FireDetect

The overall objective of the project is to develop and test a novel and reliable fire detection system based on a new and advanced Acousto-optic technology. The aim is to develop a system that is able to identify very small temperature rises at a very ear ly stage of a fire, thus providing an early and reliable detection of fire, which will decrease the risk of false alarms. The final system will be marketed to applications with challenging environments such as waste management facilities, power supply pla nts, piggeries, cow stables, food processing factories and other dusty locations where traditional heat point detectors cannot survive more than approximately seven years. R&D challenges involved in the project: - Highly sensitive interferometer: detect ion of very small temperature drifts may require improving the sensitivity of the current interferometer systems significantly. - Mechanical stability: the vibrations of the structure where the equipment is to be mounted can easily contaminate the output of the system, therefore potentially leading to false alarms. - Optical coherence: since the measurement technique is based on interferometry, it is important to ensure optical coherence between the probe and reference beams. This is particularly importa nt when the probe beam travels long distances (like in large industrial pavilions). - Harmonized European Standards for components to be used in automatic fire detection and fire alarm systems are published in the EN 54-series. All harmonized standards c overs type testing of a specified component, and requirements for certification (CE-marking) are described in the standard in question. No existing standard covers type testing and certification of the Acousto-optic line heat detector, but it would be pos sible to connect the detector to the system via a certified input/output devise.