Regular testing and upkeep guarantee a most service life and functional and failure-related safety of technical home equipment. The identical applies to foam-based fireplace extinguishing systems and the froth proportioners put in in them.
Up to now, such testing and maintenance have required the presence of personnel on-site. However, it might be easier and more cost-efficient for extinguishing system operators if this was potential in a fully computerized and remote-controlled manner. For example, this is ready to also make common maintenance personnel journey to remotely positioned proportioners redundant. In addition, this would make sure that necessities by the producer, standards and sets of laws are observed without any practical deviations and unsuitable time intervals.
The remote testing system throughout the ‘Smart Proportioner’ improvement framework has been created only for this function. It is an advancement of the remote monitoring system.
Brief overview of the remote monitoring system
The distant monitoring system is used for proportioner monitoring in testing mode during upkeep and stay firefighting operations.
In the course of remote monitoring, the proportioning fee and different operating parameters are decided, recorded and forwarded to the system operator if necessary. Thus, the sleek performance and operational readiness of the system are monitored and ensured this way.
A remote monitoring system consists of a control system, including an optionally available native display unit (HMI) if relevant, and sensor know-how. The sensor technology includes, as a minimum, the possibility to determine the water motor’s number of revolutions and to determine the froth agent flow rate. These values are used to calculate the proportioning rate. This determine is the core attribute during the operation and testing of a foam proportioner. Further sensor expertise is out there on an optionally available foundation.
The remote monitoring system supports the operating and service personnel on-site. เกจวัดแรงดันน้ำไทวัสดุ is also suitable for distant monitoring of the froth proportioner.
However, it is a basic fact that personnel are all the time needed to hold out the upkeep work or the proportioning rate testing on-site as the system performs a monitoring function only. It does not actively interact with the functioning of the proportioner.
In the course of distant monitoring, the proportioning rate and other operating parameters are determined, displayed and forwarded. Images provided by Author / Contributor
Evolution – from distant monitoring to distant testing
The question is tips on how to additional decrease the upkeep effort on foam proportioners.
The resolution lies within the remote testing system, the following step of the clever FireDos proportioners. The distant testing system allows monitoring of the proportioner and particular person maintenance, together with proportioning price testing.
The situation of the proportioner may be checked without having to start up the hearth extinguishing system. No personnel are required on-site. Proportioners in a distant place or which are only not often inspected by personnel on-site can be checked with out maintenance employees and associated expenses, similar to travel expenditure. In particular, increasing the testing interval is feasible without extra efforts. The instruction guide for FireDos proportioners requires regular starting-up, utilizing the service crank manually at least. This is meant to prevent deposits contained in the equipment, impairing its ease of movement and thus conserving the proportioner’s performance. The distant testing system can undertake these regular actions and check the proportioning rate, increasing the service life and useful security of the proportioner.
What is the design of a remote testing system?
The distant testing system is mostly primarily based upon the remote monitoring system. It is, nonetheless, particularly extended by way of actuators. This is as a outcome of they allow the completely independent operation of the distant testing system; i.e., the proportioning price of the proportioner is tested with out activating the water pumps of the fire extinguishing system.
The core components include a central management system, with an optional 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 hearth. This means, the advantages of the mechanical proportioning precept are preserved.
How does the remote testing system work, and how can the proportioning rate be checked with out activating the water pumps?
If in ready-to-operate mode, the proportioner is always in the proportioning position. Upon initiation of an computerized testing course of, no matter if after an outlined time interval, upon request by way of a cloud resolution or from the fireplace extinguishing system/a native 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 is not combined into the extinguishing water however returned to the froth agent tank. At the same time, it opens the electrically actuated ball valve in the bypass line past the water motor. Next, the electrical drive of the proportioner is activated, driving the entire proportioner at its start-up circulate fee. The start-up circulate price is the lowest operating point of a proportioner to achieve its nominal proportioning fee.
Due to the exterior electrical drive, the water motor works like a pump and generates a water move through 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 flow fee simulated by the external drive can be identified because of the known ratio of the water motor’s number of revolutions and the water circulate price, simply the foam agent move fee have to be determined to allow the following calculation of the proportioning rate. This is completed by a volumetric move meter between the proportioning pump’s outlet and the ball valve, which switches between returning and proportioning mode. This permits determination of the foam agent move rate, both in testing mode and whereas proportioning in case of an alarm.
The proportioning fee is decided in accordance with the method as required within the requirements and regulations EN 13565-1, NFPA eleven, FM 4-12, and the Nordtest NT Fire 042 technique.
Foam agent move rate [l/min]
(Extinguishing water flow fee x a hundred = proportioning fee %+ foam agent flow rate) [l/min]
After completion of the testing course of, the electric drive of the proportioner stops, the bypass line is closed, and the proportioner is returned to proportioning mode.
Sensor technology put in as an extra option or inside the electrical drive allows acquiring further information and conclusions in regards to the state and situation of the respective unit. It is checked, for example, whether the ball valves are in their appropriate positions or adequate oil is in the crankshaft housing of the proportioning pump. In addition, the pressure values on the pump inlet/outlet and the pressure on the water motor are recorded. Finally, measuring the whole system’s torque and the move fee contained in the bypass line permits checking the final situation of the proportioner.
The knowledge may be displayed regionally or via a cloud solution. Controlling the upkeep operation is also possible by way of each interfaces.
What if there is an alarm during a testing process?
An necessary query is: Does the proportioner work with none limitations and as usual if there’s an alarm? The reply is: Yes!
The distant testing system is designed in such a way that extinguishing water can flow by way of the water motor and start it up at any time, even when the electrical drive is working at the same time. In addition, a singular, absolutely automated and purely mechanical decoupling mechanism ensures that the electrical drive doesn’t interfere with the proportioner’s functioning and readiness to operate.
In case of an alarm, the ball valves in the bypass line and those for switching between returning and proportioning are immediately 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 functions not essential at that moment and all ball valves to be set to their correct place.
Therefore, in case of an alarm throughout testing operation, the ball valves swap to their correct place totally automatically and the electric drive is switched off. Even if the electrical drive remains to be running or coming to a cease, the extinguishing water can circulate through the water motor and drive the proportioning pump without limitations. The alarm mode of the management system prevents re-activation of the electrical drive or any unintended ball valve switching.
What advantages does a remote testing system provide?
Compared with commonplace proportioners and people equipped with a distant monitoring system, a distant testing system provides various benefits. They function the following:
ν Proportione
Display view for testing operation of the FireDos distant testing system. Images equipped by Author / Contributor
cian have to be on-site.
Regular proportioning rate testing: Regular proportioning rate testing ensures optimum functioning of the proportioner in case of a fireplace. If the proportioning fee is simply too low, the extinguishing success could be compromised. Overdosing causes the foam agent to be consumed faster than supposed, resulting in the premature ending of the foam operation.
Increasing functional and failure security as a outcome of increased testing intervals: An elevated test interval causes the proportioner to be examined absolutely automatically at shorter intervals of time. This notably reduces the danger of a failure remaining undetected for an extended period of time. In addition, extra frequent testing prevents the formation of deposits contained in the water motor.
Early fault detection and diagnostics: Faults within the proportioner or components of the extinguishing system, instantly affecting the proportioner’s functionality, may be recognized at an early stage of time. This consists of, for example, strain variations in the extinguishing water line or a jammed suction line.
Inclusion of all capabilities and advantages of the distant monitoring system: All capabilities and advantages of the remote monitoring system are also current within the distant testing system, i.e. all relevant operating parameters are recorded and processed constantly and correctly as properly 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 method, maintenance and repairs can take place before any more critical harm occurs. The increased performance and fault safety of the proportioner ensures that the service lifetime of the proportioners is maximized and the likelihood of a failure is minimized. As a end result, reduced service and operating workforce on-site cut back costs significantly, notably if the proportioner is situated in a distant place. In addition, practical testing of the proportioner allows early identification, analysis and possibly limiting a fault remotely. This makes service visits more efficient and due to this fact less expensive.
Summary and prospect
The remote monitoring system already offers various benefits and helps reduce prices, but it can’t reduce the workforce required on-site.
The remote testing system is a solution for decreasing upkeep necessities. It is the following evolution in the course of developing intelligent FireDos proportioners.
The remote testing system allows lowering the workforce required on-site to a minimal, together with shorter testing intervals and increased 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, other than an oil change. The oil change may be carried out by the operator’s personnel, too, easily and without any deeper information of the working principle of proportioners. If a service go to or repair ought to still 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 remote testing system is an optimum symbiosis of mechanical proportioners and an intelligent digital improve. Thus, the benefits from both expertise fields are combined with out compromising the functionality of mechanical FireDos proportioners.
For more information, go to www.firedos.com
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