Fire detection using smoke and gas sensors

Abstract

Fire detection systems located in aircraft cargo compartments are currently based only on smoke detectors. They generate about 200 false alarms per year for US registered aircraft. The number of false alarms is growing as more planes are outfitted with smoke detectors and air travel expands. Moreover, the survivability of an aircraft in a fire scenario depends on the early detection of the fire. A fire detection system is developed based on the simultaneous measurements of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and smoke. The combination of the rates of rise of smoke and either carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide concentration provides a potential fire alarm algorithm to increase the reliability of aircraft smoke detectors, and to reduce the time to alarm. The fire detection system with the alarm algorithm detected fires that were not alarmed by smoke sensors, and alarmed in shorter times than smoke sensors operating alone.