Many commercial or industrial buildings have designated areas used to house flammable substances. These areas are known as hazardous areas and are usually well labelled to make clear that the room contains dangerous substances.
Hazardous areas often have increased risk of fire or explosion from flammable gases, liquid produced vapours, dust or fibres present in the air in quantities sufficient to produce ignitable or explosive mixtures.
Hazardous areas within Europe are generally separate into three zone classifications in accordance with ATEX regulations. Many countries outside of Europe, apart from North America, follow a similar approach called the IECEX system.
- Zone 0 (gases) is an area holding an explosive mixture continuously for a constant or long period of time.
- Zone 1 (gases) contains materials that are likely to cause an explosive mixture during normal operation.
- Zone 2 (gases) is where an explosive mixture is not likely to occur during normal operation and if it is to exist, it will only last a short period of time such as during maintenance.
What are the Fire Risks Associated with hazardous areas?
There are many risks associated with hazardous areas, for example:
- Confined Spaces: if a container is stored within a confined space and a small amount of gas and/or liquid is released, it can create an ignitable mixture which can cause an explosion with just one spark.
- Reaction of Substances: hazardous areas tend to hold a wide variety of substances, some of which can cause a fire or explosion if they are to come into contact with each other.
- Materials: many commercial and industrial buildings hold a variety of flammable materials that can easily ignite and cause fire to spread rapidly.
What are the Challenges?
There are many challenges to overcome when implementing a suitable fire detection system in hazardous areas. For example, each hazardous area can vary in size and structure and the amount of flammable substances within the areas may change frequently, making it difficult to determine which is the best, most effective fire detection to install.
Various gases and chemicals that are present in the area, can mean that traditional type fire detection may be rendered ineffective.
What is the Solution?
FryeLine linear heat detection offers the perfect solution for protecting hazardous areas from fire. FyreLine heat sensing cable can detect heat at any point along its length, providing an accurate location of fire, even in the most challenging environment.
FyreLine linear heat detection comes in two forms, analogue and digital.
FyreLine Analogue
FyreLine Analogue heat detection constantly monitors for a change in temperature, only activating an alarm once it reaches the specified temperature. This allows the installer configure both pre-alarm and full alarm temperatures, allowing the end user to investigate a temperature increase before a full alarm is triggered.
FyreLine Digital
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FyreLine Digital offers fixed heat detection that activates an alarm once it reaches its rated temperature. FyreLine Digital is available with a rated temperature of 68├óÔÇ×ãÆ, 88├óÔÇ×ãÆ, 105├óÔÇ×ãÆ or 185├óÔÇ×ãÆ.
FyreLine analogue and digital are both fully approved by the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) and hold the CE mark to show that they comply with all the applicable Directives including the EMC, CPR and the Low Voltage Directive (LVD).
Nylon Coated Sensing Cable
A Nylon coated cable is the ideal solution for hazardous areas as it is recommended for use when hazardous hydrocarbons such as fuel oils and kerosene are present. Nylon cables are coated black and provide suitable UV protection when used in direct sunlight. Nylon is much stronger than PVC and, therefore, provides additional mechanical protection.
For more information about the FyreLine Linear Heat Detection System, or to discuss any of the other products that Eurofyre have to offer, please feel free to get in touch either by phone on +44 (0) 1329 835 024, by email to [email protected] or via the online enquiry form situated on our contact page.
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