E!9105 FireDetect

The Firedetect project is about developing and testing of a new fire detection principle. During this task Elotec got new knowledge and experience which contributed to our new sensor in our own developed aspirating smoke detector. Analysis of test results performed in an advanced microcontroller that collects data and provides accurate results through a sophisticated algorithm. This will improve today's systems by the sensor sorting out what is real fire smoke and for example smoke from cooking. The system will not give nuisance alarms, even with extremely high sensitivity. In rough environments there is often problems with dust and corrosive gases, with this system we eliminate these challenges, and get a stable high sensitivity level.

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 early 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 plants, 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: detection 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 important 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 covers 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 possible to connect the detector to the system via a certified input/output devise.