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Today it's getting harder to find a home that doesn't have a smart doorbell, smart TV, web-connected surveillance camera or smart locks. In industry, networked shop floors are the norm and increasingly the industrial internet of things (IIoT) is making it even easier to collect and control the flow of data and make it accessible anywhere, anytime.
Not surprisingly, the number of IoT devices have more than doubled from 2015 to 2021 and is expected to reach more than 75 billion devices by 2025. IIoT devices are an important subcategory of IoT. Also known as the industrial internet or Industry 4.0, IIoT uses the power of smart machines and real-time analytics to take advantage of the data that "dumb machines" have produced in industrial settings for years.
This migration to internet-connected devices and systems offers profound benefits for loss prevention in areas such as fire detection, sprinkler system monitoring and maintenance, flood prevention and mitigation, electrical equipment maintenance and safety, hot work monitoring, and much more.
To accommodate and promote this transition to smarter, more "aware" systems, FM Approvals has created a new group to focus on the testing and certification of IIoT devices that use smart sensors. The new FM Approvals Cybersecurity and Smart Sensing Team includes electrical system specialists in key technologies and cybersecurity.
The new team works closely with colleagues in FM Global research to stay abreast of current trends in loss experience and loss prevention research projects. The new FM Approvals team also works closely with manufacturers to certify innovative new IIoT solutions that offer loss prevention benefits.
In addition, smart systems for fire detection, gas leak detection, water leak detection, condition monitoring and flood sensing will be tested and verified to ensure secure performance in FM Approvals' laboratories in Norwood, Massachusetts, USA.
New standards for IIoT systems
Over the past two years, FM Approvals has introduced new or updated standards to help directly address the rising demand for FM Approved IIoT systems for loss prevention applications. FM Approvals certification ensures that an IIoT system meets functional and electrical requirements, environmental durability and additional requirements, depending on intended use—such as hazardous location and cybersecurity certification.
IIoT sensors and systems are usually part of a layered modular architecture, typically occupying the device layer. This layer is connected to a network layer via wired or wireless means. Wireless communication protocols and connectivity via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular and other technologies provide great flexibility, but may be susceptible to interference in industrial environments. Data from IIoT systems are typically transferred to the cloud where it can be accessed by a service layer of applications and data analytics and presented to user interface devices.
Leak detection standard
Among the earliest FM Approvals standards that addressed the need for smart sensors in loss prevention was FM 7745. Originally introduced to address the risk of diesel fuel leakage, it was entitled, Hydrocarbon Leak Detectors, but in 2019 was renamed Liquid Leak Detectors to encompass both water and liquid hydrocarbons.
All FM Approvals standards are living documents and updated as needed depending on changes in loss prevention practices and technological advances.
FM 7745 was updated again in 2021 to include roof leak detection systems. These systems use a remote monitoring unit that collects readings from individual roof sensors in separate zones and sends this information to a gateway. The gateway then sends the sensor data to a cloud-based monitoring server or a local server which is connected to the building monitoring system. The first approved roof leak detection system is expected in 2022.
Non-weather-related water damage accounts for more than 40% of all losses by number, averaging about $75,000 per incident, according to FM Global Group. Interior water damage can happen anywhere water flows or is generated in a facility.
Over the last two or three years, wired and wireless leak detection systems have been Approved. The wireless systems connect an assortment of detectors and control devices with wireless sensors and wireless hubs to a smart base station. This allows property owners to monitor hundreds of sensor locations within a building through a cloud-based management platform. The management platform can send email, text, or phone notifications when a leak is detected. The system also has built in battery backup so notifications can be sent even when power to the building is shut down.
The first company to earn the FM Approved mark under the expanded FM 7745 standard was the TraceTek water leak detection system from nVent Electric of Redwood City, California, USA. The TraceTek system is installed in a modular, networked configuration consisting of point detectors, cable detectors, monitors and a graphical user interface. When the system detects water, it typically alerts a central building management system and can send email and/or text messages to the building manager or other personnel.
According to nVent marketing manager Bob Silva, "We learned that there was a real push from the FM Global client base for FM Approved water leak detection systems. Water damage is a very common and costly problem."
Flood early warning
FM 2505, Early Warning Flood Sensor Systems, was introduced in September 2021 to provide a pathway for manufacturers and integrators to gain third-party certification for system than can provide cost-effective advance warning of impending floods.
While flood mapping and a limited number of flood sensors have helped in proper site location and planning, there is a lack of systems that can provide advanced, localized warning against impending flooding. In the U.S. alone, there are more than 110,000 miles of rivers. Yet, it is estimated that there are only 8,500 streamgages in the U.S. Geologic Survey (USGS) Streamgaging Network.
For facilities in the planning stages, the simple solution is to locate the facility outside of the flood zone and levee/floodwall failure inundation areas and design the site to ensure all storm-water drainage systems are adequate. For the approximately one in 10 commercial facilities already located within a flood zone, the solution isn't quite as simple. Facilities at risk for flooding must prepare well in advance in order to keep water out of critical buildings and limit resulting damage if floodwater enters a structure.
According to Chad Berginnis, the executive director of the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFM), "Climate-related rainfall intensity has exacerbated the frequency and severity of flooding around the world. We have seen demand for lower cost flood sensors among municipalities, large corporations and property owners, transportation firms, and many others. These sensors can offer greater lead time and important information about inundation at a more affordable cost."
The new generation of flood sensors use IoT sensors and wireless communications to achieve exponential improvement in cost and data availability. Most new systems are cloud-based via cellular or satellite communications.
Berginnis adds, "Where FM 2510 (Flood Mitigation Equipment) brought us the first third-party certified flood mitigation systems, I believe FM 2505 will do the same for flood sensors and other flood monitoring systems. Given the risks posed by flooding, it's important to confirm the reliability and accuracy of products on the market."
Sprinkler valve inspection
In 2017, FM Approvals updated FM 3135 to include "enhanced security", renaming it Sprinkler Valve Supervisory Devices—Standard Security and Enhanced Security. The revision encompasses wireless valve monitoring systems that provided greater tamper resistance and status reporting.
Human error is the leading cause of automatic fire protection system failure in the United States, according to a report by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) entitled U.S. Experience with Sprinklers. The NFPA found that from 2010 to 2014, 59% of failed sprinkler systems were due to the water supply being shut off.
It is not surprising that FM Global field engineers find more than 1,200 improperly closed valves (ICVs) annually during on-site risk assessment visits. The company also makes more than 30,000 recommendations each year to help clients improve fire system valve inspection, testing and maintenance. FM Global client locations around the world manage more than 1.8 million fire protection valves of all types at a cost of about US$450 million annually in inspection labor alone.
"FM Global's early vision was for a technology for monitoring fire protection systems that could be installed without running wires and provide easy access to device status," notes David Waite, operations vice president and approvals group manager for FM Approvals electrical group.
The first wireless sprinkler valve monitoring system earned the FM Approvals certification in early 2021. The new FM Approved system promises to help organizations lower the cost of monitoring critical sprinkler control (and isolation) valves and make it easier to receive alerts and other information from anywhere, anytime via IoT.
The new system combines a wireless mesh network module and application software from Marchwood Integrated Ltd. of Verwood, England, with an anti-tamper valve monitoring device (VMD) from Amtron Valve Monitoring Device Pty Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia. The system is available for new and retrofit applications and offers easy ‘plug-and-play' installation thanks to its compact, battery-powered design.
"For large facilities, certain fire protection valves may be located a significant distance—hundreds of yards sometimes—from the plant," explains Marchwood sales engineer Alastair Snell. "Rather than have to spend $500 to $700 per yard to install cable in the ground to support a hard-wired valve monitoring system, organizations can now install a wireless system at a fraction of the cost and time."
He adds, "The market acceptance and acknowledgement of the FM Approved mark combined with the recognition by FM Global of the potential for wireless fire valve monitoring systems to reduce losses is helping to drive this market. Third-party certification is vital in establishing market credibility. We believe we have that thanks to the FM Approved mark."
Remote fire watch
A twenty-year study by FM Global found that clients experienced 736 hot work ignited fires or explosions with a total indexed gross of US$1.9 billion in property loss and business interruption, amounting to an average gross loss of US$2.6 million per incident.
Hot work includes cutting, welding, brazing, soldering, grinding, drilling, chipping, blasting, heat-treating, thawing pipes, roof application, or making repairs with tar pots and kettles.
In a unique alliance, FM Approvals, FM Global, and two industry leaders—Fike Corp. and BlackStarTech™—have collaborated to provide both a new portable hot work monitoring system and a new certification pathway for innovative solutions that can help reduce the risk of hot work losses. (See full story in this issue.)
A new hot work monitoring and alerting system has been developed jointly by Fike and BlackStarTech, a division of Exelon Corp., one of the largest energy producers in the United States.
The new system is currently undergoing evaluation by FM Approvals according to the criteria of FM3270, "Examination Standard for Hot Work Robots." The standard was released in January 2021 and stipulates test and certification requirements for transportable and fixed hot work monitoring systems that can detect the products of combustion in specific locations during and after hot work operations. Upon detection, these systems must be able to notify facility operators of a developing fire.
"We expect that remote fire watch systems will be capable of internet and cellular communication so they become another IIoT system in a facility network," says Patrick Byrne, FM Approvals assistant vice president and technical team manager. "We are evaluating the first of these systems now for certification—from BlackStarTech—and hope to issue a report on it soon. They are focused on the nuclear industry, which spends millions every year to monitor hot work using expensive, skilled labor. By developing the industry's first standard for fire watch systems in parallel with the development of this first system has saved time and hopefully results in an FM Approved systems reaching the market soon."
Condition monitoring—transformers
A study by U.S. Department of Energy to assess the procurement and supply environment of large power transformers (LPTs) notes that LPTs are custom-designed equipment that entail a significant capital expenditure and a long lead time due to an intricate procurement and manufacturing processes.
Although prices vary by manufacturer and by size, an LPT can cost millions of dollars and weigh between approximately 100 and 400 tons (or between 200,000 and 800,000 pounds). The procurement and manufacturing of LPTs is a complex process that includes prequalification of manufacturers, a competitive bidding process, the purchase of raw materials, and special modes of transportation due to its size and weight. The result is the possibility of an extended lead time that could stretch beyond 20 months if the manufacturer has difficulty obtaining certain key parts or materials.
FM 6520, Examination Standard For Dissolved Gas Analysis Continuous Monitoring Systems in Liquid-Immersed Power Transformers, is currently undergoing development by FM Approvals in parallel with a research project by FM Global that is examining how the measurement of dissolved gases within transformer cooling oil can indicate the condition of a system's critical core insulation. Information obtained from the research study is being used to guide the standard-writing process.
Mineral oil is commonly used to cool large transformers. The breakdown of transformer core insulation and other parts can lead to an electrical fault. The analysis of transformer oil can help determine the overall health of the system and help prevent fires. The IIoT sensor system will provide the ability to remotely monitor the health of the transformer insulation, which in the past could only be done by sending oil samples out to a third-party lab for analysis, resulting in a 60-day delay. New monitoring systems are expected to reduce oil testing times dramatically.
Condition monitoring—switchgear
It's no secret that a power surge can wreak havoc on electrical systems. Circuits are designed to handle a limited amount of electricity, and when too much current passes through, it can cause the wiring to overheat. This may damage vital electrical components, or even lead to fires. Switchgear is designed to defend equipment connected to a power supply from the threat of electrical overload.
Switchgear is a broad term that describes a wide variety of switching devices that all fulfill a common need: controlling, protecting, and isolating power systems. Although this definition may be extended to include devices to regulate and meter a power system, circuit breakers, and similar technology.
In the event of an electrical surge, effective switchgear will trigger, automatically interrupting the flow of power and protecting the electrical systems from damage. Switchgears are also used for de-energizing equipment for safe testing, maintenance, and fault clearing.
Released in August 2021, FM 6510, Examination Standard for Condition Monitoring Systems for Switchgear Equipment, provides the requirements for the evaluation and certification of switchgear monitoring systems. Switchgear monitoring systems provide early detection of temperature, humidity and partial discharge of insulation which can greatly increase the life of associated electrical equipment and prevent damage from occurring or getting worse.
Applications of Condition Monitoring Systems may be used in such locations as remote substations, switchgear, ISO-phase / bus ducts, generator PT cabinets, liquid filled transformers and generator circuit breaker enclosures.
FM 6510 can accommodate monitoring systems with various communication and data handling capabilities, including IIoT connectivity and reporting. Systems shall be identified by classes of capability. It is foreseeable that systems may have one classification when installed and may change to another classification by additions or expansions of equipment and features throughout its life cycle.
Class I – monitoring system that collects data and provides local or nearby warning/alert outputs based on thresholds.
Class II – monitoring system that collects data and provides warning/alert outputs based on thresholds and can communicate remotely through its own system or through other systems to transmit monitoring data.
Class III – most advanced monitoring system configuration includes all capability of Classes I&II with the addition of analytical capability of early detection of a potential problem (uses additional informational data such as load, temp conditions and pattern recognition).
Remote monitoring and testing of fire pump systems
Maintaining an adequate and reliable water supply is essential for any property protected by automatic sprinklers. Many properties depend on a fire pump to boost system pressures and to maintain the required fire protection water flow for the duration of a fire event. The choice of an FM Approved fire pump system ensures that the driver, pump and controller will work together as a coordinated system to assure that the system will meet the protection requirements for the property.
Fire pump systems must be regularly monitored and tested by facility personnel to ensure operational integrity. Fire pumps and their associated equipment represent a significant investment in facility infrastructure. Since fire pump systems are complex pieces of machinery and vital to the operation of automatic fire protection systems, they have varied and extensive inspection requirements.
Fire pumps are powered by a diesel or electric motor, and each type has different needs. Their installation specifications are covered in NFPA 20, Standard for the Installation of Stationary Pumps for Fire Protection, whereas inspection details are found in NFPA 25, Standard for the Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems.
There are new products being developed intended to reduce or eliminate manual inspections and testing for fire pumps and improve the detection of problems before they result in impaired fire protection. The first is remote monitoring of fire pumps.
"Remote monitoring is a first step in gaining a better understanding of what's going on in a facility's pump room using smart sensors and data logging," notes Dave Fuller, FM Approvals vice president and manager of the fire protection group.
Monitoring systems take advantage of existing sensors and incorporate additional sensors in the pump room. Combined with a secure digital gateway, these systems are able to look for trends in the data and detect small problems before they become large.
The second advancement we expect to see is full automatic remote testing of fire pumps. This is where the fire pump is remotely tested and monitored with full compliance to NFPA and FM Global fire pump testing requirements.
"The hope is that sophisticated remote fire pump monitoring will lead to remote fire pump testing," Fuller says. "We believe both remote monitoring and testing of fire pump systems can lead to significant reductions in manual inspections and testing, associated cost savings, and improved pump reliability. With this in mind, we are already working on a standard for the evaluation and certification of remote fire pump testing systems."
Wave of emerging technologies
"We are seeing a lot of exciting developments in loss prevention systems that are integrating IoT technologies to reduce costs, increase effectiveness, reduce alert times and enable data collection and analysis," notes FM Approvals' Patrick Byrne. "We're working in parallel and cooperatively with our colleagues at FM Global research and with industry to encourage new loss prevention solutions and make sure that the appropriate FM Approvals standards are in place to provide certification to those systems that qualify."