In any room, a person feels comfortable only if his safety is ensured from any factors that may threaten his life. No wonder they say “my house is my castle” for a long time. With the development of new technologies, security has become more accessible. One of the many links in the safety chain is the flame detector.
Scope of application
The flame detector has mainly two widely used applications. Firstly, it is used in fire detection and fire extinguishing systems of buildings and structures. The second field of application of this small-sized equipment is the automatic safety of heating boilers and other gas-consuming units.
Application of flame detectors in fire systems
Three types of devices are usually used in fire systems: thermal, smoke and flame detectors. Heat and smoke, especially in large rooms, may lose their effectiveness due to the fact that smoke can dissipate over a large area. And since the sensor has a different sensitivity threshold, it may not work. The same with the thermal type, especially in industrial premises in the summer, when the temperature rises naturally, and it is possible either falsetripping, or resetting to a higher tripping temperature.
An alternative to these devices, and even better in addition to them, fire alarm systems must be equipped with flame detectors. They have no dependence on convection (transfer of heat and smoke). The flame detector, which is based on the detection of radiation emitted by an open flame, is most common in fire alarm systems. Radiation from open flames goes up, so fire detectors must be installed on the ceiling of the room so that the fire is in direct view of it.
What are flame sensors
- Infrared.
- UV.
- Ultrasonic.
Infrared flame detectors are triggered by radiant heat from an open flame, unlike thermal ones, which react to air heating.
In rooms where there are electric heaters or other devices (sources of infrared radiation), ultraviolet sensors are used.
Motion-sensing ultrasonic devices are more related to security systems. But since they are triggered by air movement, and it can be caused by a fire, which results in the movement of air masses of different temperatures, the use of ultrasonic types in fire alarm systems is fully justified.
Installation features
Flame detectors, which are part of fire detectors, must be installed correctly and correctly, as the speed of fire alarms and the speed of extinguishing a fire depend on this.
They should be installed on the ceiling of the room. If the ceilings are stretched, or their design does not allow installation, then the devices are placed on the walls along the perimeter, columns, if any, or a system of special tension cables is used, while the distance from the ceiling should not exceed 30 cm
- One electrical circuit can combine no more than 10 sensors. This requirement applies only to residential and administrative premises. For production, the number of sensors is limited to five.
- The number of sensors must strictly correspond to the area of the room, based on passport data.
Fire alarm installation must be carried out by an experienced and qualified person. The owner of the premises, if he is not a specialist, cannot repair the flame sensor with his own hands. This should be done by a knowledgeable person as it could save a life in the future.
Application of flame sensor in boilers
The use of the flame sensor in boilers is due to safety and economic considerations. Since an alarm is triggered during unstable operation of the torch, the boiler is set up for a given and economical mode of operation. If the burner suddenly goes out, then, at the signal of the device, it immediately stopssupply of gas or other type of fuel, which prevents the risk of explosion. The flame sensor circuit is individual for various types of boilers, furnaces and other gas-consuming units.
From the models of Russian-made flame detection devices, the following can be noted:
- "Parus-002UF" is used in both single-burner and multi-burner boilers, as well as furnaces with a red-hot lining, running on gas or liquid fuel.
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Sail-003CUF is used for selective control of boilers with multiple burners running on gas or liquid fuel.
- DMS-100M is used for selective control of boilers with several burners operating only with liquid fuel.
- DMS-100M-PF is used to control flame tarnishing in boilers burning coal or wood.
- SL-90 - this flame detector is used in boilers with no more than two burners, while the temperature of the unit lining and convective bundles should not exceed 500 0С. The fuel for the boilers is gas, coal and liquid fuel.
