DICTATOR explosion-proof hold-open system enables a look behind closed doors at the BMW Group’s R&D centre
Car fans would certainly give a lot to be allowed to take a look behind this door. The Munich R&D Centre (FIZ) is the place where the so-called ‘Erlkönige’ (camouflaged prototypes), among other things, are built. From there they go with a full tank of fuel to the street. For this reason, the room has been classified as a hazardous area.
However, the door is not only the access door to great secrets, it is also a fire door, and therefore has to close immediately after each opening. As this is very difficult to fulfill, especially in a production and research area, the area was retrofitted with a hold-open system. Now the two door leaves can be held open with electromagnets. In case of fire, the connected fire detectors are triggered, the power supply to the magnets is switched off, and the doors close immediately. Of course, additional explosion-proof requirements also had to be fulfilled. Hazardous areas are classified differently depending on the level of risk. This can even lead to a situation in which some areas are at risk of explosion and others not. Therefore an exact assessment by a specialist is necessary.
Due to the ATEX-requirements, DICTATOR individually defined the explosion-proof hold-open system required for this case. In this case, only the space behind the door is classified as an explosion hazard. The control unit RZ-24, the heart of the hold-open system, which is not explosion-proof, had to be installed outside the room, directly next to the door. Should this have also been classified as ATEX zone, it would have either had to be moved to a safe area or installed in an explosion-proof enclosure. All this would lead to additional costs that would make such a system unnecessarily expensive.
It goes without saying that we, at DICTATOR, always check first all relevant specifications in detail and then plan the required hold-open system individually – following the specifications exactly. Our customers receive the necessary technical support and the perfect solution for their application. After all, explosion-proof hold-open systems don’t have to be much more expensive than normal systems.
In the case of the ATEX hold-open system at FIZ, DICTATOR carried out both the installation and the inspection for approval of the hold-open system together with their explosion safety specialists.
The double-leaf fire door with the explosion-proof hold-open system, adapted on site by DICTATOR exactly to the requirements of the client. There are no ATEX-requirements in the visible area, so that the whole system could be designed much more cost-effectively.
BMW Group R&D Centre FIZ in Munich – Innovation that is visible from outside
Picture copyright BMW Group
The door leaves open max. 100°. Fixing the magnets to the floor is not permitted here; that’s why we installed robust wall brackets for this purpose.
The control unit RZ-24 serves as power supply, control unit and manual switch, so that a separate switch is not required. The sticker above it confirms that the system has been accepted according to the regulations.
Since the ceilings on both sides of the door are more than 1 m above the upper edge of the door, ceiling detectors had to be installed in addition to the lintel detector. Inside, of course, ATEX-proof smoke detectors. And so we got a quick glance behind the door 🙂 .
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