Industrial and commercial fire protection
Early fire detection to protect people, property and processes
Protection objectives in recycling plants and production facilities
When it comes to fire protection in recycling plants and production facilities, there are a variety of protection objectives to fulfil. These include:
- Personnel protection
- Protecting property and investments
- Environmental protection
- Protecting profitability by ensuring process security
Fire risks in recycling and production facilities
Fire risks in recycling and production facilities primarily result from technical defects in electrical equipment, such as conveyor belts. Stored materials often provide ideal fuel for fires as well. Plastics are the most common combustion material in the automotive and consumer-goods industries, whereas in chemicals and food production facilities, packaging is a common source of fuel. Some facilities may contain fire accelerants like spray cans, or highly flammable liquids such as paints or lacquers, which can accelerate a fire’s development.
Challenges involved in early fire detection in industrial and trade operations
Fire protection is made more difficult in production and recycling facilities because they often contain a variety of interference factors, such as a large amount of dust, weather effects due to open production hall doors, or vehicle exhaust. These factors can cause false alarms, which can result in expenses related to evacuation, operational interruptions, or costly fire brigade calls.
To prevent false alarms from occurring, smoke detectors must be capable of differentiating between smoke particles and dust or fumes in the air. Air flowing in through open doors and differences in air pressure can result in background contamination fluctuating; smoke detectors need to be capable of interpreting these factors correctly, so that they do not result in false alarms. Recycling facilities are also faced with the additional risk of glowing embers being carried in with deliveries. Conventional fire detectors designed to detect fires in the incipient stage are often negatively affected by the disturbance variables described above, resulting in false alarms, and thus in costly operational interruptions. The heat detectors once frequently employed in recycling facilities were only capable of detecting fires once they reached an advanced stage. By the time the detectors responded, it was usually too late to take counteractive measures, and large-scale fires were difficult to prevent, meaning ongoing processes had to be interrupted for an extended period of time. As such, in order to minimise the danger to persons and the risk of property loss, it is crucial that fires be detected while still in the incipient stage.
Maximum demands on fire protection
Modern LED-based air sampling smoke detectors, plus the accessories that help them manage adverse environmental conditions, now allow very early fire detection while remaining secure against false alarms. WAGNER’s TITANUS® air sampling smoke detectors provide this kind of very-early fire detection.
Reference projects
Tönsmeier Waste Management of Lower Saxony: False-alarm-proof recycling plant protection
Every false alarm means money spent on the fire brigade, plus company operations are completely paralysed. With our new WAGNER system, we got that under control immediately.
Mithat Bilgin, Branch Manager, Tönsmeier Waste Management of Lower Saxony
Krombacher Brewery, Krombach (Germany): Early fire detection in a traditional brewery
TITANUS® helps us significantly reduce our response times. In almost no time at all, we can be at the source of the fire, preventing any more damage from occurring.
Thomas Langenbach, Fire Protection Officer, Krombacher Brewery
