07.12.2010
A new fire and gas detector is designed to crucially improve the protection of human life. The new generation of Sinteso detectors not only detects fires reliably but also set off an alarm when dangerous concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO) are reached. The system also monitors the gas levels even when there is no fire and thus provides additional protection against the risks of CO from non-burning sources, for example car exhaust gases. Special signal processing guarantees that there are no false alarms but at the same time detects any dangerous situations extremely early. Siemens is presenting the system at Security 2010 in Essen (5 to 8 October).
Carbon monoxide poisoning is the commonest cause of death in fires since the colorless and odorless gas is highly toxic even in small quantities. It occurs, for example, when a fire gets too little oxygen. A CO measurement therefore helps detect certain types of fire at a very early stage. CO can, however, also find its way into the air through faulty gas cookers and heating systems or chemical or other production processes. Because the gas is slightly lighter than air it spreads through buildings. Particularly in hotels or in the chemical or pharmaceutical industry it is therefore important to monitor all rooms and not just the kitchen or production hall.
The CO is measured in an electrochemical cell integrated in the fire detector. Siemens has developed special analysis algorithms that enable the detector to distinguish extremely early on between an alarm situation or normal fluctuation with the aid of preset parameters that are adapted exactly to the particular place of application. For instance, the threshold values in a hall in which welding work is carried out are considerably higher that in offices. For the CO measurement the algorithms also analyze the measured values over a period of time in order to further optimize the early warning function while at the same time eliminating the risk of false alarms.
Smart fire protection systems can also initiate more efficient emergency measures because of the separate measured data for CO and fire risk. In the event of a CO alarm only, people can be directed outdoors by the fastest possible route, for example also onto roof terraces which would not be a suitable place to evacuate them in a fire.
