Environmental IoT startup, Dryad Networks has announced that it is developing a large-scale IoT network for the ultra-early detection of wildfires. Dryad’s digital forest solution will help public and private forest owners monitor, analyse and protect the world’s largest, most remote forests and tackle the devastating impact of wildfires on the environment, wildlife and communities.
Early wildfire detection
Thanks to several ground-breaking innovations, Dryad’s large-scale IoT solution will use a network of sensors for detection of wildfires in under 60 minutes even in remote areas, enabling firefighters to extinguish wildfires before they spread out of control. By contrast, camera and satellite-based solutions can take several hours or even days to identify a fire because they rely on the smoke plume developing enough to be detected from a long distance.
With sustainability and tech for good at its core, Dryad’s vision is to digitise the world’s forests and help protect and regrow the world’s largest carbon sinks. Plans include supporting sustainable forest management by providing forest owners with insights into the health, microclimate and growth of their forests. This will also help them manage their estates more efficiently and profitably.
The idea for a wireless IoT network to connect the natural world was conceived by Brinkschulte and Co-Founder, Marco Bönig when the devastating fires ripped through the Amazon rainforest in 2019. That year, forest fires generated 7.8bn tonnes of CO2 – almost 20% of the annual global emissions from the burning of fossil fuels – while decimating one of the planet’s most important carbon sinks.
The team successfully tested a minimum viable product in a forest in Germany in May 2020 and has since secured ten letters of intent from forest owners in Germany and Africa.
The solution comprises:
· Solar-powered sensors that use AI to detect gases emitted from wildfires at the smoldering stage as well as temperature, humidity and air pressure.
· Gateways featuring Dryad’s patent-pending distributed mesh network architecture – an extension to the LoRaWAN open standard for long-range radio IoT networks.
· A cloud-based dashboard to analyse and monitor a wide range of indicators and alert forest managers.
Dryad’s gateways interconnect in a multi-hop mesh network, making it possible to cover very large forests rather than the 12km range typically supported by existing LoRaWAN gateways. This breakthrough technology makes it economically viable to build a communications network for large forests where there is no mobile network coverage. Dryad border gateways at the edge of the network connect to wireless (LTE/NB-IoT), satellite or wired internet to access the Dryad cloud platform.
Dryad, which secured seed funding of €1.8million in September 2020, is led by Co-Founder, CEO and serial telco entrepreneur, Carsten Brinkschulte, who has a track record in building high-growth businesses.
Carsten Brinkschulte, CEO and Co-Founder of Dryad Networks said: “The notion of the intelligent forest is now coming of age. Our vision is to deliver an effective communications architecture for even the most remote forests and make sub one-hour wildfire detection the new reality. Using a solar-powered, distributed mesh IoT network capable of covering vast expanses of forest where mobile network coverage is lacking will radically transform the way forests can be monitored and managed.”
Life safety manufacturer, Hochiki Europe has launched a new range of hybrid wireless fire detection and alarm equipment. The Ekho product range is EN54-25 approved, RED compliant and takes hybrid wireless fire detection to new levels of reliability, flexibility and performance.
Using the latest in radio networking technology, the Ekho hybrid wireless system provides a robust ‘always on’ network of devices which can automatically adapt to changing environmental conditions – offering installers an unparalleled level of reliability.
Unlike other systems, Ekho’s wireless devices are not tied to specific expanders, instead, each device instinctively chooses its parent expander based on the strength of the signal pathway back to the translator, with expanders automatically forming a bi-directional mesh network for delivering information to the main control panel. In the event where an expander’s signal is compromised, the wireless field device will automatically find and connect to an alternative expander with the next strongest signal pathway – providing end users with enhanced safety benefits.
The range is extremely versatile, offering a selection of wireless sensor types, as well as I/O units, a sounder, a sensor/voice-sounder/VAD and a manual call point. Its simplified design ensures that products in the series are easy to install. While the faster commissioning process, which can be carried out off-site, saves installers time on projects.
Utilising hybrid wireless systems negates the need to install cables therefore guaranteeing minimum disturbance to surroundings during installation – making the range an ideal choice for historic buildings, remote or temporary sites and any project where the installation of fire cabling is too difficult, overly expensive or prohibited.
Future-proof with Ekho
Mark Jones, Export Manager at Hochiki Europe commented: “The digital age has affected every part of our lives and life safety is no exception. Our Ekho product range offers wireless solutions to a range of what can be complex project challenges. As with all Hochiki Europe products, the range is intelligent and ultra-dependable, offering users a future-proofed life safety system.”
For more information about Hochiki Europe’s Ekho range click here.
Luminite Electronics, manufacturer of the widely used wireless Genesis PIR detector range has added wireless heat and smoke detectors that, when used with a Genesis IP masthead receiver, will provide a site wide security solution for evolving construction projects.
When triggered, the heat and smoke detectors will send an alert via the masthead receiver informing the end user of the location of the heat/smoke event. The heat and smoke detectors can alternatively be used in conjuction with Nexus Fire Alerts so that the entire site can be alerted both audibly and visually via sounders and strobes.
Any existing system already using Genesis detectors with an IP masthead can add heat and smoke sensors to the system as one of it’s 64 reporting units. With the IP masthead working with a variety of remote monitoring software platforms including Immix, Hikvision and Dahua this added functionality is a powerful tool in the early detection of arson or accidental fires, particularly in timber framed buildings.
The Genesis PIR detectors and Nexus Call Points have a transmission range of 1km and heat and smoke detectors of 100m. The systems are portable and quick and easy to install with no civil works or cabling required.
Heat and smoke detectors comply with European regulations. The smoke detectors are approved to EN15604:2005 standard and the heat detectors conform to BS5446-2:2003 standard. Genesis detectors are EN505-1 Grade 2 compliant.
For more information contact Laura Grainger at Luminite on 0208 368 7887 or visit www.luminite.co.uk
Business Development Manager for the Critical Infrastructure segment at Axis Communications in the Middle East, Meraj Khan reports on the digitalisation of flare monitoring.
Even to those not working in the oil and gas industry, the image of a burning flare above an industrial plant is a familiar one. For people working directly in the sector, the critical importance of gas flares in ensuring Health and Safety is well-understood.
Industrial flaring is a regulatory requirement to manage the releases coming out from the flare stacks while also serving as a safety mechanism. As the oil and gas industry continues to look at how digitalisation can bring benefits in operational effectiveness and efficiency, particularly as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on staff numbers and proximity, the potential for automated flare monitoring is significant.
In this article, we will consider how we can efficiently monitor the burning of gas flaring by digitally analysing the behaviour of the flare through thermal and visual spectrum of IP-based camera technology.
The flare – A critical element of safety
The hydro-carbon processing in an industrial plant is highly complex and can result in the separation of abundant unwanted gases, which may not be utilised due to the negative commercial viability for further processing. As a result, these complex and hazardous gases need to be disposed of safely in the environment through flaring while keeping in consideration that unwanted gas should disappear in the environment without a trace.
The most important part of flaring is to support the plant operation by easing the pressure of gas generated through different phases of processing in the plant; the plant automation system ensures that the emergency pressure valves release get activated automatically in case of high pressure generated.
The visual behaviour of the flare confirms the various states of plant operations. For instance, if the flare combustion is high with high thermal radiation, it is most likely the plant is running under emergency or in an upset condition. In this case, pressure safety valves are activated to stabilise the pressure and result in an aggressive flare. The plant manager can take the necessary steps or, in extreme conditions, can stop production in the plant to further ensure the Health and Safety of the site personnel.
Knowing the critical importance of the flare in the plant, the flare must always be in operational state and it is therefore of utmost importance to get the real time feedback from the flare, i.e. If the flare combustion is in the permissible limit of sterile radius in normal operation (Low, Medium or High).
If the thermal radiation is exceeding the permissible limit in case of Plant Upset conditions.
If the pilot flame which consists of high ignition electrodes (ignitor) is working appropriately.
Gas flares themselves are highly dynamic at various stages of production, different gases at different pressures will be burnt and thus changing the flare’s fundamental characteristics. Some flares at lower pressure – known as ground flares – only rise to two or three metres above the ground; elevated flares, as the name suggests, rise much higher, sometimes reaching as much as 100 metres above ground. The need to closely monitor the state and behaviour of stack flares is therefore critical to the overall safety of oil and gas processing plants and refineries.
Flare monitoring – A traditionally manual task
Given their nature, flares operate under hostile, unpredictable and extreme conditions and therefore need to be positioned a safe distance from the main processing area of the plant. In addition, health and safety regulations will stipulate a safety zone around the flare primarily based on thermal radiation and sterile zone limits, typically a radius of twice the maximum height of the flare. Rarely any active equipment used for flare monitoring will be placed closer to the flare as operation and maintenance is always a challenge in sterile zones due to high temperature and thus these installations are often kept much further away.
Traditionally, flare monitoring has been a manual task, with operators using video from analogue thermal cameras to assess the state of the flare at different stages of production. And this coordination with the production process is vital; the expected flare behaviour and characteristics will differ in relation to processing activity and the use of safety valves.
In addition, one of the most critical aspects of the flare is the pilot light, a much smaller flame (often only 30cm high or less) which must always remain on, even if no gas is being released and burnt. Monitoring of the pilot flame is therefore essential and thermal temperature alarm cameras can provide feedback on the temperature of the pilot and alert through an automated alarm if the temperature of the pilot flame falls to a specified limit.
A further challenge for manual monitoring is that, at certain stages of production, flares may burn transparently, making visual monitoring difficult, if not impossible.
Monitoring manually is therefore an intensive activity and human fallibility always presents a potential risk. In addition, with the recent impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, many sites are operating with fewer personnel than previously, further exacerbating the risks of manual monitoring. Flaring is considered as a last line of defence to prevent dangerous hydrocarbon pollutants from entering the atmosphere – for example methane is ignitable and is far more powerful than CO2 as a greenhouse gas.
Meraj Khan
Monitoring using thermal and video cameras
Visual cameras play a central role in monitoring flare characteristics and responding to their behaviour. For instance, a visual camera will enable operators to see if the flare is burning off the gases efficiently, i.e. there should not be any smoke. If smoke is visible, operators may need to increase the temperature of the flare by adding oxygen or water mist as more fuel. This response is critical: regulations only allow smoke to be emitted for a very limited time and the incident must be reported and analysed. Transgressions potentially come with steep fines and may even result in permits being revoked.
Infrared (IR) thermal imaging is an ideal enhancement to the challenge of accurate flare monitoring in all conditions and forms a central part of an automated monitoring system. A high-range thermal camera – particularly a thermographic one – will produce a high-resolution image of a gas flare from almost any distance, allowing for the camera to be sited in a safe area and therefore also aiding ease of camera maintenance. If required or necessary, cameras with thermal capability enclosed in explosion-protected housing with Class 1 Division 1 and IIC as a gas group can be utilised to ensure no spark from the camera will escape and risk igniting any hydrocarbons present in the air.
Thermal cameras measure the instantaneous temperature of the infrared radiation emitted from a gas flare and pilot light, allowing for extremely accurate analysis of the flame characteristics. If a flame is burning transparently and invisible to the human eye, for instance, or when weather conditions such as high winds causing the flare to rapidly move or change direction, a thermal camera will still return an accurate image.
Highly accurate temperature reading also allow operators to be confident that gases are indeed being burnt off: if the flame point of a particular gas being burnt is higher than the temperature of the flare at any point, the gas will be released into the atmosphere untreated. All the data returned can then be fed into the process control system to fine-tune the flare.
Thermal cameras provide the basis for an automated flare monitoring system and when based on open standards can easily be integrated with the plant SCADA system. Such accurate measurement of temperature, when coordinated with processing activity, will give far earlier warning of any issues than manual monitoring. If flares are burning higher, lower, hotter or cooler than expected, or should the pilot light go out, alarms and alerts can be created for operator verification and intervention.
In these instances, the use of dual or bi-spectral cameras – those which employ both thermal and visual sensors – brings additional benefits. While thermal images are optimal for analytics and automated monitoring, high-resolution video cameras will allow human operators to more clearly assess flare behaviour when alerted and are also essential in post-incident investigation.
An additional benefit of automated flare monitoring with thermal and video sensors is the ongoing collection and analysis of data. When aggregated and used in machine learning (ML) applications, this information will lead to future innovations in operational efficiency, additional automation and proactive maintenance.
Oil and gas industry digitalisation
The oil and gas sector continues to look at the ways digital technologies can be employed to create both operational efficiencies and improve safety and security. While gas flares have been used since the early days of oil and gas production and refining, their monitoring is an area which can be enhanced through advanced digital technology, with improved safety and efficiency the result.
This article was originally published in the September/October 2020 edition of International Fire and Safety Journal. Pick up your FREE digital copy here
Firefighters across Cornwall are wearing brand new PPE, procured through the UK Collaborative PPE Framework. All 560 firefighters in the county have been equipped with two sets of new gold-coloured structural coats and trousers, along with flash hoods and a set of both structural and rescue gloves.
The new PPE, designed and manufactured by Bristol Uniforms, benefits from the very latest in fibre and fabric technology, along with ergonomic styling for ease of movement.
Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS), as part of its commitment to firefighter safety, also engaged with staff about the provision of additional PPE to meet the demands of non-structural fire situations, such as road traffic collisions and wildfire control. This supports the specific needs of Cornwall’s remote rural risk profile. As a result, an order has also been placed for lighter-weight, more breathable rescue jackets which are compatible with the structural trousers and other essential PPE, providing the most suitable level of protection.
Mark Salter is Group Manager at CFRS, with responsibility for Assets, Health and Safety and Wellbeing. He comments: “Feedback from our firefighters has been very positive. The cut of the jacket is more fitted than our previous kit, which is better for movement and manoeuvrability and the extra padding on the knees means the trousers are more comfortable when kneeling or crawling. The wide range of male and female sizes ensures that every member of the crew can get a good fit.
“The firefighters have found that the new lighter colour shows up dirt and soot, but that is a helpful indicator of when the kit needs cleaning.”
Cleaning PPE
CFRS is continuing its Maintenance and Care arrangement with Bristol, for regular cleaning and repairs and decontamination if necessary. Dirty kit is collected by Bristol Uniforms and taken to one of two in-house Service Centres where it is washed and thoroughly examined before being returned within seven days.
A service that is reassuring for Mark Salter and his firefighters: “The robust care provision is very important to us, particularly given the current risk of coronavirus and concerns around carcinogens in smoke particles. Bristol’s in-house cleaning and repair service means we can always have full confidence that our PPE is fit for purpose and providing the right protection.”
Mark Salter continues: “As a fairly small FRS, the Collaborative Framework offered us the best possible efficiencies and we’re very pleased with the result. Bristol Uniforms has provided excellent support and guidance throughout the process, as have Kent FRS who were particularly helpful in the early stages of the procurement process.”
Philip Tasker, UK and Ireland Sales Director at Bristol Uniforms, comments: “It is very rewarding to see the Cornish firefighters out on the job in their smart new PPE, knowing that they are benefitting from a state-of-the-art design featuring advanced technologies, enhanced comfort and maximum protection.”
Mark Hewitt, Chief Fire Officer at Cornwall FRS comments: “The safety and welfare of our staff is of paramount importance, so ensuring that our firefighters are provided with quality Personal Protective garments is essential. I am assured that this new PPE from Bristol Uniforms meets our specific requirements. My thanks and acknowledgement also go to Cornwall Council for supporting our Fire and Rescue Service with a 15 year capital replacement programme, which enables significant investment in safety critical areas such as our PPE procurement and also our internal technical services team who have worked with the collaboration and Bristol Uniforms to deliver this project.”
Bronto Skylift has appointed Jarmo Kokkola and Juha Särkijärvi as Project Managers to oversee and develop the total order-to-delivery process.
Jarmo Kokkola is a long-time Brontonian with 12 years of experience from engineering, product management and sales within the company. Juha Särkijärvi on the other hand is a new member of the Bronto Family with extensive project management experience from the automation and energy industries in Europe and America. Juha joins Bronto from Valmet Technologies, where he has served for the last 16 years.
Taking Bronto Skylift to new heights
Roberto Quintero, Sales, Marketing, Project and Product Management Director at Bronto Skylift said: “With their different backgrounds, Juha and Jarmo are a perfect mix for this important function and enable us to get a more in-depth grasp of our overall project management. With their help we will be able to take the customers’ experience to new heights.”
In a mine in South Africa, FireDos foam proportioning systems type FD500, FD1000 and FD1600 are used at a depth of 6km. The mine water poses a specific challenge when used underground.
Mining machines are often operated with highly flammable liquids. The fire protection requirements are correspondingly high. The South African mine uses compact FireDos proportioning systems, supplied through DoseTech (PTY) LTD, of types FD500, FD1000 and FD1600 to protect the conveyor belts in case of fire. The units are part of a sprinkler extinguishing system with deluge valve. A 1% AFFF is used as foam concentrate.
Mounted on portable skids
For easy transport, the proportioning systems, foam concentrate tank and valves are mounted on portable skids, protected by a grid. Individual elements can beeasily replaced during maintenance.
The mine water
The quality of the mine water is a critical factor when using the proportioning mixing systems in the mine. Thelime content is very high. Over an extended period, the lime calcifies and can cause a potential blockage. For this reason, the water quality was carefully checked before installation. Regular maintenance and regular cleaning every six months are essential to ensure the safe operation of the units.
Dräger has launched a range of solutions for cleaning breathing apparatus, respiratory masks and PPE equipment that reduce the risk of carcinogen contamination within emergency teams as part of its Health for the Firefighter campaign.
Dräger
Dräger has worked in partnership with Harstra instruments, a Dutch manufacturer of cleaning and drying equipment. The launch follows a study undertaken by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) which demonstrated a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) worn and evaluated as fully operational will be contaminated within 25 minutes of use in firefighting situations.
Currently, most masks and SCBA are cleaned by hand, which is a lengthy and inconsistent process. It can also pose potential hazards for personnel. Dräger has therefore developed a package of solutions comprising of cleaning products, logistical support and consultancy services that enable fire services to mitigate firefighters’ exposure to carcinogens through every step of attending an incident.
They include: simple-to-use washing machines that clean using high pressure water; drying cabinets in various shapes and sizes to accommodate each fire service’s space and equipment; and testing facilities to ensure products are decontaminated before going back into operation.
The final part of the new solution is an improved logistic and workshop capability to quarantine contaminated kit, clean it and then replenish with sanitised PPE to maintain operational capability. Dräger can design and engineer new infrastructure or work within an existing facility to provide optimum protection and cleaning of equipment.
UK Marketing Manager for Engineered Solutions at Dräger, Andy Taylor said it is now well known that job-related exposures to carcinogens increases the risk of illnesses such as cancer: “Employers owe their employees a duty of care and are therefore looking to provide additional protection during training, post incident and in day-to-day equipment handling operations.
“A new standard operating procedure, which incorporates comprehensive training, must be established by the Fire and Rescue Service including comprehensive training for emergency teams on how to decontaminate themselves following an incident in which exposure was likely.
“Standardising processes not only minimise the risk of contamination for workshop personnel, but also reduce the exposure of carcinogenic substances for the wearer. The consistency of cleaning also extends the lifetime of PPE.”
Within Harstra’s product portfolio are a range of washing and drying solutions. These include The Wash4 and Wash6DR models which can accommodate between four and six SCBA respectively, including cylinders and up to 18 breathing masks. The Wash4 model provides the user with a choice of cleaning times from 5 minutes wash, 10 minutes or the recommended 22 minutes under pressure. The Wash6DR washes at the same intervals, but without the need for Compressed Air cylinders, instead taking pressure from a high powered air external source.
Essential to the process is the requirement that cleaned equipment is dried correctly in a drying cabinet or drying room to remove moisture. The Dräger portfolio is configurable and allows easy transfer of equipment using compatible baskets in the cleaning and drying cycle, for example the Wash9 facemask washer and the M18/45 cabinets. Once these have been clean and dried, they can then be checked and tested, Air Cylinders refilled and the SCBA is ready for operations all using Dräger workshop equipment.
REV Group, a manufacturer of fire apparatus brands including E-ONE, KME, Ferrara and Spartan Emergency Response, has announced that Chris Wade has joined Spartan ER as Director of Sales. Previously with E-ONE for 14 years, Chris held the roles of Aerial Sales Manager and Regional Sales Manager. Over the years, he also held prior positions with Spartan Motors and Ladder Tower, Inc.
“It’s a tremendous value to have someone of Chris’ calibre on our team,” said Mike Virnig, Vice President of Sales, REV Fire Group. “His strong work ethic combined with his vast experience and knowledge of the fire industry makes him the ideal candidate to lead our sales efforts within the Spartan ER family.”
“Joining a strong group of employees behind the distinguished lineage of the Spartan ER products is certainly exciting,” said Chris Wade. “I look forward to being part of the team effort to supply communities with best-in-class emergency vehicles.”
Chris earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Kutztown University in Pennsylvania and his MBA from St. Joseph’s University. Chris was also a Firefighter/EMT for the City of Reading, PA.
Launch of the world’s first production-ready tracked fire engine, the Magirus FireBull combines efficient AirCore extinguishing technology, flexible superstructure options and the all-terrain PowerBully chassis from Kässbohrer Geländefahrzeug AG to form a fully developed solution for use in vegetation fires.
On the second day of this year’s press conference in Ulm, Magirus presented FireBull; another solution ready for series production in the field of off-road and forest fire engines. Magirus CEO, Marc Diening presented the unrivalled tracked fire engine to journalists, partners and invited guests on the company’s own test site: “The forest fire incidents of recent years have shown the high demand among fire departments and emergency services for effective and technically developed solutions. This is precisely where the FireBull comes in. It transports high payloads with minimum ground pressure over the most difficult terrain, ensuring maximum extinguishing power and safety for the emergency services at the same time.”
In its choice of chassis, Magirus remains true to its tradition of focusing on proven and practical solutions, which are reliable and durable, developed by leading manufacturers. Executive, Jens Rottmair is sure of the result of the cooperation: “More than 50 years of successful development expertise have gone into the PowerBully as well as plenty of practical experience in operational and logistics deployments in extremely rough terrain. All of this comes together with Magirus’ know-how and experience in firefighting superstructures and extinguishing technology to create a long-range off-road special vehicle for fire departments and disaster control.”
The PowerBully 18 T chassis with an engine power of 231 kW (310 PS) has a gross vehicle weight of 30,000 kg and reaches a speed of around 10 km/h. With an operating weight of around 26 tonnes, the vehicle has sufficient spare capacity for individual needs and equipment. Where wheeled vehicles reach their limits, the caterpillar drive provides the necessary agility combined with a high level of driving comfort – regardless of the surface. Thanks to its high payload with low ground pressure of only 0.300 kg/cm² – 30 times less ground pressure than a 6×6 truck – and a fording depth of 1,400 mm, it can be used not only in impassable terrain but also in peat fires, ground fires, smouldering fires or in swampy areas.
With a climbing performance of 31°(60%) and a maximum inclination across the slope of up to 21°(40%), the FireBull transports water or the required logistics safely up and down slopes. In the FireBull AirCore version, in addition to a 10,000 litre extinguishing agent tank (9,000 litres of water, 1,000 litres of foam agent), the AirCore MFT35-H extinguishing turbine with a capacity of up to 3,500 litres per minute is also available. The water mist technology enables efficient firefighting and humidification of the vegetation as well as high penetration depths into the vegetation. The water can be discharged while driving in Pump & Roll mode. In addition to a C-connection at the front, self-protection nozzles and heat protection on the underbody ensure maximum safety for the crew. At the same time, the concept offers a wide range of options, such as larger tank volumes and turbine variants, in order to be optimally equipped for the respective conditions.
With the FireBull, Magirus once again demonstrates its extensive expertise in the field of special vehicles and rounds off its comprehensive portfolio of off-road and forest fire-fighting vehicles with another powerful innovation. The FireBull will be on display at the FLORIAN trade fair in Dresden from 8 to 10 October 2020.
