Regular testing and maintenance ensure a most service life and practical and failure-related security of technical home equipment. The same applies to foam-based hearth extinguishing methods 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 simpler and more cost-efficient for extinguishing system operators if this was attainable in a fully automatic and remote-controlled method. For instance, this would additionally make common upkeep personnel journey to remotely situated proportioners redundant. In addition, this may be sure that necessities by the producer, standards and sets of regulations are observed with none practical deviations and unsuitable time intervals.
The remote testing system inside 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 distant monitoring system
The distant monitoring system is used for proportioner monitoring in testing mode throughout upkeep and stay firefighting operations.
In the course of remote monitoring, the proportioning price and other operating parameters are determined, recorded and forwarded to the system operator if essential. Thus, the smooth functionality and operational readiness of the system are monitored and ensured this manner.
A distant monitoring system consists of a control system, together with an optionally available native display unit (HMI) if relevant, and sensor know-how. The sensor technology includes, at the least, the chance to find out the water motor’s variety of revolutions and to determine the foam agent flow fee. These values are used to calculate the proportioning rate. This figure is the core attribute through the operation and testing of a foam proportioner. Further sensor expertise is out there on an elective foundation.
The remote monitoring system helps the working and service personnel on-site. It is also suitable for remote monitoring of the froth proportioner.
However, it’s a primary proven reality that personnel are all the time necessary to carry out the upkeep work or the proportioning rate testing on-site because the system performs a monitoring function solely. It does not actively interact with the functioning of the proportioner.
In the course of remote monitoring, the proportioning price and different operating parameters are determined, displayed and forwarded. Images supplied by Author / Contributor
Evolution – from distant monitoring to remote testing
The query is the method to additional minimize the maintenance effort on foam proportioners.
The resolution lies within the distant testing system, the subsequent step of the clever FireDos proportioners. The remote testing system allows monitoring of the proportioner and individual maintenance, including proportioning rate testing.
The situation of the proportioner can be checked without having to begin up the fireplace extinguishing system. No personnel are required on-site. Proportioners in a distant place or that are only hardly ever inspected by personnel on-site can be checked with out maintenance employees and related expenses, such as travel expenditure. In specific, rising the testing interval is feasible with out extra efforts. The instruction handbook for FireDos proportioners requires common starting-up, utilizing the service crank manually at the least. This is meant to stop deposits inside the tools, impairing its ease of movement and thus conserving the proportioner’s functionality. The distant testing system can adopt these regular actions and check the proportioning fee, 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 distant monitoring system. It is, nonetheless, particularly extended by method of actuators. This is as a outcome of they permit the fully independent operation of the remote testing system; i.e., the proportioning fee of the proportioner is tested without activating the water pumps of the hearth extinguishing system.
The core elements embrace 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 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 functionality within the case of a fireplace. This method, the advantages of the mechanical proportioning precept are preserved.
How does the distant testing system work, and how can the proportioning fee be checked with out activating the water pumps?
If in ready-to-operate mode, the proportioner is at all times within the proportioning place. Upon initiation of an automated 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 native 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 isn’t 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 electrical drive of the proportioner is activated, driving the complete proportioner at its start-up move price. The start-up move rate is the bottom operating level of a proportioner to reach its nominal proportioning price.
Due to the external electrical drive, the water motor works like a pump and generates a water circulate 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 therefore not influenced when the proportioner is examined.
As the extinguishing water circulate price simulated by the exterior drive is also recognized due to the identified ratio of the water motor’s variety of revolutions and the water move fee, simply the foam agent move fee should be determined to allow the next calculation of the proportioning rate. This is completed by a volumetric circulate meter between the proportioning pump’s outlet and the ball valve, which switches between returning and proportioning mode. This permits determination of the froth agent circulate price, both in testing mode and whereas proportioning in case of an alarm.
The proportioning rate is determined based on the formulation as required within the standards and rules EN 13565-1, NFPA eleven, FM 4-12, and the Nordtest NT Fire 042 method.
Foam agent flow rate [l/min]
(Extinguishing water flow price x a hundred = proportioning price %+ foam agent circulate 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 additional option or inside the electric drive permits obtaining additional info 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 at the pump inlet/outlet and the pressure on the water motor are recorded. Finally, measuring the complete system’s torque and the flow price inside the bypass line permits checking the general condition of the proportioner.
The knowledge could be displayed regionally or via a cloud answer. Controlling the maintenance operation is also potential via each interfaces.
What if there may be an alarm during a testing process?
An essential query is: Does the proportioner work with none limitations and as traditional if there might be an alarm? The reply is: Yes!
Quadruple is designed in such a way that extinguishing water can circulate by way of the water motor and start it up at any time, even when the electrical drive is working on the similar time. In addition, a novel, fully automatic and purely mechanical decoupling mechanism ensures that the electrical drive doesn’t intervene with the proportioner’s functioning and readiness to function.
In case of an alarm, the ball valves in 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 functions not needed at that moment and all ball valves to be set to their correct position.
Therefore, in case of an alarm throughout testing operation, the ball valves change to their appropriate position fully automatically and the electrical drive is switched off. Even if the electric drive remains to be working or coming to a stop, the extinguishing water can circulate by way of the water motor and drive the proportioning pump without limitations. The alarm mode of the control system prevents re-activation of the electrical drive or any unintended ball valve switching.
What benefits does a distant testing system provide?
Compared with commonplace proportioners and people equipped with a remote monitoring system, a distant testing system provides various advantages. They characteristic the following:
ν Proportione
Display view for testing operation of the FireDos remote testing system. Images provided by Author / Contributor
cian should be on-site.
Regular proportioning rate testing: Regular proportioning price testing ensures optimum functioning of the proportioner in case of a fire. If the proportioning price is simply too low, the extinguishing success could be compromised. Overdosing causes the froth agent to be consumed faster than meant, resulting in the premature ending of the foam operation.
Increasing functional and failure security because of increased testing intervals: An elevated check interval causes the proportioner to be examined fully mechanically at shorter intervals of time. This notably reduces the risk of a failure remaining undetected for an extended time frame. In addition, more 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 recognized at an early stage of time. This consists of, for instance, pressure variations within the extinguishing water line or a jammed suction line.
Inclusion of all features and advantages of the distant monitoring system: All capabilities and advantages of the distant monitoring system are also present in the distant testing system, i.e. all related working parameters are recorded and processed continuously and appropriately in addition to documented in a log file. In addition, all knowledge are displayed by a visualization.
Reduction of costs: Regular useful testing makes it potential to detect faults even earlier. This way, maintenance and repairs can happen before any extra critical damage occurs. The elevated performance and fault security of the proportioner ensures that the service lifetime of the proportioners is maximized and the chance of a failure is minimized. As a result, decreased service and operating workforce on-site cut back prices significantly, notably if the proportioner is positioned in a distant place. In addition, practical testing of the proportioner permits early identification, evaluation and possibly limiting a fault remotely. This makes service visits extra environment friendly and subsequently more cost-effective.
Summary and prospect
The remote monitoring system already provides varied advantages and helps scale back costs, however it can’t cut back the workforce required on-site.
The remote testing system is a solution for lowering upkeep necessities. It is the following evolution in the midst of growing clever FireDos proportioners.
The remote testing system allows reducing the workforce required on-site to a minimal, 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 additional maintenance by personnel on-site is important, apart from an oil change. The oil change can be carried out by the operator’s personnel, too, simply and with none deeper information of the operating precept of proportioners. If a service go to or repair should still become essential, remote monitoring and early fault detection will make the planning and completion of such work more efficient.
Like the remote monitoring system, the remote testing system is an optimum symbiosis of mechanical proportioners and an intelligent electronic upgrade. Thus, the benefits from each technology fields are mixed without compromising the performance of mechanical FireDos proportioners.
For more information, go to www.firedos.com
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