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Industrial
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 Industrial Wireless Alarm Applications Introduction Industrial wireless early warning systems are rapidly becoming the preferred technology to satisfy fire, early warning signaling, and control function requirements for industrial and manufacturing facilities. Since World Electronics, Inc.'s first major installation, industrial clients have continued to represent the fastest growing market segment. World Electronics, Inc. systems can be found across the country. They are protecting major plant facilities - including aluminum, steel, chemical, petroleum, food, housewares, pharmaceuticals, cement, and a host of others. These multiple building installations range in size up to 700 acres with upwards of 60 buildings, all reporting to a central site command center.
Advantages of Wireless Systems The primary advantages afforded by RF signaling is the drastic elimination of :
The elimination of these major hurdles, coupled with the ease of installation, generally results in substantial cost savings to the client. Wireless systems can usually be modified or expanded rapidly and cost effectively. In addition to fire reporting, facilities face other critical life safety reporting needs such as complying with OSHA plant evacuation requirements, chemical spills and overflow, employee accident reporting, equipment monitoring, executive security reporting, guard tour reporting, and coded alarm signaling to mention a few. Unlike conventional systems, World Electronics, Inc. technology offers the advantage of reporting multiple emergency and monitoring information on one class "A" signaling path in lieu of dual wiring paths to panels.
The following examples highlight typical reporting problems which World Electronics, Inc. systems have satisfied. Sprinkler Monitoring World Electronics, Inc.'s first installation was a property comprised of 65 buildings on a property 1.5 miles long and .75 miles wide. The original system was worn out and the client was unable to obtain wired bids due to the enormous cost and installation constraints using conventional methods.
Replacing the old system would entail trenching under asphalt streets and parking areas, under railroad tracks, and create havoc with the underground utility systems. The internal wiring of each building would also create substantial cost and interruption to operations. The combination of these restrictions would have resulted in enormous costs with a tremendous burden to management. All trenching, special underground conduit, and the majority of wiring was eliminated by utilizing wireless technology. World Electronics, Inc. supervised maintenance transmitters are activated by sprinkler flow and tamper devices, and repeaters are strategically located to afford the ability to expand the system for additional early warning reporting as required. Recent additions consisted of a number of display/printer receivers located in strategic offices for key personnel to be alerted of any emergency the moment it occurred. A remote control panel annunciator was also added in a secondary command center. The complete system, using World Electronics, Inc.'s wireless equipment, resulted in untold cost savings to the client (estimated in the hundreds of thousands of dollars). Accident Reporting A sister facility in another state, concerned with employee injury resulting from chemical spills, utilized World Electronics, Inc. equipment to pinpoint all emergency shower stations on site. In the event a shower was activated, precious seconds would be saved by dispatching medical assistance to the specific location immediately. A World Electronics, Inc. transmitter, housed in a weatherproof enclosure, is activated when the shower handle is pulled. RF signals are forwarded by yagi antenna repeaters which minimize the number of repeaters to cover the entire site. The installation was completed in only three days to protect 40 shower locations. Heat Detection The largest indoor oil storage facility in the U.S., which had lost one quarter of the facility in a fire, proved to be another example of how wireless systems solve the toughest problems. The facility housed 120 indoor tanks, each open at the top, and measuring 60 feet high by 40 feet wide. Plans called for wiring this vast facility in conduit on 80-100 foot ceilings. The estimated cost of wiring was three times the cost of the wireless system. Special heat sensors were extended over each tank and wired to addressable transmitters through a protective PVC piping. Manual pull stations were also strategically located throughout the facility for both fire and emergency signal reporting to the security building at the entrance to the plant. System maintenance costs were minimized by locating transmitting devices along existing catwalks. Security A major facility comprised of high rise buildings covering a five city block area required reporting three separate emergencies and utilizing just under 1,000 initiating devices. Four World Electronics, Inc. control panels, each providing three separate emergencies, plus an RS 232 computer interface receiver and display printers were incorporated to provide a complete system Along with smoke detection, sprinkler flow and tamper, manual stations, 120 warehouse doors are also monitored. Security shunt buttons on the control panel allow each door to be armed or disarmed as needed. The RS 232 computer interface converts RF signals to ASCII for remote computer annunciators which archive alarm and maintenance signals. They also verify the integrity of all initiating devices on a hard copy printer.
Plant Evacuation System Plant evacuation may be incorporated as part of the wireless signaling system, interfaced to an existing system, or provided as a stand alone system. Horn/Strob units may be wired to and operated by repeaters to provide alarming on an individual building, zoned, or plant wide basis. Tone coded horns for specific emergencies is another available feature. The wireless control panel processor activates RF commands to repeaters for specific emergencies for horn, strobe, horn/strobe or tone coded alarms. Horns drawing high current are interfaced to repeaters through an isolation relay. Summary World Electronics, Inc. systems can provide industrial facility managers with protection and communication options and flexibility not previously possible. Wireless systems are generally extremely cost effective, especially when multiple buildings must be tied together and wiring between buildings is difficult. Multiple emergency communication is also a major benefit since adding different types of alarms usually requires only the addition of transmitters. Finally, industrial plants are constantly being remodeled, reconfigured, or expanded. World Electronics, Inc. equipment can easily be moved or repositioned since no home run wiring exists and there is no power limitation in a wireless system. To request more information: Click Here Industrial Wireless Alarm Systems
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