Water mist expertise remains to be a relatively new idea when it comes to fireplace suppression, yet it’s proving to be an exciting development within the business. As the trade evolves, so do the rules, legal guidelines and necessities to be able to improve safety and allow development. These can range largely from nation to country, and even area to area.
The means during which a water mist system operates is a similar mechanism to the standard sprinkler system in that the nozzles are often activated via a bulb which blows at a selected temperature permitting for the activation of the mist through a low-pressure water piping system.
Here we have a look at how some water mist nozzles are produced and installed – from arriving as a big ‘bar’ of metallic, to changing into the efficient water mist nozzles we see installed in plenty of new projects/developments across a lot of the globe today.
The metallic arrives for slicing
Here at Dual Mist Ltd, Stainless Steel 304 is used for a lot of elements as it is extremely sturdy and corrosion resistant compared to other related metals. The physique is machined out of Brass CZ121, which arrives as massive bars of steel which are delivered to the warehouse in 3m lengths. This is then minimize into two smaller elements able to insert into the machine. Not all water mist corporations have the flexibility to machine the components they require in-house though it can prove very useful for cost and manufacturing purposes as we are about to see.
Machining
The metal is fed to a Nakamura WT150 CNC lathe. This high-performance Japanese machine software is equipped with carbide tooling and high-pressure by way of coolant methods, with the twin-spindle and twin-turret making haste of the otherwise complicated components. A Citizen M532 Sliding Head Lathe is used for the smaller components.
A Citizen L12 also makes the filters with a functionality of drilling 365 holes in fifty one seconds, completely automated – this means it can turnover an unbelievable four,000 filters in a weekend completely unmanned.
The brass heads are additionally de-burred on the machine, removing all sharp edges before being polished and sent for Electroless Nickel Plating. This offers a corrosion-proof coating to the brass, enabling it to turn out to be much more sturdy. All elements are then inspected for dimensional accuracy before the meeting stage.
This Technifor Laser machine engraves every nozzle in preparation for the testing stages.
Assembly
There are many small components of varied shapes and sizes that make up the nozzle – In the DM4R nozzle, (as seen on the leak-testing pic) there are a complete of 13 components or ‘components’. These components are then meticulously put together and assembled by the production team requiring a fair quantity of labour earlier than the ultimate product is achieved. Various levels embrace tightening with specially adapted tools, urgent utilizing a hand-press and using a selected ‘Locktite’ formulation at some stages which is a threadlock that prevents fixings from coming free during the operational lifetime of the product. The final stage of meeting is rigorously loading the bulb and making use of the correct load to it using a torque wrench.
The assembled nozzles are then positioned on one other machine so as to be labelled and uniquely recognized using a serial number. At เกจวัดแรงดัน250bar Ltd that is carried out on a Technifor Laser Engraver fitted with a 4th axis unit before they are able to be positioned via the varied phases of testing.
Testing
Cull Testing
Also often known as bubble testing in layman’s phrases, this test is to make sure no injury has occurred to the bulb during meeting and is a important take a look at for LPCB approval. The test entails using a high-powered microscope to measure the size of the bubble in each bulb earlier than inserting in heat water so as to shrink the scale of the bubble to nothing. Once this is checked, the nozzles are then left to rest and return to room temperature before the bubble is measured once again to have the ability to ensure it has returned to the unique size inside a small tolerance.
Leak Testing
Every nozzle can be stringently tested for leaks by applying 24-bar stress for 1 hour and making certain no water has escaped. It is rare for any leaks on the manufacturing line, however that is an especially vital stage of the testing as leaks may occur if filth is trapped throughout the seal face.
Activation Testing
On a month-to-month foundation, random nozzles are additionally examined for activation by placing the nozzle on a strain jig at various pressures and applying heat to the bulbs. The nozzles should all activate cleanly throughout the whole stress vary specified to that nozzle.
A member of the production team makes use of a microscope and software program to determine the dimensions of every bubble in the bulb.
Approvals
At Dual Mist Ltd, these tests are not simply to assure the quality of the manufacturing line but are also an necessary a half of the LPCB Approval. These approvals enable clients to recognise that the merchandise they’re shopping for are made to the best attainable quality normal in the region.
The drawback to that is that the Approval Testing system could be each pricey and time-consuming – sometimes needing to be booked a quantity of months upfront and requiring years of hard work to realize.
The nozzles produced by Dual Mist have been put through their paces at BRE Global in phrases of both hearth testing and component/type approval.
Tamper proofing
In order to make sure that no person is tempted to interfere with the grub screw holding the bulb, a small plastic bung is pressed into the grub screw. The pressure load setting on the bulb is then subsequently mounted.
The nozzles are then able to be packaged and despatched off for installation.
Here is an instance of a control panel having been installed in The Claridges Hotel, London, UK. This is where the system is operated.
Installation
Rather than having to make use of the heavy and labour-intensive metallic pipes typically used in high-pressure systems, low-pressure water techniques can use CPVC piping. This is a special sort of fire-resistant plastic enabling quick installation. Instead of threading every pipe, a heated glue can be utilized to rapidly construct giant pipe networks. These networks are accredited to deal with up to 12 bar stress. The nozzles are screwed into a special pipe adaptor utilizing a half-inch gasoline becoming.
An electrical control panel is fitted for the system management along with pumps and a water tank, often with a mains feed.
The system is examined, signed off and handed over to the client.
The last product as quickly as put in. This shows how we anticipate to see the nozzles as soon as a challenge has been accomplished.
Conclusion
As we are able to see there are many levels to go from metal to nozzle head with every nozzle taking a big effort by numerous professionals to finish to the approved normal.
Not only do water mist nozzles require multiple phases of machining and assembling, they want to also undergo a string of exams in order to be accredited for set up. Once put in, there are even further exams undergone, typically by third-party organisations to guarantee that the entire fireplace suppression system to lastly be handed over to the consumer.
Water mist technology assures security, high quality and assurance via the stringent testing that is required.
With the current publication of water mist standards, significantly in Britain over current years, building builders can now be assured that the quality required for water mist methods is now at an equivalent standard to different suppression systems.
For more info, go to www.dualmist.com
Share this:
Share