Druck pressure controllers support fire prevention equipment testing

Druck's customer Druck’s customer is a fire protection company that undertakes servicing and maintenance of fire protection systems such as portable fire extinguishers.

Druck’s customer's challenge Portable fire extinguisher inspection and testing is extremely important for the protection of businesses and homes. Since fire-fighting equipment is used infrequently, it must be inspected, tested, and maintained to ensure it is always operable prior to an emergency.

Most fire extinguishers have a built-in pressure gauge, allowing users to check the pressure level in the container. The fire extinguisher’s pressure must be monitored accurately to ensure the pressure is not too low to expel the content of the extinguisher when it is needed in the case of a fire.

Druck’s customer’s client was dissatisfied with their existing fire-fighting testing equipment due to its bulkiness and difficulties in measuring accuracy and speed as a result of the pressure range being manually adjusted several times.

The client required a testing facility that could run tests on the fire extinguishing equipment simply, swiftly and accurately in order to match the demands of their testing regime.

Druck’s solution Following a detailed review of the customer’s technical requirements, the Druck team recommended upgrading to the PACE6000 modular pressure controller. The PACE 6000 modular pressure controller delivers high speed, high precision and cost-effective pressure control, with output options that support industrial pressure production, automated testing and calibration applications.

The test program option within the PACE pressure controller provides a facility for creating, storing and executing numerous test procedures within the instrument itself. This is particularly useful for longer, more repetitive and laborious procedures requiring manual inputs for rapid prototyping, manufacturing and lifecycle testing.

By using the test program option, the Druck team were able to set up various pressure ranges within just 1 minute, demonstrating the PACE6000’s capacity for speedy deployment.

As the client required more than 50,000 tests to be conducted, they enquired as to the durability of the PACE6000 given this heavy workload. Based on field-proven, highly reliable Druck control technology, the PACE6000 offers long-term measurement stability and control performance, enabling it to function faultlessly, even in challenging environmental conditions and rigorous, continuous operating regimes.

Druck’s added value The introduction of the PACE6000 modular pressure controller provided Druck’s customer the following benefits:

• Speed: Since the pressure range can be changed quickly and easily, the required testing of the fire extinguishers could be completed within the customer’s time specification requirements

• Accuracy: PACE6000 provides a high accuracy ratio when used to test or control pressure; in this case providing the end user peace of mind as to the effective operability of the fire extinguisher

• Reliability: delivers high accuracy over an extended period of time, with limited performance drift; meaning long-term reliability of the pressure controller helps to minimise lost time and money associated with unscheduled equipment downtime.