Optical Flame Detectors Protect Waste Recycling Facility

To protect its waste recycling facility from fire hazards, Winters Recycling Ltd has installed eight Talentum Dual IR optical flame detectors, from FFE (UK) at its Hitchin site.

“Talentum flame detectors are a great fit for our site, where the risk of fire is significant,” said Winters’ Operations Manager Mark Chinsky.

Talentum flame detectors are ideally suited to waste handling as they can detect almost all types of flickering flames, not just hydrocarbon flames. This is especially important in the waste industry, where flames can originate from many different sources, including paper, plastic and even metals. By utilising infra-red (IR) sensing, Talentum detectors can also identify flames irrespective of any dust, steam or smoke present, and are immune to the effects of wind or draughts.

How flame detectors work is straightforward: optical sensors receive the IR and/or UV radiation emitted by the flames and a processor analyses the optical sensor signal waveforms and determines if they represent flames and, if so, accepts them. If the signals do not match the internal algorithms for flames then they are considered to be false sources and rejected.

In waste handling facilities, flame detectors are usually installed as part of a complete fire detection and suppression system. If a shredder, for example, catches fire, as soon as the flame detector recognises that there is a fire, it passes a signal which automatically stops the machinery and initiates a fire suppression system.

FFE’s Talentum flame detectors are the only ones on the market capable of detecting 99% of all types of fires in a single unit. This makes them ideal for all types of waste handling facilities – from small, mobile compactors to large recycling facilities such as Winters.

Every year fire destroys millions of pounds worth of raw material and equipment in the UK. According to the UK’s Chief Fire Officer Association, there were 298 fires in 2013, costing the industry untold millions in lost revenue. As well as being a danger to workers, fire can also cause extensive damage and financial loss, so its effective control is essential.