Signaling horn with LED lights wireless

Innovative Audible & Visual Solution Optimizes Safety in Large-Scale Plants

Industrial Concepts partners with Pfannenberg to create an innovative wireless audible & visual alarm safety solution.

Overview

Industrial Concepts, Inc. of South Carolina has partnered with Pfannenberg USA, a leading manufacturer of thermal management and audible/visual alarms, to develop an innovative signaling solution for large-scale plants. This fully wireless solution uses Pfannenberg’s audible and visual alarms to integrate into existing automated alert systems. The elimination of plant-wide re-wiring means lower costs upon installation as well as in future maintenance.

The Need for an Innovative Solution

A global food company needed a new employee notification system for a large, existing processing plant and turned to Industrial Concepts, Inc. for an innovative solution. Industrial Concepts paired a wireless Hitachi (ABB) radio with visual and audible alarms from Pfannenberg to deliver a flexible, effective system with up to a 60% cost savings over traditional methods. This new system ensures all plant employees are alerted to chemical, weather, active shooter, or fire situations with both visual and audible warnings.

When initiating the project, the new system needed to integrate with the existing fire system while minimizing the retrofit cost. It was quickly identified that wiring a million square foot facility to provide adequate coverage to all the staff was a major roadblock. So Industrial Concepts paired the wireless Hitachi 900 MHz radio with Pfannenberg’s easy to install, Patrol PA 20 Sounder to develop a wireless solution, eliminating a complete re-wiring.

A prototype was created using wireless radios primarily found in the oilfield drilling industry, because of their ability to provide great radio signal penetration through buildings, concrete walls, and other physical barriers. These radios were paired with Pfannenberg’s customizable PA 20 Sounders that provide up to 80 different alarm tones at a 120 dB sound pressure level. Using this prototype, the plant was surveyed by specialists, checking wireless signals and audible sound levels throughout the entirety of the space.

To satisfy the visual alarm requirements, initially a 24-48 LED light bar was added because the display color could change depending on the emergency, however it was determined that this LED option was too soft a light and not ideal for this application.

Iterating the Solution

Industrial Concepts determined using four-color light panels (compared to one light with four combinations) would be more beneficial for large, loud environments. This proved to be a fitting solution, and the current hardware of this audible and visual alarm system utilizes the Pfannenberg PA 20 Sounder and the four-color combined PYRA PY X-S strobes.

The strobes enabled more perceptible light reflections and higher visibility throughout the plant. Compared to the LEDs, which catch attention if you’re looking in their direction, the strobe effect provides a flash that bounces off equipment and walls. This demands the attention of plant personnel, even if they’re not looking directly at the lights. The PY X-S strobe uses Pfannenberg-exclusive xenon flash technology, operating at 60 flashes per minute, and has an 8 million flash service life, functioning in any climate.

Situational light differentiation is as follows:

  • Chemical alert – Yellow
  • Weather alert – Blue
  • Active Shooter alert – Red
  • Fire alert – White

To prevent confusion with the existing fire alarm strobes, this color sequencing above was used.

Each alarm event has a different horn tone to provide further situational information. In a plant where workers may speak many different languages, having a voice-over through the speaker system isn’t as beneficial or inclusive. This solution was initially developed for meat processing facilities, where background noise can get up to 110 dB. Pfannenberg’s 120 dB sounders are used to ensure the alarm cuts through that noise.

To handle the intelligence side of the solution Industrial Concepts uses an ABB Compact 800 System. This enables the distribution of alerts based on the situation and allows the plant to have more control over the dissemination of information, only alerting who is necessary. With more specified alerts, plants can diminish the number of evacuations for each emergency, resulting in less down time.

This radio, strobe, and horn combination is the solution Industrial Concepts continues to put out today. This Pfannnenberg enabled solution allowed Industrial Concepts to take advantage of the readily available infrastructure and it is extremely flexible to each plant.

In-plant Processes

This specific system requires manual operation, but its flexibility allows it to be integrated with other automated systems. For example, integrating a fire system into the Industrial Concepts system allows both systems to be activated by a single manual switch. Another installation example featured integration of a company’s automated chemical detection system with the Industrial Concepts system.

System interface process panels are housed in designated areas throughout the plants and feature touch screen switches. Most plants have security guards who can activate the system at any time, but if any personnel witness an emergency situation, they can activate the system as well.

Each plant determines its own rules, but generally if someone sets the system off, an employee at the supervisory level must reset it. This ensures important data, such as alert location, isn’t lost. Each area of the plant has an alphanumeric designation, so Industrial Concepts can determine where signals come from and log them.

Benefits of the Signaling Alarm Solution

Efficacy, flexibility, and lower cost are all key benefits of the signaling solution. The combination of strobe lights and the sheer variety of alarm tones make for impactful alerting and messaging, demanding employee attention and providing key information despite potential language barriers. The radios that are used in the system are typically for heavy use applications and therefore offer the utmost reliability. These radios are fully adjustable, meaning the amplitude can be altered to work on a narrower spectrum. The system enclosures that protect the radios and other electronics to the signaling devices are TYPE 4X UL Certified to ensure Washdown capabilities, making them functional in any environment.

With a fully wireless system, plants can save hundreds of thousands of feet in wiring. Industrial Concepts branches into local power circuits and has developed systems to maintain power, even in the face of total power loss. It is 3-4x more costly to use a hard-wired system. For any industry or plant with high volumes of people and noise, finding an efficient and cost-reductive way to notify them can prove to be difficult. This is a solution that’s especially inexpensive for larger sites. Plus, while OSHA requires 15 minutes of run time for emergency systems, this system offers 2-3 hours of uptime even when power is not available.

For plants with a fiber optic infrastructure in place, it’s possible to build the same system with a combination of wireless and fiber infrastructure. In these cases, the same horns and lights are utilized, but with fewer radios. Spare fiber optic strands that are not in use for any other purpose get repurposed to a dedicated Industrial Concepts network.

The system is designed for easy installation by any qualified electrical contractor.

All installations and solutions are customized to the specific needs of the site. Site surveys are conducted to determine the best signaling solution for the clients.

 

Interested to learn more?   Contact our Business Developement Manager for Audible and Visual Alarms @ ari.freund@pfannenbergusa.com  Or  Ask us a question here.

 

 

KUADROTEK – Cooling the cabinets of the inverter stations for the 35 MW Ashalim photovoltaic plant, in Israel.

The plant includes the world’s tallest solar tower

The Ashalim power station is located in the Negev desert near the kibbutz of Ashalim, in Israel. The station will provide 250 Megawatt of hybrid PV-solarthermal electricity (2.5% of the Israeli consumption), which makes it the largest of its kind in Israel and one of the largest in the world. The station will combine 3 kinds of energy: solar thermal energy, photovoltaic energy, and natural gas. The PV plant has been connected to the grid in January 2018. Pfannenberg’s cooling units have been mounted in Kuadrotek’s cabinets for inverter stations.

The Customer

Kuadrotek SA, from Tarragona, is part of the Spanish Elektra Group. It specialises in the design, development and implementation of electric switchboards and control panels for the automation of installations and industrial processes in the automotive and energy industries.

Kuadrotek has delivered the electrical cabinets for the inverter stations of the 35 MW photovoltaic plant. Pfannenberg’s cooling units will ensure the perfect thermal management and operational safety for their components.

The Application

PV power plants are built across the globe, including areas of high altitude, extreme temperature, proximity to the sea, and desert areas impacted by sand and dust.

The inverter is the heart of every PV plant; it converts direct current of the PV modules into grid-compliant alternating current and feeds this into the public grid. At the same time, it controls and monitors the entire plant.

Controlling the temperature inside the electrical cabinets – and therefore guarantee the health of its components – it’s a crucial task.

The Solution

After taking into consideration different options of the competition, Kuadrotek chose Pfannenberg’s Outdoor Type 3R/4 side mount cooling units – model DTS 3161 230 V – because of the high protection level (comparable to IP 56) together with the reliability of working in extreme conditions. It offers a cooling capacity of 1235 W in a very compact design – 395 x 748 x 237 mm only.

It is available in 3 models; DTS 3141 (NEMA Type 12) for indoor use, DTS 3161 (NEMA Type 3R/4) designed for outdoor use, and the stainless steel DTS 3181 (NEMA Type 4/4x) designed for washdown applications.

The full DTS 3000 series was designed utilizing high temperature compressors and larger condensers to best perform in outdoor applications which require a maximum ambient temperature of 55 °C – such as roadside, rooftop or desert locations.

NEMA rating can be compared with IP rating – although there is no direct correspondence – but the first one is more complete and also includes other factors such as the protection from corrosion. NEMA Type 3R/4 is equivalent to IP 56. Moreover, Pfannenberg cooling units from NEMA series are UL listed.

 

“Our relationship with Kuadrotek is strengthened thanks to the reliability of the products already used in other large photovoltaic plants in the world. This is also why Kuadrotek continues to choose our products over our competitors.” Xavier Pedescoll – Sales Area Manager. Pfannenberg Iberia

 

Facts at a glance

  • Task: Control cabinet cooling in the Negev desert, Israel.
  • Application: Ashalim power station, a PV-solarthermal plant
  • Solution: n.12 DTS 3161 230 V cooling units
  • Success factors:
    • high quality products
    • highest level of protection for extreme outdoor conditions
    • long term agreement with Pfannenberg regarding warranty and worldwide support.

CASE STUDY: SICIM – Outdoor Cabinet Cooling in Extreme Environments

Paywelders Equipped with 4/4X DTS 3081 Cooling Units

 

Paywelder machines at work in a desert environment

The Customer

SICIM is a Construction Company established in 1962 and offering all types of services related to the installation of pipelines and relevant ancillary facilities for the transmission and distribution of oil, gas and water on an international basis. The experience gained as result of operating for the most important international Oil & Gas Companies in all types of logistic, climatic and environmental conditions, has allowed SICIM to continuously modify and perfect all the relevant operating procedures and adapt them to the specific technical and contractual requirements.

Application Requirements

SICIM has an impressive fleet of machinery that can be mobilised anywhere around the globe. Thousands of machines, including pipe-layers, paywelders, excavators, bulldozers and boring machines, used to tackle the many challenges the company faces in the implementation of its projects. These machines operate in very harsh environments such as deserts and high mountains where they must face high temperatures, humidity, saltiness, sand, etc. on a daily basis. They also have onboard control cabinets requiring temperature control in these outdoor conditions.

The Solution

Due to the need for high reliability in critical outdoors installations, plus compact size to minimize vibrations and fit the small cabinet, SICIM has successfully applied the Pfannenberg 4/4X stainless steel cooling unit DTS 3081, 694 W. The perfect and reliable functioning and the full satisfaction of the given requirements convinced the customer to standardize the solution on each and every paywelder in its fleet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is an application that has been tested for several years in the most difficult weather conditions, a welldeserved success that once again underlines the robustness, efficiency and reliability of our outdoor air-conditioning solutions. Andrea Pavarani, Sales Area Manager. Pfannenberg Italia srl

Facts at a glance

Task: Outdoor compact cabinet cooling for harsh environments

Application:
Paywelder machines for oil, gas and water pipes

Solution:
~ 70 pcs DTS 3081 4/4X cooling units in 5 years

Success factors:

• efficiency and reliability in harsh environments
• low maintenance
• user friendly installation

Control cabinet and Pfannenberg cooling unit on a SICIM paywelder machine

Pfannenberg Installs Sounders at the Distribution Hub of One of the World’s Largest Online Retailers

Standard-compliant alarm system: 96 PATROL Sounders in a  100,000 sq ft. warehouse

Pfannenberg has equipped a distribution hub of one of the world’s leading online retailers with Audible Signaling Devices for emergency evacuation. Pfannenberg used its practice-based planning system “Pfannenberg 3D Coverage” to design an ideal signaling solution for a space covering more than 100,000 sq ft. with high bay racks and high ceilings.

 

3D Coverage for Audible Signaling Devices 

It is important to plan the emergency evacuation alarm system for a noisy and hectic environment such as that of a logistics center. Early and professional planning of the signaling devices is particularly important in order to ensure emergency evacuation alarms comply with standards in a cost-efficient manner. Despite high shelves and significant noise levels, the online retailer was able to implement a signaling solution with the help of a system integrator and the use of Pfannenberg’s 3D Coverage method to meet all relevant standards and ensure that every worker in this large logistics center is effectively alerted in case of an emergency. In addition, data-based planning ensured proper sizing of the emergency evacuation alarm system: An undersized system involves a high-risk potential while over sizing represents unnecessary costs.

“Current norms state that the sound generated by acoustic signaling devices must exceed the ambient noise level by 10 dB(A) at all times. This often makes it difficult for planners and alarm specialists to determine the number of devices required to provide an alert through large spaces that will comply with standards but at the same time are cost-effective. The information traditionally supplied on technical data sheets by many manufacturers however, don’t allow conclusions to be drawn about the actual product performance in a given space. 3D Coverage shows the actual product performance and helps to achieve a safe solution, select the right products and save costs through correct sizing.”

Safety through visible signaling area

The 3D Coverage planning method makes it possible to determine and design the signaling range actually covered by acoustic signaling devices in relation to the height, width and length of the space throughout which the signal is to be heard. With 3D Coverage integrated in Pfannenberg’s free “Pfannenberg Sizing Software” (PSS), the electrical engineering specialists succeeded in designing the optimal signaling solution. The software not only calculates individual values, but also provides a qualified recommendation for suitable signaling devices and their positioning.

Planning reliability and cost savings

The calculations showed that 96 sounders of the PATROL series were required to alarm the logistics center with an area of more than 100,000 sq ft. at a calculated noise level of 85 dB(A). Furthermore, the calculations showed that PATROL sounders with 120 dB(A), were the perfect solution for this application, being powerful enough for covering the necessary signaling range and allowing for a simple and time-saving installation. This significantly reduced the number of sounders required compared to similar models available on the market.

The 3D Coverage display method used provided reliable protection against incorrect sizing and allows for reliable compliance with industrial norms and regulations, and optimum cost efficiency. Thanks to intelligent planning, the online retailer was able to save material and servicing costs.

For more information please read our TECHNICAL REPORT.

Closed Loop Liquid Cooling Reduces Downtime, Maintenance & Repair Costs for Commercial Bakeries

Pfannenberg’s Cooling Solutions Help Keep Equipment Running for One of the Fastest Growing Independent Wholesale Bakers in America.

Flour is one of the paramount enemies of electrical enclosures and enclosure air conditioners, particularly in the make-up area of a commercial bakery. Keeping the electronics cool which power the machines, is essential to the entire operation of the Schwebel Baking Company. Without the electrical enclosures staying cool, the machines fail and require replacement or downtime for repair.

Pfannenberg’s PWS Series Air To Water Heat Exchangers were an ideal solution for the Schwebel Baking Company, these Air/Water Heat Exchangers utilize glycol or a cool water source that is already available in the factory, to cool their electrical units. Pfannenberg’s Air To Water Heat Exchanger has no filters, which means there is no down time trying to change filters or having them becoming clogged.

By installing Pfannenberg’s Air To Water Heat Exchangers, Schwebel’s was able to see a significant difference in the cleanliness of their electrical cabinets as well as in the efficiency of the cooled air.

 

Pfannenberg’s PWS Series Air To Water Heat Exchangers were the precise solution for Schwebel’s manufacturing process. Incorporating closed loop cooling with Air To Water Heat Exchangers improved performance, reduced maintenance, was energy efficient, and prevented unplanned repairs.


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