PART 1

GENERAL                                                                      Date 1/7/03

1.1

DESCRIPTION

1.1A

Work Included:

The work specified in this Section includes furnishing, installing, and testing a hose type of vehicle interior cleaning system at the location shown on the drawings. It shall be a 3” festooned hose type of vacuum system at the front and rear doors for cleaning the interior of fixed route transit , paratransit, and tour buses. They shall be piped to either and an existing or new remote cyclone/blower collector.  Festooning shall include a chord supported from the roof and connected to a retraction mechanism (not counterweights) thru a series of pulleys. Include all of the equipment as specified herein to interconnect the various system components.  Not included is the work of bringing the utilities to the vacuum equipment.

1.2

QUALITY ASSURANCE

1.2A.

Codes and Regulations:

The bus vacuum system shall be in accordance with national and commercial standards, codes, rules, and regulations, local ordinances, and other authorities having jurisdiction of this work. Electrical work shall be in accordance with the applicable provisions of the National Electric Code. Emissions shall conform to AQMD regulations and noise, to OSHA regulations

1.2B

Installer’s Qualifications:

The installer of the hose vacuum system shall have previous experience in the installation of the equipment the same as for the supplier.  The installing contractor shall have a “C” contractors license. 

1.2C

Coordination:

If the vacuum system contractor is a subcontractor for a new facility, he shall coordinate the location of  the vacuum cleaning equipment with the location of other mechanical and electrical installation work.  Coordinate the positioning of the stub-ups, if any, for electricity, water, and compressed air; the installation of the cyclone; and the opening in the roof for the vacuum blower if required.  If the vacuum system contractor is a prime contractor in an existing facility, he must do the same with the owner.  

1.2D

Finish:

All metal parts not galvanized shall be cleaned and covered with two coats of primer and two finish coats of semi-gloss industrial enamel paint. The finish color is to be selected by the district or project engineers

1.3

SUBMITTALS REQUIRED BEFORE FABRICATION

1.3A.

Drawings:

Submit front and end elevation drawings of the collector and festooned hoses, plan and foundation layout drawings, piping/control schematic drawings, bill of material, and installation and erection instructions. Engineer's review and approval required before proceeding with fabrication.

1.3B.

Calculations:  

Submit a vacuum blower performance curve including a system performance curve with all lances open based upon air velocities, volumes, and pressure at various parts of the system.  Submit cyclone performance data (pressure drop, collection efficiency, inlet velocity). Festooned hose retraction forces required with the hose fully extended, 50% retracted, and fully retracted.

1.3C.

Technical Literature:

Submit technical literature on the vacuum blower, pneumatic controls, electric controls, festooned hose equipment, and dust controls for review by he engineer.

  1.4

SUBMITTALS REQUIRED AFTER FINAL INSTALLATION AND TESTS

1.4A.

Test Data:

Submit for approval all test results per par. 3.05

1.4B

Equipment:

Submit a letter that all equipment is in operating condition per par. 3.2.1

1.4C

Operation and Maintenance Manual:

6 copies and include maintenance instructions, drawings, necessary spare parts, and product data sheets.

1.5

PRODUCT DELIVERY, STORAGE, AND HANDLING

1.5A.

Shipping:

All equipment and accessories shall be shipped securely wrapped, crated, labeled, and packaged for safe handling to avoid damage.

1.5A.

Storing:

The general contractor or owner shall be responsible for unloading and storing all vacuum system equipment in a dry safe area prior to installation by the installation contractor.

PART 2

PRODUCTS

2.1

GENERAL

2.1A

Description of System(s):

The 3” three lane festooned hose bus vacuum system shall be Robertson Air Systems or equal.  The equipment shall conform to all the features shown on the drawings and as described in these specifications.  It shall consist of  three service lanes with two festooned hoses per lane - i.e. one for the front door 36’ in length and one for the rear door 26’in length.  At the end of each hose shall be a lance with three push buttons in the handle; one to control the vacuum blower, one to control festooned hose, and one to control the flow of vacuum air.  Hard wire routed outside the flex hose shall connect these switches to their respective devices. The festooned flex hoses shall be connected to one remote vacuum blower/collector assembly thru properly sized steel ducts.  Each hose festoon shall consist of chords one end of which is fastened to the hose and the other end routed to their respective retraction assemblies thru pulleys mounted in the roof.  Similarly, chords and pulleys shall be provided to manually raise the lance to the roof when not being used.  The collected trash shall be deposited into a dumpster located beneath the collector.  A silencer shall limit the noise from the vacuum blower to the specified levels.          

2.1B

Sequence of Operation:

Litter too large to be vacuumed shall be picked-up manually and deposited into a trash containers located adjacent to the front and rear doors. Next the operator enters the front door with the 3” festooned hose while extending it with the push button in the handle of the lance and vacuums around the driver’s area, the front door step well and throughout the length of the entire bus.  When finished the operator returns to the front of the bus while retracting the hose with the second push button in the handle of the lance. Alternately,  the operator may choose to bring the 3” hose thru the rear door to clean the rear of the bus or the entire bus which ever way he (she) prefers. When vacuuming for all the buses is finished at the end of the shift, the operator shall hoist the lances to the roof with the manual festooned system.  The operators shall be responsible for replacing the full dumpster with the spare dumpster before the trash causes the plug control to shut off the vacuum blower.      

2.1C.

Performance:

The pick-up velocity through the 3” lance openings shall be no less than 13,000 fpm and shall be verified by test per Par. 3.2.2 (b).  Festooned support and control of the hose is the only acceptable method; hose reels are unacceptable.  Noise level at the nearest hose to the collector shall not exceed 87 dba with the vacuum air turned off.    

2.1D.

Utilities:

Electric power: 230/460 volt, 3 phase, 60 hz, with capacity for the vacuum blower and the blow nozzle blower; compressed air for the pneumatic controls and water for the emission control sprays.

2.1E.

Allowable Space:

The total footprint shall be no greater than 7’x 5’ using a dumpster and 5’ x 5’ using a 55 gal. drum.  The height of the cyclone/blower collector shall not exceed 23’ with the blower installed beneath the roof and 20’ with the blower installed on a spool extending thru the roof.

2.1F.

Acceptable Suppliers:

Robertson Air Systems

33381 Coral Reach

Dana Point , CA  92629

Tel: 714-420-1450

Fax: 949-493-8134

E-mail: rairsys@robertsonairsystems.com

Web Site: www.robertsonairsystems.com 

2.2

EQUIPMENT

Items necessary for complete and working installation of one collector assembly and two 3” festooned hoses servicing each of 3 service lanes.

2.2A.

One Cyclone Collector Assembly with involute inlet and seismic support structure located either adjacent to the service lane(s) or in a remote location.

2.2B.

One High Pressure Vacuum Blower w/Motor bolted to the top of the cyclone below the roof or above the roof with a spool section extending thru the roof. 

2.2C.

One Silencer on the vacuum blower discharge.

2.2D.

One Transition on the inlet to the cyclone.

2.2E.

One 3 ½”- 37’ Front Door Festooned Hose located next to the front door and supported from the roof by a nylon chord connected to the retraction assembly.

2.2F.

One 3 ½”- 26’ Rear Door Festooned Hose located next to the rear door and supported from the roof by a nylon chord connected to the retraction assembly.

2.2G.

Two 4" Slide Gates   located on the vacuum pipe to the 3” hose; one at the front door and one at the rear door

2.2H.

One Flexible Duct between the bottom of the cyclone and airtight lid.

2.2I.

One Airtight Lid to interface with the dumpster or 55 gal. drum. 

2.2J.

Two 3" Lances on the end of each of the 3 1/2" vacuum hoses.

2.2K.

One "Cyclone Plugged" Detection Control mounted near the bottom of the cyclone shall sense trash back-ups into the cyclone and cause the system to shut down until the back-up is cleared.  Photocells are not acceptable.

2.2L.

Two 2 Cu. Yd. Air Tight Dumpsters shall interface with the air tight lid located beneath the cyclone separator. 

2.2M.

One Electric Control Cabinet located on one end of the support structure or in a remote location.

2.2N.

One Pneumatic Control Cabinet located at one end of the support structure or in a remote location.

 2.2O.

One Dust Control Cabinet located on one end of the support structure or in a             remote location

2.2P.

One Dust Control Spray Nozzle located on the inlet to the cyclone. 

2.2Q.

One "On-Off-Auto" Switches located on the front of the electric control cabinet. 

2.2R.

One Set of Spare Parts as listed on the plans. 

2.2S.

Miscellaneous Hardware Including: red-heads for the cyclones, pneumatic control tubing, vacuum air pipe, adhesive, electric wire, conduit, pneumatic fittings, lubricants, ring clamps, touch-up paint, and sheet metal screws.

2.3

DESIGN FEATURES

2.3A.

Cyclone Assembly: 

The cyclone assembly shall be by Robertson Air Systems or equal. It shall consist of two major assemblies i.e. the cyclone and support structure.  The cyclone shall be fabricated from 14 gage metal.  It shall be sized for the required cfm for the simultaneous operation of three 3” vacuum hoses.  The collection efficiency shall be 99.9% down to 50 microns dust and 100% litter with a full involute intake, a long cone, a mounting flange on top for the blower, an internal stack, a long body, and an inlet transition that will limit the inlet velocities to between 2500 to 4000 ft. per minute. If the blower is outside above the roof, it shall have a spool /silencer section located between the top of the cyclone and the blower.

The support structure shall consist of four 3/8”x 4" angle legs; four 1/2" thick x 12"sq. base plates with holes for four 1/2"dia. redheads; framing for mounting the electric control cabinet and/or the pneumatic control cabinet on one end; 1/4" x 4" angle cross bracing on top and 1/4"x 3" diagonal cross bracing as required on the sides.  No horizontal cross bracing shall be any lower than 6 1/2' from the ground in front to allow access to the dumpsters  

2.3B.

Airtight Lid:

The airtight lid shall be located below and connected to the cyclone with an airtight flex hose.  It shall be 54 ½ inches wide by 76 inches long using 2 inch by 2 inch by 1/4 inch square pipe frame with a 14 gage cover.  It shall have a 1 inch by 1 ½ inch hollow rubber seal fastened to the bottom with screws and four De-sta-co 53810 clamps. It shall have one 2 inch high collar on top for connecting flex duct to the cyclones. The lid shall be supported from above by springs. The lid shall lift approximately 1" up all around from the trash container when unclamped. 

2.3C.

Dumpster:

The dumpster shall be airtight, 2 cu.yd., rated for 7" Hg negative pressure, compatible with municipal trucks, and with a top rim to interface with the lid to form an air tight seal.  It shall be 72 inches long by 50 inches wide by 51-3/4 inches high with a 2 inch wide lip on top.  The sides shall be minimum 14 gauge and adequately supported to prevent distortion. The ends shall have guides for lifting with a front fork-lift type disposal truck.  It shall be mounted on four vulcanized rubber-tired swivel type casters, each rated for 1000 lbs. minimum.  It shall  have its own hinged sheet metal cover to protect the collected material from being blown out while being stored prior to collection by the  disposal truck.  The trash container shall have two rigid steel hand grips to facilitate movement.  The trash container shall be removable by releasing the hold-down clamps on the spring loaded lid and wheeling it by hand to a temporary storage area where it shall later be unloaded by a disposal truck.  Two cyclone assembly mounted guides shall help the trash container line up with the lid after dumping.

2.3D.

Plugged Detection Control:

It shall be acoustic type to shut-off the blower in case of a plug in the cyclone. It shall consist of an amplifier receiver (microphone) and a transmitter (loudspeaker) with the two sensors located 12" above the bottom of the cones on opposite sides of the cyclone. The sound shall not be audible to the human ear and a timer shall prevent false alarms. It shall shut-off the blower if a plug is detected.

2.3E.

Electric Control Cabinet:

It shall be pre-wired for 240 volts or 480 volts, 3 phase, 60 hz, in a NEMA 12 enclosure, and shall contain: combination motor/starter; and overload protection in all three phases. Provide all other necessary programmed controls, relays, timers, and terminal blocks. Fan "Start/Stop" push buttons and pilot light shall be on the control panel door.  Cabinet shall meet or exceed all state and/or local electrical codes.

2.3F.

Pneumatic Control Cabinet:

It shall contain: a main shut-off valve; a blow down valve; automatic filter; common manifold; regulator; air solenoid valves; and pneumatic valves for water and compressed air supply lines to the spray dust control system; and nameplates for each control.  Each cylinder or pair of cylinders shall be controlled by its own air regulator. A gauge shall indicate the regulated pressure.  It shall be mounted on the main support structure.

2.3G.

Vacuum 3 ½”Festooned Hoses:

They shall be smooth on the inside and have a negative pressure rating of 7 inches mercury

2.3H.

Lances:

Shall be 3”x 48"long, contoured upward on the end, and made of aluminum or plastic, with a handle that contains the control switches.  A second handle shall operate a swivel that will permit rotating the contoured end while vacuuming under the seats.   

2.3I.

Vacuum Blower:

It shall be a high pressure, single stage, arrangement 4, vertical shaft, flanged mounted to the top of the cyclone with a 230/460 volt, 3 phase, 60 hz., hi-efficiency, 3500 RPM, motor, wheel and motor removable from the drive side, access cover, and flanges both ends.  It shall have power and capacity to produce a velocity of 13,000 ft./min. minimum thru the 3” lances with all lances at the front doors open simultaneously per the requirements of  test 3.2.2 B.  It shall also conform to the noise requirements of test 3.2E

2.3J.

Outlet Silencer:

Vibro-Acoustics or equal type RDS flanged mounted to the blower discharge. Construction shall consist of continuously welded hot rolled steel casing; fiberglass acoustical media, galvanized perforated metal, fiberglass cloth erosion protection, and reinforced steel angle flanges. Pressure drop shall not exceed 1".

2.3K.

Dust Control:

Shall consist of one air atomizing flat spray to produce a water particle size of 10 to 50 microns. Spray nozzles shall be directed into the air stream to assist in capturing small particles during the vacuuming cycle. Accessories located in the pneumatic control cabinet shall consist of : a liquid air regulator, an air regulator, two pressure gages, a liquid filter, and two automatic ball valves.

2.3L

4” Slide Gate Valves:

Shall be used for all of the control valves and shall consist of a pneumatic actuated plate that slides between two outside stationary plates that are sealed on three sides.  It shall be capable of operating against a static pressure of 70” water.  The bottom seal shall be easily removed for cleaning.  

PART 3

EXECUTION

3.1

INSTALLATION

3.1A

The supplier shall send a qualified representative to the jobsite, to supervise others responsible for carrying out all the work related to the equipment installation. It shall be the responsibility of the supplier to ensure that the equipment and system(s) to be furnished and installed to fit the spaces available. The supplier shall make necessary field measurements to determine any restrictions that will obstruct the equipment from accessing the erection area.

3.1.B

The whole collector assembly and blower shall be installed as a single unit onto either a 6" cement base or footings. 

3.2

INSPECTION AND TESTING

Each component of the bus vacuum system for each of the system(s) shall be operated to the satisfaction of the Project Engineer.  A test report submitted showing the results of the following tests:

3.2A

PERFORMANCE

From the three push buttons on the lance operate the vacuum blower and festoon through a number of cycles to the satisfaction of the engineer and/or owner.

3.2.B

Power:

Measure the current in all three legs of the fan motor with the vacuum hose(s) wide open and then closed off.  Under no circumstances should the readings be any more than 15% above the ampere rating of the motor

3.2.C

Pick-up Velocity (capacity):

Measure the pick-up air velocity in feet per minute with only one lance open followed by two and three lances open.  It should be 13,000 ft/min. minimum for one lance and 10,000 ft/min with all lances open..

3.2.D

Vacuum Pressure:

The vacuum pressure in the festoon piping with all lances wide open should be about 55” wide open and 45” closed off .

3.2.E

Noise Level:

Take six DBA noise readings with the vacuum blower and booster blower operating at 5 feet above the floor level at a distance of 10' all around starting in front of the cyclone.  These should be 87 dba or lower.

3.2.F

Emissions:

Under normal operating conditions for one or two shifts, report any evidence of litter having passed out the blower discharge.