• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.20-27
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• 2022

This article aims to develop an algorithm that detects fire pump defects by analyzing the current signals of an induction motor, which are triggered by changes in the flow rate and pressure of multistage volute pumps that are used for fire services. The operational status of the pumps was categorized into three: first, normal operation; second, a defect that is caused by a change in the current value; and third, a defect occasioned by a change in current, pressure, and flow rate. When a fire pump was in normal operation, the motor's operating current was measured between 5.06 A and 6.9 A, the flow rate was estimated at 0-0.27 m³/min, and the pressure ranged from 0 to 0.47 MPa. In the event that a defect was caused by an abnormal current value in the motor, it was attributed to the pump's adherence. Furthermore, if there was no source of water, the defect was considered to have been induced by phase-loss operation, no-load operation, or run-stop operation, with the current value of each scenario being measured at > 52.8 A, < 4.13 A, > 45.15 A, and < 3.8 A, respectively, placing its overall range between 0 and 50 A. The sources of defects were detected based on an analysis of the flow rate, pressure, and current, which represent the following causes: air inflow into the casing, inadequate suction of water, and reverse-phase operation, respectively. Each cause entailed the following values: when air seeped into the casing, the pressure was measured at 0.24 MPa irrespective of changes in the flow rate; when there was inadequate suction of water, the pressure was recorded between 0 and 0.05 MPa despite changes in the flow rate; and when the power line's reverse-phase loss was the cause of the defect, the pressure was measured at 0.33 MPa for a flow rate of 0 L/min, and a higher flow rate decreased the pressure to nearly 0 MPa. The results of this study will enable engineers to develop a pump defect detection algorithm that is based on an analysis of current, and this algorithm will facilitate the execution of a program that will control a fire pump defect detection system.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.28-35
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• 2022

This study is aimed to develop a safety diagnosis system for fire pumps that detects normal and abnormal signals for the stable operation of the system. Hence, the following activities were carried out: first, a threshold value was identified for the normal operation and six abnormal operations (adherence of impeller, absence of water source, separation of pump and motor, run-stop operation, air inflow into the casing, and reverse-phase loss of the power line) reflecting changes in the current, flow and pressure of fire pumps; secondly, based on the identified signals, an algorithm capable of detecting three abnormal signals was developed and in terms of hardware, a current, pressure and flow sensor suitable for the analogue input values of NI-6009 was designed and installed. This combination of the hardware and software is applicable as a diagnosis system to ensure the stable operation of fire pumps.