Regular testing and upkeep guarantee a maximum service life and useful and failure-related security of technical home equipment. The similar applies to foam-based fire extinguishing techniques 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 easier and more cost-efficient for extinguishing system operators if this was possible in a fully computerized and remote-controlled method. For instance, this is ready to also make common maintenance personnel journey to remotely positioned proportioners redundant. In addition, this may make sure that requirements by the producer, standards and sets of laws are observed without any functional deviations and unsuitable time intervals.
The distant testing system throughout the ‘Smart Proportioner’ development framework has been created only for this objective. It is an development of the distant monitoring system.
Brief overview of the remote monitoring system
The remote monitoring system is used for proportioner monitoring in testing mode throughout upkeep and live firefighting operations.
In the course of distant monitoring, the proportioning rate and different working parameters are decided, recorded and forwarded to the system operator if essential. 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 local show unit (HMI) if applicable, and sensor know-how. The sensor expertise contains, at least, the likelihood to determine the water motor’s number of revolutions and to determine the froth agent move fee. These values are used to calculate the proportioning rate. This figure is the core characteristic during the operation and testing of a foam proportioner. Further sensor expertise is available on an optional foundation.
The remote monitoring system helps the operating and repair personnel on-site. It can be appropriate for distant monitoring of the froth proportioner.
However, it is a basic proven reality that personnel are all the time necessary to hold out the upkeep work or the proportioning rate testing on-site as the system plays a monitoring role solely. It does not actively work together with the functioning of the proportioner.
In the course of distant monitoring, the proportioning rate and different working parameters are decided, displayed and forwarded. Images equipped by Author / Contributor
Evolution – from remote monitoring to distant testing
The query is the method to additional minimize the upkeep effort on foam proportioners.
The answer lies within the remote testing system, the next step of the clever FireDos proportioners. The distant testing system permits monitoring of the proportioner and particular person maintenance, including proportioning fee testing.
The situation of the proportioner could be checked without having to begin out up the hearth extinguishing system. No personnel are required on-site. Proportioners in a distant place or which might be only not often inspected by personnel on-site could be checked without maintenance staff and associated bills, corresponding to travel expenditure. In particular, growing the testing interval is possible with out extra efforts. The instruction guide for FireDos proportioners requires regular starting-up, using the service crank manually as a minimum. This is intended to stop deposits contained in the tools, impairing its ease of movement and thus conserving the proportioner’s functionality. The distant testing system can undertake these common actions and test the proportioning fee, rising the service life and practical safety of the proportioner.
What is the design of a remote testing system?
The remote testing system is usually based mostly upon the remote monitoring system. It is, nonetheless, particularly extended by the use of actuators. This is as a result of they permit the utterly 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 hearth extinguishing system.
The core components embrace a central management system, with an elective HMI, sensor expertise, 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 so that the electrical drive will have no interference with the proportioner’s performance in the case of a fireplace. This means, the advantages of the mechanical proportioning principle are preserved.
How does the remote testing system work, and how can the proportioning fee be checked without activating the water pumps?
If in ready-to-operate mode, the proportioner is always within the proportioning place. Upon initiation of an automated testing course of, no matter if after a defined time interval, upon request via a cloud solution or from the fireplace extinguishing system/a native operator, the proportioner is put into testing operation. Specifically, the management system places the proportioner into testing operation using an electrically actuated ball valve drive whereas the froth agent is not combined into the extinguishing water but returned to the froth agent tank. At the same time, it opens the electrically actuated ball valve within the bypass line past the water motor. Next, the electric drive of the proportioner is activated, driving the whole proportioner at its start-up circulate rate. The start-up flow price is the bottom operating level 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 move by way of 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 hearth extinguishing system is subsequently not influenced when the proportioner is tested.
As the extinguishing water flow fee simulated by the exterior drive is also identified due to the known ratio of the water motor’s number of revolutions and the water move rate, just the froth agent circulate fee have to be determined to allow the following calculation of the proportioning fee. 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. เกจ์วัดแรงดันน้ำ allows dedication of the froth agent circulate rate, each in testing mode and while proportioning in case of an alarm.
The proportioning price is set according to the formula as required in the standards and rules EN 13565-1, NFPA eleven, FM 4-12, and the Nordtest NT Fire 042 technique.
Foam agent move rate [l/min]
(Extinguishing water flow rate x 100 = proportioning price %+ foam agent flow 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 technology installed as a further choice or inside the electrical drive permits acquiring additional info and conclusions about the state and situation of the respective unit. It is checked, for example, whether the ball valves are of their correct 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 stress at the water motor are recorded. Finally, measuring the whole system’s torque and the circulate fee contained in the bypass line permits checking the final condition of the proportioner.
The data may be displayed regionally or via a cloud resolution. Controlling the upkeep operation is also attainable by way of both interfaces.
What if there is an alarm during a testing process?
An necessary question 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 move by way of the water motor and begin it up at any time, even if the electrical drive is working on the identical time. In เกจวัดแรงดันpressuregauge , a unique, fully automatic and purely mechanical decoupling mechanism ensures that the electrical drive doesn’t intrude 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 in order that the proportioner is in proportioning mode for firefighting. Thus, the management system is put into alarm mode on this case. This alarm mode causes the disabling of all features not essential 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 change to their right place totally mechanically and the electric drive is switched off. Even if the electric drive is still working or coming to a stop, the extinguishing water can flow 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 advantages does a distant testing system provide?
Compared with normal proportioners and those equipped with a distant monitoring system, a remote testing system provides numerous advantages. They feature the next:
ν Proportione
Display view for testing operation of the FireDos remote testing system. Images supplied by Author / Contributor
cian should 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 price is too low, the extinguishing success can be compromised. Overdosing causes the foam agent to be consumed quicker than intended, resulting in the premature ending of the foam operation.
Increasing practical and failure safety as a outcome of increased testing intervals: An increased check interval causes the proportioner to be examined fully routinely at shorter intervals of time. This notably reduces the danger of a failure remaining undetected for an extended time period. In addition, extra 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, immediately affecting the proportioner’s performance, can be identified at an early stage of time. This includes, for instance, stress variations within the extinguishing water line or a jammed suction line.
Inclusion of all functions and benefits of the remote monitoring system: All capabilities and benefits of the remote monitoring system are also current within the remote testing system, i.e. all relevant operating parameters are recorded and processed constantly and correctly in addition to documented in a log file. In addition, all data are displayed by a visualization.
Reduction of costs: Regular useful testing makes it attainable to detect faults even earlier. This method, upkeep and repairs can take place earlier than any extra serious damage occurs. The elevated functionality and fault safety of the proportioner ensures that the service life of the proportioners is maximized and the likelihood of a failure is minimized. As a result, decreased service and working workforce on-site reduce prices significantly, notably if the proportioner is situated in a distant place. In addition, useful testing of the proportioner permits early identification, analysis and possibly limiting a fault remotely. This makes service visits more environment friendly and due to this fact less expensive.
Summary and prospect
The distant monitoring system already offers numerous advantages and helps scale back prices, however it can not cut back the workforce required on-site.
The remote testing system is a solution for lowering maintenance requirements. It is the subsequent evolution in the center of developing clever FireDos proportioners.
The remote testing system allows lowering the workforce required on-site to a minimum, 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 important, other than an oil change. The oil change could be carried out by the operator’s personnel, too, easily and with none deeper information of the operating principle of proportioners. If a service visit or restore should nonetheless turn out to be essential, remote monitoring and early fault detection will make the planning and completion of such work extra environment friendly.
Like the remote monitoring system, the distant testing system is an optimum symbiosis of mechanical proportioners and an clever digital improve. Thus, the advantages from both know-how fields are combined with out compromising the performance of mechanical FireDos proportioners.
For more data, go to www.firedos.com
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