Flame detecto r

Presented by Chilla karthik U09ME763

Introduction
A flame detector is a fire protection device, which detects the flame in the place where it is fixed and issues an alarm thereby alerting nearby people to the danger of fire In most of the manufacturing companies, furnace flame detector is used in order to detect and prevent fire. Flame detector responds either to radiant energy visible to the human eye or outside the range of human vision. Most flame detectors work either by optical flame detector or flame ionization detector but some of them use combination of both detectors.

Flame detectors

Flame detector works at specific ranges, which uses optical sensors to record the incoming radiation at a particular wavelength. The energy radiated from the flame is electromagnetic radiation and it can be identified at various spectral ranges like UV, IR and VIS. Depending upon the sensor used there are number of flame detectors available they are infrared flame detectors, ultra violet flame detector, UV/IR, IR/IR and tripe IR spectral band detector. Flame detector has a cone of vision that defines the effective capability of sensing fire. It is inefficient for slow fires however it responds faster for rapidly developing fire like combustible gas and liquid. It is available in different shape and size.

Types of flame detectors

The different types of flame detector depending upon the method of detection and types of power used. The major classification of flame detector is 1) Optical types 2) Ionization current flow detection 3) Thermo couple flame detection Among these three types the optical type flame detectors are extensively used, because of their high accuracy.

Optical type flame detectors

1. Ultra violet flame detector 2. Infrared flame detector 3. UV/IR flame detector 4. IR/IR flame detector 5. IR/IR/IR flame detector 6. Visible flame detector

Ultraviolet flame detector:

Ultraviolet (UV) detectors work with wavelengths shorter than 300 nm. These detectors detect fires and explosions within 34 milliseconds due to the UV radiation emitted at the instant of their ignition. False alarms can be triggered by UV sources such as lightning, arc welding, radiation, and sunlight. In order to reduce

false alarm a time delay of 2-3 seconds is often included in the UV Flame detector design.

Ultraviolet flame detector It is faster and detects fires emitting light in the UV areas of spectrum. It is accurate but subjected to interference from UV sources like Sun, welding, lightning and solar radiation. Flame detector tester is available to help the user in safely testing the flame detector and it should be selected in such, it should match the UV flame detector. UV flame detector is used in explosive and hazardous atmosphere. In most furnaces, furnace flame detector is used with UV flame detector to detect the flame. The sensor cell usually consists of a cylindrical cavity about 1 mm I.D and a few mm long, having a capacity that ranges from about two micro-liters to eight micro-liters. Light from a UV light sources passes through the sensor onto a photoelectric cell, the out put from which is electronically modified and presented on a potentiometric recorder, a computer screen, or printer. By interposing a monochrometer between the light source and the cell, light of a specific wavelength can be selected for detection and, thus, improve the detector selectivity. Alternatively a broad band light source can be used and the light after passing through the cell can be optically dispersed by prism or grating and allowed to fall onto a diode array. By monitoring a specific diode, the detector can be made specific for those substances that absorb at that particular

wavelength. If the output from all the diodes is scanned then a UV absorption spectrum can be obtained to aid in solute identification. The fixed wavelength UV detector has a sensitivity of about 1 x 108 g per ml at a signal to noise ratio of two

Infrared flame detector:

Infrared (IR) flame detectors work within the infrared spectral band. Hot gases emit a specific spectral pattern in the infrared region, which can be sensed with a thermal imaging camera (TIC) a type of thermographic camera. False alarms can be caused by other hot surfaces and background thermal radiation in the area as well as blinding from water and solar energy. A typical frequency where single frequency IR flame detector is sensitive is in the 4.4 micrometre range. Typical response time is 3-5 seconds.

Infrared flame detector Infrared detectors respond to flaming fires emitting light in the infrared portion of the spectrum. IR detectors can respond to a fire condition in less than 50 milliseconds. These detectors are designed to alarm to hydrocarbon fires, while ignoring things like arc welding, nuclear radiation and x-rays. IR detectors are available

in single wavelength or dual wavelength. Both normal and high speed versions are available. As most gases emit in the infrared wavelength that makes infrared detector ideal and used in many gas. It is used in industrial systems and in safety system like military applications for analyzing the detection of leakage of fire. The distance of the device affects the sensitivity of IR detector. In high risk area the detector can be placed with a low delay threshold for more sensitivity and shield is enabled to avoid false alarm.

UV/IR flame detector:

It responds to fires emitted in both ultra violet and infrared area of the spectrum. It consists of UV and single frequency sensor is constructed in a single unit. This sensor has the characteristic of both UV and IR flame detector and it avoid false alarm. Flame photometric detector consists of single or double phototube and it is used to detect the phosphorus components it uses UV/IR rays to detect the flame.

UV/IR flame detector FireSentry Flame detector UV/IR/vis SS4 -Sensitive to virtually all fires including Hydrogen Flames -Resistant to artificial- and sunlight

-Suitable for indoor and outdoor applications -Relays outputs, 4-20 mA output optional The UV/IR Flame Detector has a extra wide field of view - up to 120 degrees, it has one of the lowest power consumption levels available on the market and a wide voltage range Field applications include: Aircraft facilities,commercial, military, hangars, nose dock, underwing/overwing Automotive manufacturing, paint spray booths, test cell,wet benching Chemical storage facilities - commercial & industrial Glue manufacturing & curing Munitions Handling storage Petrochemical Facilities Printing presses & facilities Paint Manufacturing Facilities Power Generation generators, boilers, pump houses

IR/IR flame detector:

Dual IR (IR/IR) flame detectors compare the threshold signal in two infrared ranges. In this case one sensor looks at the 4.4 micrometre range and the other sensor at a reference frequency.

IR/IR flame detector The Westminster XP95 Dual Infra-red (IR) Flame Detector detects infra-red radiation by using 2 different IR radiation sensors which respond to different infra-red wavelengths at the upper end of the spectrum. This allows the XP95 Flame Detector to distinguish between flames and spurious sources of radiation, for example sunlight. All flames emit light in this spectrum which can be detected by flame detectors responding to light in this range. Even gas fires which are not visible to the naked eye can be detected, e.g., those emitted by hydrogen fires. Key Features -Analogue Addressable; -Open, digital protocol; -Loop-powered; -2 Infra-red sensors; -Solar blind; -Detects through oil, dust, water & ice films; -Remote optical self test function; -Local and remote alarm LEDs.

Operating Principles The XP95 Dual IR Flame Detector is sensitive to low-frequency (1 to 15Hz, 1 to 2.7m), flickering infra-red radiation emitted by flames during combustion. Since it responds to flickering radiation, the XP95 Dual IR Flame Detector can operate even if the lens is

contaminated by a layer of oil, dust, water-vapour or ice. False alarms due to such factors as flickering sunlight are avoided by a combination of filters and signal processing techniques. The response of the XP95 Flame Detector depends on the size of the flame and the position of the detector. It is essential that the detector is situated correctly as the further away the flame is from the flame detector, the larger the fire has to be to be reliably detected. The IR Flame Detector is insensitive to artificial light and electric arcs (eg, lightning from electric storms) making it suitable for use outdoors. However, it is advisable that exposure to severe rain or ice and direct sunlight be avoided. The limitations of IR-IR flame detectors CO2 in the atmosphere attenuates the radiation in this spectral band. (Absorption and emission of radiation always occur in the same band.) As a result, the greater the distance between the detector and the fire, the weaker the intensity of the radiation reaching the detector (the CO2 attenuation increases). This phenomenon explains the limitations of the existing IR-IR flame detectors in the market: - Detection distance is restricted to 33ft (10m) only. - Their immunity to false alarm sources is limited.

IR/IR/IR flame detector:

Triple IR flame detectors compare three specific wavelength bands within the IR spectral region and their ratio to each other to reliably detect flames while attempting to reduce false alarms. In this case one sensor looks at the 4.4 micrometre range and the other sensors at reference frequencies above and below. Triple IR detectors are also susceptible to blinding by water and reduced sensitivity from

sunlight. False alarms can be caused by other hot surfaces and background thermal radiation in the immediate area.

Phoenix triple ir flame detector The Phoenix Triple IR is the ONLY flame detector on the market that does not have an external reflector or light source. Experience has shown that external reflectors and light sources often become obscured by industrial dirt and corrosion which causes unwanted fault alarms that requires difficult and costly maintenance to correct. The Phoenix Triple IR flame detector completely eliminates these issues in applications where salt, dust, petroleum vapor, heavy rain, snow or blowing sand are present.

Visible flame detector:

In some detectors a sensor for visible radiation is added to the design in order to be able to discriminate against false alarms better or improve the detection range. Example: UV/IR/vis, IR/IR/vis, IR/IR/IR/vis flame detectors.

Field range for visible flame Detectors

visible flame detector

Flame ionization detector:

The FID is predominantly a GC detector although it has been used as a sensor in special types of LC detectors (e.g., the transport detector). The FID evolved from the flame thermocouple detector in which a stream of hydrogen is burnt at a small jet over which a thermocouple is situated. The mobile phase from the GC column is fed into the hydrogen stream and when a solute is eluted, the temperature of the flame increases together with the thermocouple output. The thermocouple output is monitored by a backing-off circuit and a potentiometric recorder. In the FID, the thermocouple is replaced by an electrode situated away from the flame and a potential of a 100-200 volts applied between the jet and the electrode. This potential collects any ions or electrons formed in the flame during combustion of an eluted solute which is monitored as an increase in ion current by a high impedance amplifier. During the elution of a carbon containing substance, it is thought that microscopic particles of carbon are formed that thermally emit electrons and which provide the signal current to the high impedance amplifier. Although the signal current is very small (the ionization efficiency is only 0.0015%) the noise level is also very small (ca <10-13 amp) and, with a well optimized system, sensitivities of 5 x 10-12 g/ml for n-heptane at a signal/noise ratio of 2 can be easily realized. Except for a very few organic compounds (e.g. carbon monoxide, etc.) the FID detects all carbon containing compounds. The detector also has an extremely wide linear dynamic range that extends over, at least, five orders of magnitude with a response index between 0.98-1.02.

This selectivity can be a problem or an advantage. For example, an FID is excellent for detecting methane in nitrogen, since it would respond to the methane but not to the nitrogen. FIDs are best for detecting hydrocarbons and other easily flammable components. They are very sensitive to these components, and response tends to be linear across a wide range of concentrations. However, an FID destroys most - if not all - of the components it is detecting. Contrarily, with a TCD the components can continue on to another detector after passing through the TCD; thus it is considered a non-destructive detector (this can be useful for analyzing complex mixtures where different detectors are needed because of differing detector selectivities). However, with an FID, most components are destroyed and no further detection is possible.

Circuit diagram for Fid detector

Fid detector

Thermocouple flame detector:

Thermocouples are used extensively for monitoring flame presence in combustion heating systems and gas cookers. They are commonly used as the "flame failure device" to cut off the supply of fuel if the flame fails. This prevents the danger of a large explosive mixture building up, or the hazard of asphyxiation in a confined space due to exclusion of oxygen. In furnace operation, it is necessary to make sure that the fuel or gas is ignited properly by detecting the flame. If theres no flame detected, the situation can be dangerous if the furnace is flooded with explosive gas, so the fuel/gas supply valve should be closed automatically to avoid catastrophic disaster. A thermocouple can be use to detect flame. This is the figure of the circuit;

A platinum-rhodium thermocouple produce 8mV output at 800 C. You can see the thermocouple is connected directly to the positive and negative inputs, look like theres no threshold, but wait, the balance input (pin 5) is connected to the reference output and this gives the threshold. It was developed by Scott [8] and was, in fact, the forerunner to the flame ionization detector FID. A diagram of the flame thermocouple is shown in figure

Thermocouple flame detector

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