"The timber industry, mining, energy production and logistics intermediate storage. In these sectors, for example, processes depend on moving materials from one place to another," says Janne Kuittinen, Product Manager at PAP Group. "In these production environments, goods move with the help of conveyors and transport distances can be very long. If raw material or material does not move forward in the process as planned, it can mean downtime in the production plant."
When the conveyor is in operation, it is also always exposed to the risk of fire. "The conveyor has rollers every metre or so, on which a mat is placed to move the materials. If, for example, a bearing on the conveyor jams, the dust and dirt on its surface can catch fire. This in turn can cause a fire in the material being transported on the carpet and in the conveyor structures. For example, coal used in power plants or wood chips from the pulp industry are flammable materials. However, the biggest risk of accidents is that it is difficult to detect fireballs that ignite over long distances."
Weatherproof and intelligent fire alarm system
Janne Kuittinen says that the best solution for a fire detection system for industrial conveyors is a linear line heat detector based on optical fibre. "Fibre optic cable is particularly well suited for protecting outdoor operations, as it is highly resistant to challenging weather conditions. The cable system also has the advantage of being cost-effective to install, even over long distances, such as 10 kilometres. The system always locates the fire hose within a radius of one metre, which makes it superior to many other options."
The intelligence of a heating cable system is based on its ability to detect temperature variations in the area it controls. "When the thresholds set in the system are exceeded, the cable sends a message to the control panel, which activates the fire detectors and the fire extinguishing system and alerts the emergency call centre. All this happens automatically with a delay of a few seconds. Any change in the situation is also immediately transmitted to the plant control room."
The heating cable system enables the best possible anticipation of fire situations. "Limit values can be set so that the cable reacts to temperature changes at the point when the risk is just beginning to rise. Plant personnel can therefore intervene even before the fire alarms and emergency call are triggered. This avoids the need for the rescue services to arrive on the scene."
Many reasons to plan and protect in the best way
Safeguarding the factory's production process is the main reason for providing fire protection for the transport lines. But other reasons may also require protection. "A condition for obtaining a building permit for a production plant may be that the conveyors are protected by a fire detection system. Insurance companies may also require the same."
So whether you are building a new site or an existing industrial plant, it really pays to take care of transport security. "For new projects, the best results are achieved when fire protection for conveyors is addressed as early as possible. PAP supports the electrical engineer in the design team. Working together, we ensure that the system is designed, located, installed and commissioned correctly. Each industrial plant has its own specific characteristics. We know from experience which solutions are best for each environment."
For sites 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 occurs. That's better than nothing, but of course the best thing is to prevent accidents before they happen."
Experienced protector of large sites
PAP has strong experience in the design and implementation of fire detection systems for large industrial plants in Finland. "We have built transport protection systems for bioproduct plants in Kemi and Äänekoski, for energy production in the Turku region, for Kuopio Energia and for FinnSement in Lappeenranta, for example."
The linear linear heat detector is also ideal for other types of applications. "The heating cable is particularly suitable for tunnels, and we have implemented solutions based on it, for example, on the Hämeenlinna motorway and the Ring 1 tunnels in Keilaniemi and Leppävaara. The most historic of the sites we have protected is the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki."
If you are interested in better fire safety, Janne Kuittinen urges you to contact PAP. "Tell us about the specifics of your site and your fire safety goals. We will tell you how to put them into practice."
Interested? Contact us!