Regular testing and upkeep ensure a most service life and useful and failure-related security of technical appliances. The identical applies to foam-based hearth 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 extra cost-efficient for extinguishing system operators if this was attainable in a fully computerized and remote-controlled manner. For instance, this would also make regular upkeep personnel journey to remotely positioned proportioners redundant. In pressure gauge nuova fima ราคา , this may be positive that necessities by the producer, standards and units of rules are observed with none functional deviations and unsuitable time intervals.
The remote testing system inside the ‘Smart Proportioner’ development framework has been created only for this purpose. It is an advancement 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 distant monitoring, the proportioning fee and different working parameters are decided, recorded and forwarded to the system operator if needed. Thus, the smooth performance and operational readiness of the system are monitored and ensured this manner.
A remote monitoring system consists of a control system, together with an optional local display unit (HMI) if relevant, and sensor expertise. The sensor expertise includes, at least, the chance to discover out the water motor’s number of revolutions and to find out the froth agent flow price. These values are used to calculate the proportioning fee. 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 helps the working and service personnel on-site. It can also be suitable for distant monitoring of the foam proportioner.
However, it is a primary incontrovertible truth that personnel are all the time necessary to carry out the maintenance work or the proportioning rate testing on-site as the system plays a monitoring position only. It doesn’t actively work together with the functioning of the proportioner.
In the course of remote monitoring, the proportioning price and other working parameters are decided, displayed and forwarded. Images supplied by Author / Contributor
Evolution – from distant monitoring to remote testing
The question is the method to additional minimize the upkeep effort on foam proportioners.
The resolution lies in 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, together with proportioning price testing.
The situation of the proportioner can be checked without having to start up the fire extinguishing system. No personnel are required on-site. Proportioners in a remote place or which are solely not often inspected by personnel on-site can be checked with out maintenance employees and associated bills, similar to journey expenditure. In specific, growing the testing interval is feasible with out extra efforts. The instruction handbook for FireDos proportioners requires regular starting-up, using the service crank manually at least. This is meant to stop deposits contained in the equipment, impairing its ease of motion and thus conserving the proportioner’s performance. The distant testing system can adopt these common movements and take a look at the proportioning rate, growing the service life and functional safety of the proportioner.
What is the design of a distant testing system?
The distant testing system is usually based upon the distant monitoring system. It is, nonetheless, particularly prolonged by method of actuators. This is as a outcome of they permit the fully unbiased operation of the remote testing system; i.e., the proportioning rate of the proportioner is examined without activating the water pumps of the fireplace extinguishing system.
The core components embrace a central control system, with an optionally available HMI, sensor expertise, 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 may have no interference with the proportioner’s performance in the case of a fireplace. This way, the advantages of the mechanical proportioning precept are preserved.
How does the distant 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 in the proportioning place. Upon initiation of an computerized testing course of, irrespective of if after a defined time interval, upon request via a cloud answer or from the fire extinguishing system/a local operator, the proportioner is put into testing operation. Specifically, the control system places the proportioner into testing operation utilizing an electrically actuated ball valve drive whereas the foam agent is not combined into the extinguishing water however returned to the foam 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 complete proportioner at its start-up circulate price. The start-up circulate price is the lowest working level of a proportioner to succeed in 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 subsequently not influenced when the proportioner is examined.
As the extinguishing water flow price simulated by the external drive can additionally be identified as a outcome of known ratio of the water motor’s number of revolutions and the water move price, simply the froth agent move price must be decided to permit the next calculation of the proportioning rate. This is done by a volumetric flow meter between the proportioning pump’s outlet and the ball valve, which switches between returning and proportioning mode. This allows willpower of the foam agent flow fee, both in testing mode and while proportioning in case of an alarm.
The proportioning fee is decided in accordance with 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 fee [l/min]
(Extinguishing water flow fee x one 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 know-how put in as an additional option or inside the electric drive permits obtaining further data and conclusions about the state and situation of the respective unit. It is checked, for instance, whether the ball valves are in their right positions or sufficient oil is in 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 move price contained in the bypass line permits checking the overall condition of the proportioner.
The knowledge could be displayed regionally or via a cloud resolution. Controlling the upkeep operation can additionally be potential by way of both interfaces.
What if there’s an alarm during a testing process?
An important query is: Does the proportioner work with none limitations and as ordinary if there’s an alarm? The answer is: Yes!
The distant testing system is designed in such a means that extinguishing water can move via the water motor and begin it up at any time, even if the electrical drive is working on the identical time. In addition, a singular, fully computerized and purely mechanical decoupling mechanism ensures that the electrical drive does not intervene with the proportioner’s functioning and readiness to operate.
In case of an alarm, the ball valves within 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 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 throughout testing operation, the ball valves swap to their right place absolutely mechanically and the electrical drive is switched off. Even if the electric drive continues to be operating or coming to a cease, the extinguishing water can move 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 standard proportioners and people geared up with a remote monitoring system, a remote testing system offers varied advantages. They characteristic the following:
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 fee testing ensures optimum functioning of the proportioner in case of a hearth. If the proportioning rate is too low, the extinguishing success could be compromised. Overdosing causes the foam agent to be consumed faster than meant, resulting in the premature ending of the froth operation.
Increasing useful and failure security because of increased testing intervals: An elevated check interval causes the proportioner to be tested absolutely automatically 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 contained in the water motor.
Early fault detection and diagnostics: Faults in the proportioner or parts of the extinguishing system, immediately affecting the proportioner’s functionality, may be identified at an early stage of time. This contains, for example, pressure variations in the extinguishing water line or a jammed suction line.
Inclusion of all features and benefits of the distant monitoring system: All capabilities and advantages of the remote monitoring system are also present in the remote testing system, i.e. all related operating parameters are recorded and processed constantly and accurately in addition to documented in a log file. In addition, all information are displayed by a visualization.
Reduction of prices: Regular functional testing makes it possible to detect faults even earlier. This way, upkeep and repairs can take place earlier than any extra severe damage occurs. The elevated performance and fault safety of the proportioner ensures that the service lifetime of the proportioners is maximized and the chance of a failure is minimized. As a end result, decreased service and operating workforce on-site cut back costs considerably, significantly if the proportioner is positioned in a remote place. In addition, practical testing of the proportioner permits early identification, evaluation and probably limiting a fault remotely. This makes service visits more environment friendly and due to this fact more cost-effective.
Summary and prospect
The distant monitoring system already provides varied advantages and helps scale back costs, but it can’t reduce the workforce required on-site.
The distant testing system is an answer for lowering maintenance necessities. It is the subsequent evolution in the midst of growing intelligent FireDos proportioners.
The distant testing system allows reducing 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, apart 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 operating precept of proportioners. If a service go to or restore should still turn out to be needed, 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 electronic improve. Thus, the benefits from each know-how fields are combined without compromising the performance of mechanical FireDos proportioners.
For more data, go to www.firedos.com
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