Marine environments place extra demands and expectations on the detection and alarm equipment. Ken Williams explains how manufacturers are responding to this increasingly important and sophisticated market.
Fire emergencies on land are stressful enough, but evacuating a cruise ship or offshore oil rig is a major logistical feat – you really don’t want any false alarms here. In such a hostile and challenging environment, it is imperative that the most appropriate fire detection technology is chosen and that it is fit for purpose.
No fire detection system should be adversely affected by its environment, so it must be equipped to minimise the likelihood of false alarms. The addition of the sea or other large stretches of water into the equation demands a rigorous assessment of likely sources of fire risk and installation issues, to arrive at the correct product specification.
The marine environment is particularly challenging for sensitive electronic devices; not just because of the corrosive effects of salt but also the vibration and noise levels associated with the type of structures used – such as shipping, onshore processing plants and offshore oil rigs. In addition, these locations often have restricted installation space and there can be issues with limited power supply. Indeed, the term ‘marine’ applies to a whole range of applications. For example, in-vessel fire detection can range from a transfer vessel with simple fire alarm needs, to a supertanker that requires a sophisticated detection system with voice evacuation for a multilingual crew.
The marine environment is also home to industrial complexes close to docks or to incoming pipelines, such as oil and chemical processing facilities. Within these complexes, places ranging from communal staff areas and plant rooms to production areas need to be considered. In addition to securing the safety of people, it is critically important to protect assets from the risk of fire and to avoid unnecessary interruption to production.
Where hazardous chemicals are involved, intrinsically safe fire detectors for potentially explosive atmospheres may be required. These devices will never create a spark even in the highly unlikely event of a fault. Across EU countries, these products must comply with the ATEX directive and will carry the CE mark.
Marine approvals
The approvals process for marine fire detection products takes all the environmental variants into account, and can aid selection of the most appropriate device for a particular marine application. There are five environmental compliance categories, as follows:
– ENV1 – controlled environments
– ENV2 – enclosed spaces subject to temperature, humidity and vibration
– ENV3 – enclosed spaces subject to generated heat from other equipment
– ENV4 – for mounting on reciprocating equipment
– ENV5 – open decks.
Depending on which of these categories a product is being tested to will determine which tests are used and the severity applied. For example, all marine products will be tested for vibration resistance to 1gn, but the test for products required to withstand reciprocating equipment – i.e. anything that vibrates, shakes or impacts – is more severe, at 4gn (four times the normal acceleration due to gravity).
As well as vibration tests, marine fire detection products can be subjected to temperature and humidity cycling tests, additional radiated emissions tests (which ensure fire products will not interfere with other installed equipment – say, on the bridge of a ship) and a salt mist test.
Products for the most severe open deck applications will also undergo low temperature testing (in addition to dry heat testing) to ensure that they continue to function correctly in sub zero conditions, and will be subjected to temperatures as low as -25OC for 16 hours.
In addition to meeting formal test requirements, detector manufacturers use product design and development to address the technical and practical issues that arise in marine applications. For example, there are the physical space restrictions to take into account below decks. Some detectors, like Apollo’s Orbis marine range, now feature a low-profile design that is useful in areas with low ceilings or limited headroom.
For larger vessels and marine structures with more complex requirements like phased evacuation, or interaction with other safety devices, intelligent detection products are available. Apollo offers an approved marine version of its Discovery range, which has five selectable response modes, making devices highly adaptable to the varying operating environments on board. These detectors currently protect the largest lifting vessel in Asia – a floating crane that can lift up to 4000 tonnes in weight. The six loop fire detection system includes over 400 Discovery marine, as well as some intrinsically safe detectors for hazardous areas.
Ancillary products are also available for marine environments. These include loop-powered beacons and sounders which require less energy to operate – helpful in areas with a limited power supply. Ingress of water is another risk and devices like Apollo’s deckhead mounting box are designed specifically to prevent contaminants entering through the rear of the base. For particularly cold environments, a heater base can be added.
Maintenance matters
However sophisticated the fire detection system, specifying the best available technology is only half the story. Regular maintenance is equally important in reducing false alarms – particularly in harsh operating environments. The inherent problems of extremes of temperature, humidity levels, exposure to chemicals and issues such as salt corrosion can adversely affect normal operation.
The reasons for maintaining a fire detection system are twofold. First and foremost, there is a duty of care as this is life-critical equipment. Secondly, there should be a healthy degree of self-interest involved – maintaining the fire detection system properly also protects valuable assets.
The marine market today is increasing in sophistication. This market maturity has prompted a change in the way fire detector manufacturers view the marine industry as a customer and how they respond to their requirements. There is increasing demand among specifiers for a ‘total package’ when
it comes to marine fire detection.
Specialist manufacturers of fire detection products like Apollo are working in
partnership with panel manufacturers who have a specific understanding of the marine environment in order to develop suitable product offerings.
Kim Williams is sales manager, marine products at Apollo Fire Detectors.
Marine environments place extra demands and expectations on the detection and alarm equipment. Ken Williams explains how manufacturers are responding to this increasingly important and sophisticated market.
Fire emergencies on land are stressful enough, but evacuating a cruise ship or offshore oil rig is a major logistical feat – you really don’t want any false alarms here. In such a hostile and challenging environment, it is imperative that the most appropriate fire detection technology is chosen and that it is fit for purpose.
No fire detection system should be adversely affected by its environment, so it must be equipped to minimise the likelihood of false alarms. The addition of the sea or other large stretches of water into the equation demands a rigorous assessment of likely sources of fire risk and installation issues, to arrive at the correct product specification.
The marine environment is particularly challenging for sensitive electronic devices; not just because of the corrosive effects of salt but also the vibration and noise levels associated with the type of structures used – such as shipping, onshore processing plants and offshore oil rigs. In addition, these locations often have restricted installation space and there can be issues with limited power supply. Indeed, the term ‘marine’ applies to a whole range of applications. For example, in-vessel fire detection can range from a transfer vessel with simple fire alarm needs, to a supertanker that requires a sophisticated detection system with voice evacuation for a multilingual crew.
The marine environment is also home to industrial complexes close to docks or to incoming pipelines, such as oil and chemical processing facilities. Within these complexes, places ranging from communal staff areas and plant rooms to production areas need to be considered. In addition to securing the safety of people, it is critically important to protect assets from the risk of fire and to avoid unnecessary interruption to production.
Where hazardous chemicals are involved, intrinsically safe fire detectors for potentially explosive atmospheres may be required. These devices will never create a spark even in the highly unlikely event of a fault. Across EU countries, these products must comply with the ATEX directive and will carry the CE mark.
Marine approvals
The approvals process for marine fire detection products takes all the environmental variants into account, and can aid selection of the most appropriate device for a particular marine application. There are five environmental compliance categories, as follows:
– ENV1 – controlled environments
– ENV2 – enclosed spaces subject to temperature, humidity and vibration
– ENV3 – enclosed spaces subject to generated heat from other equipment
– ENV4 – for mounting on reciprocating equipment
– ENV5 – open decks.
Depending on which of these categories a product is being tested to will determine which tests are used and the severity applied. For example, all marine products will be tested for vibration resistance to 1gn, but the test for products required to withstand reciprocating equipment – i.e. anything that vibrates, shakes or impacts – is more severe, at 4gn (four times the normal acceleration due to gravity).
As well as vibration tests, marine fire detection products can be subjected to temperature and humidity cycling tests, additional radiated emissions tests (which ensure fire products will not interfere with other installed equipment – say, on the bridge of a ship) and a salt mist test.
Products for the most severe open deck applications will also undergo low temperature testing (in addition to dry heat testing) to ensure that they continue to function correctly in sub zero conditions, and will be subjected to temperatures as low as -25OC for 16 hours.
In addition to meeting formal test requirements, detector manufacturers use product design and development to address the technical and practical issues that arise in marine applications. For example, there are the physical space restrictions to take into account below decks. Some detectors, like Apollo’s Orbis marine range, now feature a low-profile design that is useful in areas with low ceilings or limited headroom.
For larger vessels and marine structures with more complex requirements like phased evacuation, or interaction with other safety devices, intelligent detection products are available. Apollo offers an approved marine version of its Discovery range, which has five selectable response modes, making devices highly adaptable to the varying operating environments on board. These detectors currently protect the largest lifting vessel in Asia – a floating crane that can lift up to 4000 tonnes in weight. The six loop fire detection system includes over 400 Discovery marine, as well as some intrinsically safe detectors for hazardous areas.
Ancillary products are also available for marine environments. These include loop-powered beacons and sounders which require less energy to operate – helpful in areas with a limited power supply. Ingress of water is another risk and devices like Apollo’s deckhead mounting box are designed specifically to prevent contaminants entering through the rear of the base. For particularly cold environments, a heater base can be added.
Maintenance matters
However sophisticated the fire detection system, specifying the best available technology is only half the story. Regular maintenance is equally important in reducing false alarms – particularly in harsh operating environments. The inherent problems of extremes of temperature, humidity levels, exposure to chemicals and issues such as salt corrosion can adversely affect normal operation.
The reasons for maintaining a fire detection system are twofold. First and foremost, there is a duty of care as this is life-critical equipment. Secondly, there should be a healthy degree of self-interest involved – maintaining the fire detection system properly also protects valuable assets.
The marine market today is increasing in sophistication. This market maturity has prompted a change in the way fire detector manufacturers view the marine industry as a customer and how they respond to their requirements. There is increasing demand among specifiers for a ‘total package’ when it comes to marine fire detection.
Specialist manufacturers of fire detection products like Apollo are working in partnership with panel manufacturers who have a specific understanding of the marine environment in order to develop suitable product offerings.
Kim Williams is sales manager, marine products at Apollo Fire Detectors.
