Regular testing and upkeep guarantee a most service life and practical and failure-related security of technical appliances. The identical applies to foam-based hearth extinguishing techniques and the foam proportioners put in in them.
Up to now, such testing and upkeep have required the presence of personnel on-site. However, it might be easier and more cost-efficient for extinguishing system operators if this was attainable in a fully computerized and remote-controlled method. For example, this may also make regular maintenance personnel travel to remotely positioned proportioners redundant. In addition, this may ensure that necessities by the producer, standards and units of laws are observed with none useful deviations and unsuitable time intervals.
The remote testing system within the ‘Smart Proportioner’ growth framework has been created just for this objective. It is an advancement of the remote monitoring system.
เกจวัดแรงดันคือ 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 rate and other operating parameters are determined, recorded and forwarded to the system operator if needed. 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 show unit (HMI) if relevant, and sensor expertise. The sensor expertise contains, as a minimum, the possibility to determine the water motor’s variety of revolutions and to discover out the foam agent flow rate. These values are used to calculate the proportioning price. This determine is the core attribute in the course of the operation and testing of a foam proportioner. Further sensor know-how is available on an optionally available basis.
The distant monitoring system helps the working and service personnel on-site. It can also be appropriate for remote monitoring of the foam proportioner.
However, it is a basic incontrovertible reality that personnel are at all times essential to hold out the upkeep work or the proportioning fee testing on-site because the system performs a monitoring role solely. It does not actively work together with the functioning of the proportioner.
In the course of remote monitoring, the proportioning fee and other operating parameters are decided, displayed and forwarded. Images supplied by Author / Contributor
Evolution – from distant monitoring to remote testing
The query is the way to additional minimize the upkeep effort on foam proportioners.
The answer lies within the distant testing system, the following step of the clever FireDos proportioners. The remote testing system allows monitoring of the proportioner and individual maintenance, together with proportioning price testing.
The condition 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 that are only not often inspected by personnel on-site can be checked without maintenance employees and related expenses, corresponding to travel expenditure. In specific, rising the testing interval is feasible with out additional efforts. The instruction guide for FireDos proportioners requires common starting-up, utilizing the service crank manually as a minimum. This is intended to stop deposits contained in the equipment, impairing its ease of movement and thus conserving the proportioner’s performance. The remote testing system can adopt these regular movements and take a look at the proportioning rate, increasing the service life and useful safety of the proportioner.
What is the design of a distant testing system?
The distant testing system is generally primarily based upon the remote monitoring system. It is, nonetheless, significantly prolonged by method of actuators. This is as a outcome of they enable the fully independent operation of the distant testing system; i.e., the proportioning rate of the proportioner is tested without activating the water pumps of the hearth extinguishing system.
The core components embody a central management system, with an optional 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 will have no interference with the proportioner’s functionality within the case of a fire. This way, the advantages of the mechanical proportioning precept are preserved.
How does the remote testing system work, and how can the proportioning rate be checked without activating the water pumps?
If in ready-to-operate mode, the proportioner is at all times in the proportioning position. Upon initiation of an computerized testing course of, no matter if after a defined time interval, upon request by way of a cloud resolution or from the hearth extinguishing system/a native operator, the proportioner is put into testing operation. Specifically, the management system puts the proportioner into testing operation utilizing an electrically actuated ball valve drive whereas the froth agent isn’t blended 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 electric drive of the proportioner is activated, driving the complete proportioner at its start-up move fee. The start-up move rate is the lowest working point of a proportioner to reach its nominal proportioning rate.
Due to the external electrical drive, the water motor works like a pump and generates a water flow via the bypass from the water motor’s outlet to the water motor’s inlet. The operation causes no change of pressure in the extinguishing water line. The fireplace extinguishing system is therefore not influenced when the proportioner is tested.
As the extinguishing water circulate fee simulated by the external drive can be known as a end result of known ratio of the water motor’s number of revolutions and the water circulate fee, simply the foam agent circulate fee have to be determined to permit the following calculation of the proportioning price. This is completed by a volumetric flow 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 circulate rate, each in testing mode and while proportioning in case of an alarm.
The proportioning fee is set according to the formula as required in the standards and laws EN 13565-1, NFPA eleven, FM 4-12, and the Nordtest NT Fire 042 method.
Foam agent circulate rate [l/min]
(Extinguishing water circulate rate x a hundred = proportioning fee %+ 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 expertise installed as a further choice or inside the electric drive permits obtaining additional information and conclusions in regards to the state and condition of the respective unit. It is checked, for example, whether the ball valves are in their appropriate positions or enough oil is in the crankshaft housing of the proportioning pump. In addition, the stress values on the pump inlet/outlet and the strain on the water motor are recorded. Finally, measuring the entire system’s torque and the move price contained in the bypass line allows checking the general condition of the proportioner.
The data could be displayed locally or by way of a cloud answer. Controlling the upkeep operation can be potential through both interfaces.
What if there could be an alarm during a testing process?
An essential question is: Does the proportioner work without any limitations and as usual if there’s an alarm? The answer is: Yes!
The distant testing system is designed in such a means that extinguishing water can flow by way of the water motor and begin it up at any time, even when the electrical drive is working at the same time. In addition, a singular, fully automated and purely mechanical decoupling mechanism ensures that the electrical drive does not interfere with the proportioner’s functioning and readiness to function.
In case of an alarm, the ball valves within the bypass line and those 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 in this case. This alarm mode causes the disabling of all capabilities not needed at that moment and all ball valves to be set to their right place.
Therefore, in case of an alarm throughout testing operation, the ball valves switch to their correct place absolutely routinely and the electric drive is switched off. Even if the electrical drive is still working or coming to a cease, the extinguishing water can circulate by way of the water motor and drive the proportioning pump with out 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 normal proportioners and people geared up with a distant monitoring system, a remote testing system offers varied advantages. They characteristic the next:
ν Proportione
Display view for testing operation of the FireDos distant testing system. Images equipped by Author / Contributor
cian need to be on-site.
Regular proportioning fee testing: Regular proportioning fee testing ensures optimum functioning of the proportioner in case of a fire. If the proportioning rate is just too low, the extinguishing success could be compromised. Overdosing causes the foam agent to be consumed sooner than meant, leading to the premature ending of the froth operation.
Increasing useful and failure safety as a outcome of elevated testing intervals: An elevated check interval causes the proportioner to be tested 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 contained in the water motor.
Early fault detection and diagnostics: Faults within the proportioner or components of the extinguishing system, immediately affecting the proportioner’s performance, may be identified at an early stage of time. This consists of, for example, stress variations within the extinguishing water line or a jammed suction line.
Inclusion of all features and advantages of the distant monitoring system: All functions and advantages of the distant monitoring system are also current in the distant testing system, i.e. all related operating parameters are recorded and processed constantly and appropriately in addition to documented in a log file. In addition, all knowledge are displayed by a visualization.
Reduction of costs: Regular functional testing makes it potential to detect faults even earlier. This way, maintenance and repairs can take place earlier than any more critical injury happens. 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 outcome, reduced service and working workforce on-site scale back prices considerably, notably if the proportioner is situated in a distant place. In addition, useful testing of the proportioner permits early identification, evaluation and possibly limiting a fault remotely. This makes service visits extra environment friendly and subsequently cheaper.
Summary and prospect
The remote monitoring system already supplies varied advantages and helps reduce prices, but it can’t reduce the workforce required on-site.
The distant testing system is an answer for decreasing upkeep necessities. It is the following evolution in the middle of creating clever FireDos proportioners.
The remote testing system allows lowering the workforce required on-site to a minimum, together with shorter testing intervals and elevated failure security. This will increase the proportioner’s service life.
If the proportioner is in a fault-free state, no further maintenance by personnel on-site is important, aside from an oil change. The oil change can be carried out by the operator’s personnel, too, simply and with none deeper knowledge of the working precept of proportioners. If a service go to or repair ought to nonetheless become necessary, remote monitoring and early fault detection will make the planning and completion of such work more environment friendly.
Like the distant monitoring system, the remote testing system is an optimum symbiosis of mechanical proportioners and an intelligent digital improve. Thus, the benefits from each expertise fields are combined without compromising the performance of mechanical FireDos proportioners.
For extra info, go to www.firedos.com
Share