Analysis of Dust Properties to Solve the Complex Problem of Non-fire Sensitivity Testing of Optical Smoke Detectors

Abstract

The purpose of an automatic fire detection system is the fast and reliable detection of arising fires in order to keep damage as low as possible. The European Standard EN54 defines a series of tests to prove and certify the functionality of smoke detectors, i.e. to prove that the detector is able to detect a fire in a prescribed period of time. Unfortunately the complex task of avoiding false alarms is not completely addressed. In contrast to the well standardized methods for the evaluation of the detection capability of a smoke detector, there is a lack of a reproducible and representative test method concerning the false alarm susceptibility with regard to nuisance aerosols. The consequences of false alarms should not be underestimated, as they may cause costs to serve the operator, especially in airborne applications. Many false alarms are caused by construction works in the surrounding of smoke detectors. For that reason several dust sources have been analyzed. Several approaches are possible and have been implemented to reduce the false alarm susceptibility of optical smoke detectors caused by dust and steam, e.g. different wavelengths and scattering angles. Unfortunately the developer has no representative test methods to quantify improvements and to point out the false-alarm resistance with e.g. a seal of quality due to new developments. Important is the knowledge of dust and steam properties such as the particle size distribution in comparison to particle size distribution of smoke of a fire. This paper presents a new approach for the test of smoke detectors regarding their susceptibility to false alarms due to nuisance aerosols, like steam and dust. The presented test apparatus is a very helpful and important tool for developers as well as for test houses during the developing and certification process. System designer will have a quantitative decision criterion to find the optimal detector for a specific place of installation. The paper compares the analysis of dust properties caused by construction works with standardized test dusts and shows how to solve the problem.