PAP Group · · Updated · Customer story · Fire alarm systems · 4 min read
Fire alarm systems at the heart of industrial operations
In industrial plants, production is often spread over a large area, and materials are carried from place to place, sometimes over long distances. Uninterrupted operation of material conveyors is vital to the process, so it is essential to protect them with a high-quality fire alarm system.
“Wood processing, mining, energy production and intermediate storage in logistics. In sectors like these, processes depend on moving materials from one place to another,” explains Janne Kuittinen, product manager at PAP Group. “In these production environments, goods move on conveyors, and the transport distances can be very long. If a raw material or other material does not move on through the process as planned, it can mean a shutdown at the production plant.”
Whenever a conveyor is running, it is also exposed to the risk of fire. “A conveyor has rollers roughly every metre, and materials are moved on a belt running over them. If, for example, a conveyor bearing seizes, the dust and dirt on its surface can catch fire. This in turn can start a fire in the material being carried on the belt and in the conveyor structures. Coal used in power plants and wood chips in the pulp industry, for example, are flammable materials. The biggest accident risk, however, lies in the fact that fires starting a long way off are difficult to detect.”
A weatherproof and intelligent fire alarm system
Janne Kuittinen says that the best fire alarm solution for industrial conveyors is a fibre-optic linear heat detector. “Fibre-optic cable is particularly well suited to protecting outdoor operations, as it withstands challenging weather conditions extremely well. Another good feature of the cable system is that it is cost-effective to install even over long distances, say 10 kilometres. The system always locates the seat of a fire to within one metre, which makes it superior to many other alternatives.”
The intelligence of the linear heat detection system is based on its ability to detect temperature variations in the area it monitors. “When the limit values defined in the system are exceeded, the cable sends this information to the central unit, which activates the fire alarms and the extinguishing system and raises an alarm with the Emergency Response Centre. All of this happens automatically within a few seconds. Information about the change in the situation is also sent immediately to the production plant’s control room.”
The linear heat detection system makes it possible to anticipate fire situations as well as possible. “The limit values can be set so that the cable reacts to a temperature change at the point when the risk is only just starting to rise. This means the production plant’s staff can intervene before the fire alarms go off and the Emergency Response Centre is called. This avoids the rescue department having to turn out.”
Many reasons to design and protect in the best possible way
Safeguarding the plant’s production process is the most important reason to ensure fire protection of conveyor lines. But protection may also be required for other reasons. “Protecting the conveyors with a fire alarm system may be a condition for obtaining a building permit for the production plant. Insurance companies may also require the same.”
So conveyor protection really is worth taking care of, whether at a new-build site or at an industrial plant that is already in operation. “At new-build sites, the best result is achieved when fire protection of the conveyors is addressed as early as possible. PAP works in the design team to support the electrical designer. Together, we make sure that the system is designed, positioned, installed and commissioned correctly. Every industrial plant has its own special features. We know from experience which solutions are best for each environment.”
At sites that are already in operation, it is worth checking the state of fire protection before the worst happens. “Sometimes industrial plants only wake up to this when an accident happens. Even that is better than nothing, but of course it would be best to prevent accidents in advance.”
Experienced in protecting large sites
By Finnish standards, PAP has extensive experience of designing and delivering fire alarm systems for large industrial plants. “We have built conveyor protection systems for the Kemi and Äänekoski bioproduct mills, for energy production in the Turku region, for Kuopion Energia and for FinnSementti in Lappeenranta, for example.”
Linear heat detectors can also be used to great effect at other types of site. “Linear heat detection cable is particularly well suited to tunnels, and we have delivered solutions based on it for the Hämeenlinna motorway and the Ring Road I tunnels in Keilaniemi and Leppävaara, for example. The most historic of the sites we protect is the Helsinki Olympic Stadium.”
If you are interested in better fire safety, Janne Kuittinen encourages you to contact PAP. “Tell us about the special features of your site and your fire safety goals. We will tell you how to achieve them in practice.”
See also: Linear heat detection cables.
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