The ASD system is often an integral part of the overall fire detection & alarm system particularly when used as an alternative to point or beam type smoke detectors. When this is the case, the ASD system designer must still maintain compliance to National Standards, especially for fault monitoring, zoning, battery standby etc.
The ASD system works by continually drawing air into sampling holes in a pipe network. The air is filtered and passed into a detection chamber where light-scattering technology detects the presence of very small amounts of smoke. Detector status information is communicated on the detector display.
The principal reason for using ASDs is the benefit of very early warning signs of smoke indication. This means that evasive/evacuation measures can be initiated before any significant damage is incurred in areas containing high value, critical or strategically important artefacts or operations.
Its enhanced smoke sensitivity makes an ASD a reliable smoke detector, in applications where smoke is difficult to detect e.g. to combat smoke dilution where there is high air flow or where the ceiling is higher than normal.
There are many motivations for deploying an ASD system:
- Extreme environments
- Harsh environments e.g. extreme temperature, humidity, contamination etc.
- Restricted/difficult access
- Future access for maintenance will be difficult or even impossible after installation.
- Exceptional ceiling heights & heat barriers
- Stratification, dispersion and dilution issues are present as well as access restrictions.
- Architectural or aesthetic requirements preclude mounting services on the ceiling.
- Risk of mechanical damage
- Operational damage is anticipated (e.g. in racking and storage systems).
- Anti-vandal systems
- Vandalism may be an issue so therefore discreet detection is required.
- Hazardous environments
- The risk is hazardous e.g. explosive, chemical, radioactive environments etc.
To view Channel’s range of Vesda Aspirated Smoke Detection solutions click here. The product range includes large scale applications to compact, smaller use areas.
To view the FIA Code of Practice, you can download this from their website
