Detection development

Eaton Corporation’s general manager, Frank Ackland, explains how advances in fire detection systems can help facility and maintenance managers.

The rapid evolution of fire detection technology means saving more lives. Systems are now moving on from the one-size-fits all approach to providing a wide array of solutions that offer best possible protection in a range of environments, each with its own characteristics.

It is now possible to detect any or all of the main indicators of fire — smoke, heat, carbon dioxide or monoxide, and even flame. However, while this increased level of sophistication represents a huge leap forward, buyers now have various parameters to consider during their decision making process because cost, scale, location, technology, regulation, and risk assessment are all vital considerations in choosing an ideal system.

Making the right choice 

Alarms that used ionisation were once the preferred option. However, problems with their disposal, in light of their radioactive components, means that they have largely been rendered redundant and are even banned in some countries. In their place, optical smoke detectors became the most common solution, especially since they have overcome high air movements that would incorrectly activate the ionisation detectors. Instead, optical systems work when smoke particles enter the chamber within the device and disturb a beam of light that triggers the alarm.

In many cases, these devices have been augmented over the past decade with the addition of heat detection elements to create a combined optothermal solution, expanding the scope of fire detection across two important indicators: smoke and heat. However, the ubiquitous use of such devices gave rise to a new challenge – a growing number of false alarms. In a kitchen, for example, the use of optothermal devices is problematic because of the heat that is ordinarily generated.