Potter Dry System Nitrogen Generators

Product information

Potter Electric Signal Company

Corrosion is the leading cause of premature failure in dry and pre-action automatic sprinkler systems: the compressed air that normally fills the pipework between activations is roughly 21% oxygen, and held against wetted internal pipe walls for years at a time it drives steady internal corrosion, leading to pinhole leaks, blocked sprinklers and costly pipe replacement.

Arcofire supplies the Potter IntelliGen nitrogen generator range for the European market (EU variants, CE marked and FM Approved), which replaces the compressed air in a dry or pre-action system with 98%+ purity nitrogen, generated on site using nitrogen membrane separation technology - no bottled gas or gas deliveries required. Displacing the oxygen from the pipework largely stops oxygen-driven corrosion at its source.

How it works An integrated air compressor supplies air through filtration into a nitrogen membrane, which acts as a gas filter separating oxygen and water vapour from nitrogen molecules. The high-purity nitrogen is piped through the air maintenance device into the fire protection system, while the Potter IntelliPurge nitrogen purge valve exhausts the remaining oxygen as the system fills, and continues to monitor the system to ensure nitrogen purity stays consistent throughout.

The Potter IntelliGen Controller automates the entire air-fill and nitrogen-fill procedure, with advance leak-rate detection, an integrated bypass alarm, web-enabled remote monitoring, and automatic email alerts for trouble conditions and maintenance reminders.

INS-2000 (EU) specification The INS-2000 (EU) is built as three individual skids for ease of transport and installation: an 80-gallon (303 litre) tank-mounted air compressor package, the nitrogen generator cabinet, and a 60-gallon (227 litre) nitrogen storage tank. The included 7.5 HP compressor meets the NFPA 13 requirement of a 30-minute fill for a 2,000 gallon (7,570 litre) system at 40 PSI (2.76 bar), and the unit handles up to 12,000 US gallons (45,425 litres) of total sprinkler system capacity.

Accessories in the range include the IntelliPurge nitrogen purge valve (INS-PV), the Potter purge valve (NGP-SPV), the Potter air maintenance device (NGP-AMD-1), and a portable nitrogen analyser (PNA) for verifying nitrogen purity in the field.

Standards CE marked, FM Approved per Approval Standard 1035 (Nitrogen Generators). Designed to meet NFPA 13's sprinkler system fill-time requirement.

Full range The IntelliGen series spans models from small single-riser systems to large multi-riser installations. Beyond the INS-2000 (EU) detailed above, the range includes smaller and larger capacity models (INS-100 through INS-2500 in the full international line) - Arcofire can specify the model matched to your system's total capacity and riser count.

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Purge Valves

As a nitrogen generator fills a dry or pre-action sprinkler system, the air originally in the pipework has to be exhausted along with any residual moisture - simply filling the system with nitrogen without purging the old air leaves the oxygen trapped inside. Purge valves are installed at the remote end of the sprinkler system to vent this air and confirm that high-purity nitrogen has reached every part of the pipe network.

NGP-SPV - Nitrogen Self Purge Valve The NGP-SPV is a simple, self-operating purge valve with no electrical connection required. Installed off a tee connection at the end of the sprinkler system, its purge orifice automatically bleeds out oxygen and residual moisture whenever the nitrogen generator is running, and provides a sampling port to manually check nitrogen purity. A built-in high-pressure water shut-off valve automatically closes the vent if the system activates, and an isolation ball valve allows the strainer, air vent and purge orifice to be serviced without shutting down the system.

INS-PV - IntelliPurge Nitrogen Purge Valve The INS-PV is an automated, electronically monitored purge valve. Installed at the point furthest from the riser, it uses a built-in nitrogen analyzer to sample the exiting gas continuously, automatically stopping the purge once the system reaches 98% nitrogen and signalling a successful purge. It keeps sampling afterwards to confirm the system stays at that level, provides a local display and status LEDs, Form C dry contacts for building management system notification, and can be networked with up to 27 units via the optional INS-RA remote annunciator for large, multi-riser nitrogen installations.

Standards UL Listed, FM Approved, CE marked. Designed for fire sprinkler branch line applications per NFPA 13, NFPA 13D and NFPA 13R.

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Air Maintenance Device (Bleeder Valve)

Once a dry or pre-action sprinkler system has been filled with nitrogen or air, it still needs a way to make up the small, normal pressure losses that occur over time without drawing down the entire generator or compressor supply - and to let that supply be shut off instantly the moment the system actually operates. That is the job of the air maintenance device.

The Potter NAMD (Nitrogen Air Maintenance Device) is a field-adjustable pressure regulator installed between the automatic nitrogen or air supply and the sprinkler system. It is required by NFPA standards on every dry pipe or pre-action system - each system must have its own dedicated device. In normal standby operation, the NAMD's regulator quietly replaces small leaks to keep the system at its correct minimum pressure. When a sprinkler activates and system pressure drops suddenly in a real fire, the sudden demand overwhelms the NAMD's small restrictor orifice, so it cannot refill the system fast enough to prevent the dry pipe or pre-action valve from opening as intended - the device gets out of the way exactly when it needs to.

A manual bypass valve allows the system to be quickly refilled to its full operating pressure after testing or a real discharge, without waiting for the regulator to slowly bring it back up. A corrosion-resistant mesh strainer (50 or 60 mesh) protects the regulator and sprinkler system from particles in the air or nitrogen supply, and the whole assembly is built from corrosion-resistant components with no electrical power required to operate.

Standards UL Listed, FM Approved, CE marked. Designed for automatic sprinkler systems per NFPA 13, with periodic inspection and testing per NFPA 25.

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Bleeder Valve (Model BVL)

The Model BVL lever-type bleeder valve is a bronze ball valve used as a test valve for pressure-operated devices - such as the alarm/supervisory pressure switch on the nitrogen system - on both wet and dry pipe sprinkler systems. Installed in-line with the pressure device, it lets the device be removed or tested without draining or affecting system pressure. Closing the valve (moving the handle perpendicular to the pipeline) shuts off the water, air or nitrogen supply and opens a small exhaust orifice that bleeds off the pressure trapped between the valve and the pressure device, allowing the device's low-pressure actuation to be tested safely.

Specifications: bronze body, zinc-plated steel lever handle, 1/2" NPT connections, 0.125" (3mm) exhaust orifice, maximum pressure 300 PSI (20.7 bar).