Infra-Red Detection Prevents Fire At Waste Recycling Plant | Patol Infra-Red Transit Heat Sensors

Published 23 Oct 2016

Infra-Red Detection Prevents Fire At Waste Recycling Plant

Patol Infra-Red Transit Heat Sensors

Infra-Red Detection At Waste Recycling Plant

The vital role that infra-red transit heat sensors can play in protecting waste management sites from the threat of fire has been illustrated by an incident at a dry mixed recycling (DMR) plant.

Waste recycling can be rather unpredictable due the wide spectrum of materials that is needed to be processed. In this instance a 18v lithium ion battery was shredded. This caused the battery to arc.The battery was carried into a dosing bunker where it continued to spark as a result of no protection being fitted to the shredder feed. This ignited some of the flammable materials within the bunker, resulting in a series of small smouldering fires.

A company specialising in fire protection had thankfully installed fire protection measures. This particular company operates within the recycling and waste management industry and has a wealth of experience in environments where there could be potential fire safety challenges.

It was recommended that on this particular site that an infra-red transit heat sensor was installed from industrial fire protection specialist Patol. This proved to be an insightful choice since, as there were no flames in the dosing bunker, the flame detectors and water deluge protection system in the bunker did not activate as the heat generated by the sparking of the battery and the smouldering nature of the fires it generated had insufficient energy. However, on the dosing bunker outfeed, where an incline conveyor carries materials away from the bunker, the infra-red transit heat sensor was installed to provide additional detection. As soon as the battery passed onto the conveyor, the risk was detected and the connected water deluge system activated to extinguish the fires.

The Marketing Manager of the fire protection company comments – “this decision to provide what is effectively ember/spark detection was the difference between this being a minor incident that was automatically dealt with effectively and what could easily have turned into a major fire. If the Infra-Red Heat Detectors had not been in place, the battery would have passed into the ballistic separator, and then subsequent separators, with the potential to result in a serious fire in one of the final storage bunkers when it came into contact with the material stockpile.”

Steve Wilder is a Project Engineer with Patol and adds – “waste management process lines are particularly high risk when it comes to fire. Over a period of just 3 years, an average of more than 300 fires a year were recorded in UK waste and recycling plants and that is a conservative estimate as many smaller incidents go unreported. As these plants are dirty and dusty environments, our infra-red transit heat sensors feature air purging from either a compressor or a blower. This maintains a positive air pressure across the sensor window to prevent dust settling and impairing performance.”

Heat & Flame Sensors & Detectors – Patol 5000 Infrared Transit (Conveyor) Heat Sensors

Patol 5000 heat sensors are part of the heat and flame sensor range of infrared conveyor heat sensors – providing reliable and accurate detection of heat spots, preventing fire and the ignition of combustible materials.

Patol 5000 series heat sensing detectors are suitable for use in many applications throughout many industries. The Patol 5610 heat detector is also certified for installation in ATEX and IECEx rated hazardous areas.

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