Stable technology: most stables contain plenty of hay, sawdust and other flammable materials, providing ideal conditions for very rapid fire spread. Early fire detection is absolutely essential, especially when the stables in question are home to some of the most valuable racehorses in the world - Fire Safety Solution

Some of the finest horses in the world are owned by the Godolphin Horse Racing Team and their stables are now protected by Airsense Technology. Owned by the Maktoum family, the Godolphin Horse Racing Team consists of some of the most expensive racehorses in the world. Its top mounts are kept at the Al Quoz stable in Dubai between October and April, with facilities such as a private training track and equine swimming pool.

Given the immense value of the horses, fire safely is of paramount importance.

Sawdust, hay and other flammable materials are present in abundance and electrical fires and carelessly discarded smoking materials carry an ever-present risk, while the unusual environment encourages corrosion in most fire detection products. As fire can spread very quickly in such conditions, it is vitally important that very early fire detection can be offered.

Flame detection is inappropriate for providing incipient fire warnings, as it is only able to detect flames at a late stage of fire development, which is obviously not quick enough. Lonisation smoke detectors are unable to provide reliable warnings due to wind passing through when doors are opened, and the very high levels of dust present affects optical type smoke detectors and has caused nuisance alarms in the past. The solution lies with aspirating technology. Aspirating smoke detection systems offer the earliest warning available, providing an opportunity to allow manual intervention, inspection and fire prevention.

The major benefit of this type of system is its extremely high sensitivity achieved without fear of nuisance alarms. A comparison with traditional type, or 'point' detectors reveals that photoelectric 'point' detectors typically operate at sensitivity values of between three per cent to eight per cent obscuration per metre. What does this figure actually mean?

If a light beam is shone over a one metre length, the amount of smoke needed to trigger an alarm would be such that between three per cent to eight per cent of projected light does not reach the distance of one metre. By comparison, a sensitive aspirating detector such as the Stratos-HSSD system, is capable of responding to changes in smoke density as low as 0.003 per cent obs/m Literally, more than 1,000 times more sensitive than the most sensitive conventional 'point' type detectors.

High sensitivity/early warning to fire is afforded by laser interrogation of a sample of air, positively drawn into a centralised detection cabinet via strategically positioned, perforated sampling pipes. The airflow is monitored for small variations which could be caused by partially blocked sampling points, broken pipes or faulty aspirator.

The Strotes-HSSD system, manufactured by AirSense Technology Ltd has been used for protecting racehorse stables for many years, and is also installed in Godolphin's Al Quoz group stables. In employing a full Artificial Intelligence (AI) system, called ClassiFire, it can continuously adjust the system's operating parameters to match the day-to-day (and day-tonight) changes in the environment and to automatically condition itself to closely monitor the environmental changes within the protected area.

While it adapts to the normal ambient conditions, it will also detect anything out of the ordinary with multiple alarms growing in magnitude according to the degree of danger. Its ability to discriminate between combustion particles and dust is of particular value daring feeding times--nuisance alarms being common during this period in the past--as the Stratos-HSSD system ignores the rise in dust particulates.

Most aspirating smoke detectors use a simple filter to remove the majority of dust from the sampled air, while others use a system of electronic dust discrimination. The Stralos-HSSD system uses both techniques, resulting in a detector that is virtually dustimmune. Filters are a simple solution to the problem of dust, but unless they are coupled to an Artificial Intelligence system, 1he solution is fraught with problems.

When a filler is new, it will allow the passage of most combustion products, and will slop most non-fire related particles, such as dust, from entering the detector. However, as the filter becomes progressively contaminated with particles it has the effect of making the filter ever-finer, blocking ever-smaller particles (including smoke particles) and eventually stopping them from passing through to the detector sensor. Unless the detector is equipped with a means of sensing this situation and compensating, it will become ever less sensitive in direct proportion to the degree of contamination contained in the filter

The Stratos-HSSD system is designed to be fully compatible and interfaced with conventional fire detection systems, used to protect other less critical areas, so that all alarms and systems information can be accessed from one central control point.

Peter Fox is Managing Director of AirSense Technology Ltd. For further enquiries please contact: AirSense Technology Ltd

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