Gent by Honeywell has supplied its innovative fire alarm and detection system to Brains Brewery’s flagship production plant in Cardiff. The recent installation is part of the Welsh brewing giant’s original plant that will enable it to meet the beer market’s growing demand for more diverse styles of beer.
The project was completed by the fire alarm division of mechanical and electrical engineers, JW Morris, who has worked closely with Gent for the past 12 years. The company is one of Gent 24’s network of elite system integrators and has extensive knowledge of Gent’s entire product range.
Fire safety of Cardiff production plant
Faults arose from a combination of the age of the FDA equipment and the nature of the brewery environment
When Brains Brewery moved its production facilities from Cardiff city center back to the site of the original Cardiff building, the site needed significant renovation work as it was more than 100 years old.
JW Morris, which was involved from the beginning of the project, looked at Brains’ system and first devised a short term solution to get it back up and running. The system had suffered from water ingress, which proved to be a real challenge. Faults arose from a combination of the age of the FDA equipment and the nature of the brewery environment.
S-Quad range of multi sensors
JW Morris designed the most efficient, cost effective solution using a fully addressable Gent system, including the S-Quad range. The S-Quad range of multi sensors has been leading the way in the fire detection industry thanks to the devices’ unique combination of sensing elements that provide quick, intelligent fire decisions.
Each of the devices has up to four different functions in one product – sensor, sounder, strobe and speech – and uses patented dual angle optical scatter smoke detection to improve both the speed and integrity of fire detection.
Fire alarm and detection system
The company replaced around 500 devices that were in the building using the existing wiring which saved the expense of having to rewire the whole site. The building consists of an admin block with around 30-40 staff, plus engineering staff and brewing staff based in the old stone built brewery. Due to the nature of the brewing process in certain areas, there was a need to install environmentally protected detectors.
Now if we have a fire alarm situation, we go straight to the device and can detect the problem and deal with it"
Keith Gorf, Engineering Manager at Brains Brewery, said “We are delighted with the new system. Previously if we had a fault, we weren’t able to locate it and if we had a fire alarm situation we wouldn’t have been able to identify the problem. Now if we have a fire alarm situation, we go straight to the device and can detect the problem and deal with it. For example, if it’s a steam leak, we can reset the system knowing exactly what the issue is.”
Combined sounder – strobe feature
Geraint Thomas, divisional manager, JW Morris said “Our proposal was not to replace all of the existing detection and alarm devices but to utilize much of the existing cabling to reduce the cost and disruption. The combined sounder/strobe features of the equipment used allowed for the existing sounder circuits to be removed which helped to significantly reduce costs associated with fault finding and minimize disruption to the business.”
Simon Adams, Business Manager South West & South Wales, Gent said “Brains Brewery’s flagship production plant in Cardiff will enable it to meet the beer market’s growing demand for diverse styles of beer. We are delighted that a Gent system will provide the ultimate FDA solution that protects this state of the art structure, and its employees.”
