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Open Fire Detection

Early fire detection is important for worker safety and minimizing downtime after emergencies. A fire detection system should be rapid, reliable, durable, and simple to maintain. Factors like ignition sources, combustibles, and response time influence detector design. Common types include thermal, flame, gas, and smoke detectors. Thermal detectors respond to temperature increases while flame detectors detect specific light spectra. Gas detectors monitor for carbon monoxide and dioxide. Smoke detectors use light scattering or ionization changes. Alarm thresholds must account for site-specific conditions and activities.

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208 views

Open Fire Detection

Early fire detection is important for worker safety and minimizing downtime after emergencies. A fire detection system should be rapid, reliable, durable, and simple to maintain. Factors like ignition sources, combustibles, and response time influence detector design. Common types include thermal, flame, gas, and smoke detectors. Thermal detectors respond to temperature increases while flame detectors detect specific light spectra. Gas detectors monitor for carbon monoxide and dioxide. Smoke detectors use light scattering or ionization changes. Alarm thresholds must account for site-specific conditions and activities.

Uploaded by

sjain_818574
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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OPEN FIRE DETECTION

Early detection of fire- i. Increase likelihood of survival for u/g worker ii. Minimise time required for return to production after such an emergency First step in fire prevention/control is detection Fire Detection System(Automatic Detectors): A fire detection system should be:
i. Sufficiently rapid : enough time to safely evacuate a mine / successfully extinguish the fire and control ii. Reliable : to minimise the false alarms iii. Durable : to withstand mine environment over long periods maintaining the reliability iv. Simple to maintain and calibrate: saving on operating cost

Factors influencing design of fire detection system: a. Potential sources and modes of ignition b. Types of combustibles involved c. Quantity of combustibles available for fire growth and flame speed d. Time respond to detect a fire

Types: 1. Thermal Detectors/ Heat detectors:


Detects abnormally high temperature or rate of temperature rise

2. Flame detectors:
Detects infra red or ultraviolet radiation produced by a fire

3. Fire gas detectors:


Detects gases produced by fire

4. Smoke detectors:
Detects visible/ invisible particles of combustion

I. Thermal detectors: Respond to the temperature or rate of temperature increase at a point or on a continuous line Fusible alloy plug Thermocouple Bimetallic strips/ twisted wire with insulation that melts at a given temperature Thermistor type units: based on resistance change of semiconductor with temp.

Applicability: small well defined fire hazards especially if they are enclosed: electrical boxes, conveyor etc.

Merits:
1. Ruggedness 2. Highly reliable: free from false alarms 3. Relatively low cost

Demerits:
1. Not very sensitive and rely on convected thermal energy : spatial orientation placement of detector relative to fire affect detector performance and hence it is to be placed close to the fire 2. They are susceptible to velocity of air flow 3. Connecting wires may get disconnected due to roof fall or similar disturbance

II. Flame detector: Flame detector make the use of light spectrum emitted by a fire or flame. The detectors are designed to react to the invisible parts of the spectrum which is usually absent in the illuminating equipment (eg. lamps) used in underground mines. There are two types of flame detector a) Ultraviolet radiation b) Infra-red radiation. Since they respond to the light emitted by a fire or flame, the detectors must be in the path of emitted radiant energy from the fire or from the surface heated by the fire. They can also be activated by welding arcs and other bright flashes of light, so that sitting should be carefully selected.

III. Gas detector: The detection of carbon monoxide is of prime importance in fire detection. The most successful instruments have a spectral gas analyzer (infra-red-analyser) and are very sensitive. A timber fire gives rise low carbon monoxide production in the early, oxygen rich stages of burning but a high carbon dioxide content. Carbon dioxide measurement by an infra-red analyzer has been used successfully for detecting fires in many mines.

IV Smoke Detector:
Types: a) Optical detector b) Ionization detector

Optical type uses light extinction or scattering due to smoke to detect its presence. This type of detector consists of a light source, the beam of which traverses a smoke chamber to a detector. The sensitivity of this detector is low and is useful in areas where dense smoke clouds are generated. (Ex. Overload electric cables)
The ionization type of detector senses the effect of smoke on the air-ionization current of a radioactive diode. This type consists of a radioactive source a set of electrodes and an electrometer to sense the reduction in ion current that results form the presence of smoke.

Alarm Limits for Gas detectors & Smoke Detectors: Based on background levels and requires: Mine return air analysis to determine base levels (different from mine to mine and in large mine differs from district to district) Alarm limit must take into consideration the effect of various other factors such as blasting, which gives off CO, CO2 & smoke (Electronic delays can help activation of alarm in these circumstances as the increased output signals are of a short duration and can easily be identified)

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