Remote Monitoring Safety System

Electromechanical extensometers include sonic probes that allow for up to 20 permanent anchors up to a 6-m (20-ft) height. The probes have the added benefit of being remotely read by portable devices or by connection to a data acquisition system. Recently, NIOSH introduced an easy to fabricate and install extensometer called the Remote Monitoring Safety S5rs-tem (RMSS). This instrument can be read remotely with a multimeter or can be connected directly to a data acquisition S5rstem. 

Control of site equipment is always important for safety and operational concerns. Many sites are remote or not staffed on a daily basis. Remediation equipment should be fitted with failsafe systems to shut down the system in the event of failure, fire, or unusual conditions (such as injection well plugging). Alarm systems should be included, which may be as simple as illuminating a warning hght, or as complex as a teleconnection to a remote computer station or telephone alert to the operator s residence. Many commercial companies offer remote monitoring equipment. 

Finally, although not directly performance-related, safety monitors are also worth a mention as they provide reassurance to the athlete and coach or supporting team and can enable survival, particularly for disabled athletes and those involved in impact sports, extreme sports and sports in remote locations. The Riddell Insite helmet for American football is an example of a safety system where impact sensors alert the sideline team when a certain threshold has been reached (Riddell, 2014). 

Of course, autonomous operation for extended periods would require that any essential functions nonnally provided by technical staff, such as instrument calibration or testing the availability of safety systems, would either have to be performed automatically by remote means or not be required for the duration of autonomous operation. Thus, cost savings from reducing staff requirements may be offset to some degree by the need for additional monitoring instrumentation. 

Eagle Richer recommend their active lithium-thionyl chloride cells for micropower sources in advanced application areas, e.g. airborne instrumentation, undersea communications, mineral exploration, remote site monitoring safety controls, security, and space and/or defence systems. 

Improved sensors allow computer monitoring of the system for safety and protection of the equipment from damage. Sensors include lubrication-flow monitors and alarms, bearing-temperature sensors, belt scales, rotation sensors, and proximity sensors to detect ore level under the crusher. The latter prevent jamming of the output with too high an ore level, and protect the conveyor from impact of lumps with too low an ore level. Motion detectors assure that the conveyor is moving. Control applied to crusher systems including conveyors can facilitate use of mobile crushers in quarries and mines, since these can be controlled remotely by computer with reduced labor. 

Continuous monitoring is necessary on critical machines where problems can develop rapidly and have severe financial consequences. Typical machines in this category are unspared process compressors. Remotely located machinery such as pipeline gas compressors also require continuous monitoring. Also, continuous monitoring may be dictated by safety considerations. Even though the cost of a failure is small, machines should be continuously monitored if a failure will result in hazards to personnel. Figure 8-38 depicts a typical continuous monitoring system. 

Process control plays an important role in how a plant process upset can be controlled and subsequent emergency actions executed. Without adequate and reliable process controls, an unexpected process occurrence cannot be monitored, controlled and eliminated. Process controls can range from simple manual actions to computer logic controllers, remote from the required action point, with supplemental instrumentation feedback systems. These systems should be designed such as to minimize the need to activate secondary safety devices. The process principles, margins allowed, reliability and the means of process control are mechanisms of inherent safety that will influence the risk level at a facility. 

Another remotely activated device has been described by Groning et al. (57). They demonstrated in a model the remote control of a device to delivery insulin (Fig. 7). This possibility of external programming and monitoring of insulin pumps is possible for continuous subcutaneous infusion. The use of SMS allows immediate transfer of commands to the pump. There are many pitfalls to overcome the ethics of taking control away from the patients and their carer is but one, and there are safety issues, should the GPS system fad, and presumably if in error the pump is activated by the physician or indeed by individuals accidentally. But there is no doubt that telepharmacy wiU impact on future medicine, whether personalized or not. The personal element could come simply as a result of automated reminders to patients to take their medications also discussed above, but the more sophisticated systems described by Groning et al. wiU also have their place. 

The letdown flow outside containment isolation valve is a normally closed, fail closed, air-operated globe valve that isolates letdown to the liquid radwaste system. This valve automatically opens and closes on a plant control system signal from the pressuriser level control system or a containment isolation signal from the protection and safety monitoring system. Ibis valve operates in the same fashion as the letdown flow inside containment isolation valve. The letdown flow outside containment isolation valve eloses more quickly than inside containment letdown flow isolation valve to limit seat wear of inside containment isolation valve. This valve operator has a flow restricting orifice in the air line, so it opens more slowly than inside containment letdown flow isolation valve. In addition, during brief periods of shutdown, when the reactor coolant system is water solid, this valve throttles to maintain the reactor coolant system pressure. Manual control is also provided in the main control room and at the remote shutdown workstation. 

The hydrogen addition contairunent isolation valve is a normally open, fail closed, air-operated globe valve is located outside containment in the hydrogen addition line. The valve automatically closes on a containment isolation signal from the protection and safety monitoring system. Manual control is provided in the main control room and at the remote shutdown workstation. 

The purification stop valves are normally open, motor-operated valves located inside containment. They close automatically on a low pressuriser level signal from the protection and safety monitoring system to preserve reactor coolant pressure boundary and to prevent uncovering of the heater elements in the pressuriser. However, they can also be manually operated from the main control room and the remote shutdown workstation (Section 9.3.6.3.7 of Reference 6.1). 

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