method, upkeep and repairs can take place earlier than any more serious harm happens. The elevated functionality and fault security of the proportioner ensures that the service life of the proportioners is maximized and the probability of a failure is minimized. As a end result, reduced service and working workforce on-site cut back prices significantly, significantly if the proportioner is located in a distant place. In addition, functional testing of the proportioner permits early identification, analysis and presumably limiting a fault remotely. This makes service visits extra environment friendly and therefore more cost-effective.
Summary and prospect
The remote monitoring system already provides varied benefits and helps reduce costs, nevertheless it can not scale back the workforce required on-site.
The distant testing system is a solution for reducing upkeep requirements. It is the following evolution in the middle of creating clever FireDos proportioners.
The remote testing system allows reducing the workforce required on-site to a minimum, together with shorter testing intervals and elevated failure security. This increases the proportioner’s service life.
If the proportioner is in a fault-free state, no further maintenance by personnel on-site is necessary, aside from an oil change. The oil change can be carried out by the operator’s personnel, too, easily and without any deeper knowledge of the operating precept of proportioners. If a service go to or repair ought to nonetheless turn into needed, remote monitoring and early fault detection will make the planning and completion of such work more environment friendly.
Like the remote monitoring system, the distant testing system is an optimum symbiosis of mechanical proportioners and an clever digital upgrade. Thus, the benefits from both technology fields are combined without compromising the functionality of mechanical FireDos proportioners.
For extra data, go to www.firedos.com
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