Regular testing and upkeep guarantee a maximum service life and practical and failure-related safety of technical appliances. The same applies to foam-based hearth extinguishing systems and the foam proportioners installed in them.
Up to now, such testing and maintenance have required the presence of personnel on-site. However, it might be easier and extra cost-efficient for extinguishing system operators if this was possible in a totally computerized and remote-controlled manner. For example, this may additionally make regular maintenance personnel journey to remotely positioned proportioners redundant. In addition, this is able to be sure that necessities by the manufacturer, requirements and sets of regulations are observed without any useful deviations and unsuitable time intervals.
The distant testing system throughout the ‘Smart Proportioner’ improvement framework has been created only for this purpose. It is an advancement of the remote 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 distant monitoring, the proportioning fee and other working parameters are decided, recorded and forwarded to the system operator if essential. Thus, the smooth performance and operational readiness of the system are monitored and ensured this way.
A distant monitoring system consists of a control system, including an elective local display unit (HMI) if relevant, and sensor expertise. The sensor know-how contains, at least, the possibility to discover out the water motor’s number of revolutions and to discover out the foam agent circulate rate. These values are used to calculate the proportioning price. This figure is the core attribute through the operation and testing of a foam proportioner. Further sensor know-how is on the market on an optional basis.
The distant monitoring system supports the working and repair personnel on-site. It can additionally be suitable for remote monitoring of the froth proportioner.
However, it is a primary fact that personnel are always needed to carry out the upkeep work or the proportioning price testing on-site as the system performs a monitoring role solely. It doesn’t actively work together with the functioning of the proportioner.
In ราคาเกจวัดแรงดันน้ำ of distant monitoring, the proportioning price and different working parameters are decided, displayed and forwarded. Images supplied by Author / Contributor
Evolution – from remote monitoring to remote testing
The query is the way to further decrease the maintenance effort on foam proportioners.
The resolution lies in the distant testing system, the subsequent step of the clever FireDos proportioners. The remote testing system allows monitoring of the proportioner and particular person maintenance, together with proportioning fee testing.
The condition 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 distant place or that are solely hardly ever inspected by personnel on-site can be checked with out upkeep workers and associated expenses, similar to journey expenditure. In particular, rising the testing interval is feasible with out extra efforts. The instruction manual for FireDos proportioners requires regular starting-up, utilizing the service crank manually at the least. This is intended to forestall deposits inside the equipment, 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 price, increasing the service life and practical safety of the proportioner.
What is the design of a remote testing system?
The remote testing system is generally primarily based upon the remote monitoring system. It is, nevertheless, significantly prolonged by the use of actuators. This is as a result of they permit the completely unbiased operation of the remote testing system; i.e., the proportioning price of the proportioner is examined without activating the water pumps of the fire extinguishing system.
The core components include a central control system, with an optionally available 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 functionality in the case of a fireplace. This means, the benefits 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 computerized testing course of, regardless of if after an outlined time interval, upon request by way of a cloud resolution or from the fireplace extinguishing system/a local operator, the proportioner is put into testing operation. Specifically, the control system places the proportioner into testing operation using an electrically actuated ball valve drive while the froth agent just isn’t mixed into the extinguishing water however returned to the froth agent tank. At the same time, it opens the electrically actuated ball valve within the bypass line previous the water motor. Next, the electrical drive of the proportioner is activated, driving the complete proportioner at its start-up move price. The start-up circulate rate is the lowest 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 circulate through the bypass from the water motor’s outlet to the water motor’s inlet. The operation causes no change of stress in the extinguishing water line. The fire extinguishing system is due to this fact not influenced when the proportioner is examined.
As the extinguishing water circulate rate simulated by the external drive can be identified because of the known ratio of the water motor’s variety of revolutions and the water circulate price, just the froth agent flow fee should be determined to allow the following calculation of the proportioning rate. This is done by a volumetric circulate meter between the proportioning pump’s outlet and the ball valve, which switches between returning and proportioning mode. This allows determination of the foam agent move fee, each in testing mode and while proportioning in case of an alarm.
The proportioning fee is decided according to the method as required within the standards and laws EN 13565-1, NFPA eleven, FM 4-12, and the Nordtest NT Fire 042 technique.
Foam agent circulate price [l/min]
(Extinguishing water flow fee x 100 = proportioning rate %+ foam agent move rate) [l/min]
After completion of the testing course of, the electrical drive of the proportioner stops, the bypass line is closed, and the proportioner is returned to proportioning mode.
Sensor know-how put in as an additional choice or inside the electric drive permits acquiring further data and conclusions concerning the state and situation of the respective unit. It is checked, for instance, whether the ball valves are in their correct positions or adequate oil is in the crankshaft housing of the proportioning pump. In addition, the stress values on the pump inlet/outlet and the stress at the water motor are recorded. Finally, measuring the complete system’s torque and the move price contained in the bypass line allows checking the overall condition of the proportioner.
The data could be displayed domestically or via a cloud answer. Controlling the upkeep operation is also attainable via both interfaces.
What if there’s an alarm during a testing process?
An important question is: Does the proportioner work without any limitations and as ordinary if there’s an alarm? The reply is: Yes!
The distant testing system is designed in such a way that extinguishing water can circulate via the water motor and begin it up at any time, even when the electrical drive is working on the same time. In addition, a singular, fully computerized 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 immediately 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 capabilities not essential at that moment and all ball valves to be set to their correct place.
Therefore, in case of an alarm during testing operation, the ball valves change to their correct position absolutely automatically and the electric drive is switched off. Even if the electrical drive is still running or coming to a cease, the extinguishing water can flow via the water motor and drive the proportioning pump without limitations. The alarm mode of the control system prevents re-activation of the electric drive or any unintended ball valve switching.
What advantages does a distant testing system provide?
Compared with standard proportioners and those equipped with a distant monitoring system, a remote testing system offers various advantages. They function the following:
ν Proportione
Display view for testing operation of the FireDos remote testing system. Images supplied 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 rate is simply too low, the extinguishing success may be compromised. Overdosing causes the froth agent to be consumed sooner than meant, resulting in the untimely ending of the froth operation.
Increasing practical and failure security because of increased testing intervals: An elevated take a look at interval causes the proportioner to be examined totally automatically at shorter intervals of time. This notably reduces the chance of a failure remaining undetected for an extended time period. In addition, more frequent testing prevents the formation of deposits inside the water motor.
Early fault detection and diagnostics: Faults in the proportioner or components of the extinguishing system, instantly affecting the proportioner’s performance, could be identified at an early stage of time. This includes, for instance, pressure variations in the extinguishing water line or a jammed suction line.
Inclusion of all capabilities and advantages of the distant monitoring system: All features and advantages of the remote monitoring system are also present in the distant testing system, i.e. all relevant operating parameters are recorded and processed constantly and accurately in addition to documented in a log file. In addition, all data are displayed by a visualization.
Reduction of prices: Regular useful testing makes it attainable to detect faults even earlier. This means, maintenance and repairs can take place before any more severe damage happens. The increased performance and fault security of the proportioner ensures that the service life of the proportioners is maximized and the likelihood of a failure is minimized. As a outcome, reduced service and working workforce on-site reduce costs significantly, particularly if the proportioner is positioned in a remote place. In addition, useful testing of the proportioner allows early identification, analysis and probably limiting a fault remotely. This makes service visits more efficient and subsequently more cost-effective.
Summary and prospect
The distant monitoring system already supplies various benefits and helps reduce costs, nevertheless it cannot reduce the workforce required on-site.
The remote testing system is an answer for lowering maintenance requirements. It is the following evolution in the midst of creating intelligent FireDos proportioners.
The remote testing system permits lowering the workforce required on-site to a minimum, together with shorter testing intervals and increased failure safety. This will increase the proportioner’s service life.
If the proportioner is in a fault-free state, no further upkeep by personnel on-site is critical, aside from an oil change. The oil change can be carried out by the operator’s personnel, too, easily and with none deeper knowledge of the working precept of proportioners. If a service visit or restore ought to still turn out to be essential, distant monitoring and early fault detection will make the planning and completion of such work extra efficient.
Like the distant monitoring system, the distant testing system is an optimum symbiosis of mechanical proportioners and an clever digital upgrade. Thus, the advantages from each technology fields are mixed with out compromising the performance of mechanical FireDos proportioners.
For extra info, go to www.firedos.com
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