| WAGNER UK's invaluable guide is for consultants, fire system designers and installers |
WAGNER UK has produced a handy guide to Aspirating Smoke Detection (ASD), which is available free of charge, directly from the company. An invaluable guide for consultants, fire system designers and installers, the 20-page A5 booklet covers areas such as an introduction to ASD technology, European standards, designing and installing ASD systems, applications and an overview of ASD products.
WAGNER UK has been at the forefront of ASD development for a number of years and has produced this guide in response to the significant changes heralded by a new European Standard. EN54 Part 20 is the European product standard for Aspirating Smoke Detectors, which has changed the way aspirating systems have to be designed and installed. From July 2009 all ASD systems installed in Europe have had to fully comply with this standard. The standard encompasses both the project design and the ASD systems installed. Since ASD systems, like other detectors for fire detection systems, fall under the Construction Products Directive, compliance with EN54 Part 20 is a prerequisite for CE marking.
ASD systems draw air samples continuously from the monitored area through a series of pipes fitted with sampling holes at regular intervals. The airflow is then analysed for smoke particles and an alarm is raised if smoke is present. The system is active, continually drawing air samples from the risk areas. This enables ASD systems to detect fires at a very early stage, often before visible smouldering takes place, before an open fire occurs and before intense smoke develops. This early detection is vital to mission critical and high-risk applications. The earliest possible fire detection brings significant time benefits, enabling a fast response to the first signs of smoke. ASD systems can detect fires significantly faster than point or beam smoke detectors.
Aspirating systems can also provide significant benefits for buildings with large open spaces, in areas where future access is likely to be a problem (in voids, shafts, locked rooms, etc) or where the environment is too harsh for traditional smoke detectors.