1.

1 INTRODUCTION

Level1 laboratory activity refers to condition where the problem, ways & means were given
to students while the answers to the assignment are left to the students to solve using the

group creativity and innovativeness. The activity is designed to introduced and inculcate

independent learning amongst students and prepare them Laboratory (OEL) activities.

In this laboratory activity students will be introduced to the concept, principles and the

mechanism of a Fire Alarm System.

2.0 OBJECTIVES

1. To identify various components or devices incorporated in fire alarm system.

2. To understand the basic operation, concepts and principles of fire alarm system
installed in a building and to familiarize its layout.

3. To identify the fault which lead to malfunction of the fire alarm system.

4. To measure the time taken for the devices to actuate the alarm bell and sounder.

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3.0 METHODOLOGY

Apparatus:

Figure 1: the apparatus uses for this experiment.

Multi Alarm Trainer Unit Model MA103, Smoke detector, Heat detector, lighter, hair dryer

Procedure:

1. The main switch was turned on to supply power to the unit.

2. The temperature of the thermometer inside both sections of the enclosure were noted.
3. The heat detectors test switch and the rate of temperature rise test switch were turned
on. The lamps inside the enclosure lighted.
4. The temperature inside the enclosure were recorded at every one-minute intervals.
5. The temperature at the point the alarm triggers were recorded.
6. The lid of the enclosure was opened to allow the sensor to cool for several minutes.
7. The switch key was turned to SILENCE and the RESET button was pressed when the
sensor had cooled. The key switch was returned to NORMAL position.
8. The above procedure was repeated with the fixed temperature sensor.
9. Two sets of results were plotted on the same graph.

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4.0 DATA ACQUISITION

1. Fire-Fighting System Using Smoke Detector and Heat Detector.

Smoke Detector

Table 1:Time Prediction of the Smoke’s Detector to Works.

Type of Smoke Detector Time Prediction of Smoke’s Detector to Works

Optical smoke detector 30 seconds
Ionization smoke detector 12 seconds

Heat Detector

Table 2: Time Prediction of Heat’s Detector to Works and the Temperature.

Type of Heat Detector Time Prediction of Heat’s Initial Fire Alarm

Detector to Works Temperature Temperature
(°C) (°C)
Heat Detector 60 Set 8 minutes 4 seconds 29 66
Point
Rate of Temperature 2 minutes 59 seconds 31 50
Riser Detector

i. Optical smoke detector

Fire generates hot gases and because these are less dense (thinner—or weigh less per unit
of volume) than ordinary air they rise upward, swirling tiny smoke particles up too. The detector
has slits around which lead to the main detection chamber. An invisible, infrared light beam,
shoots into the chamber from a light-emitting diode (LED). The same chamber contains a
photocell, which is an electronic light detector that generates electricity when light falls on it.
Normally, when there is no smoke about, the light beam from the LED does not reach the
detector. An electronic circuit, monitoring the photocell, detects that all is well, and nothing
happens. The alarm will remain silent. But if a fire breaks out, smoke enters the chamber and
scatters some of the light beam into the photocell. This triggers the circuit, setting off the shrill
and nasty alarm that wakes you up

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 ii. Ionization smoke detector

Inside the detector, there's an ionization chamber open to the air filled with ions, which, in this
case, are atoms that have lost electrons to make positively charged nuclei. The ions come
from inside the chamber, there's a small piece of a chemical element called americium. It
constantly spews out tiny radioactive particles (called alpha particles), which leak into the
detection chamber. As they do so, they crash into air molecules and turn them into positively
charged ions (shown here as big red blobs) and negatively charged electrons (shown as
smaller black blobs). The ions and electrons whiz in opposite directions between two
electrodes (electrical contacts, rather like the terminals of a battery). If the ions and electrons
are moving, a current flow between the electrodes and a circuit in the smoke detector thinks
all's well, so the alarm remains silent.

However, if a fire breaks out, smoke particles get into the detector and start to clog up the
ionization chamber. They attach themselves to the ions and effectively shut off the electric
current. The circuit in the detector spots that change straight away and sounds the alarm.
Once the fire is out and the smoke is gone, the detection chamber clears, the ions travel back
and forth between the electrodes as before, the circuit shuts down, and the alarm stops
sounding.

Table 3: Function of each components and accessories.

COMPONENT FUNCTION

 A Fire Alarm Control Panel (FACP), is

1. the controlling component of a Fire Alarm
System. The panel receives information
from environmental sensors designed to
detect changes associated with fire,
monitors their operational integrity and
provides for automatic control of
equipment, and transmission of
information necessary to prepare the
Fire Alarm Control Panel facility for fire based on a predetermined
sequence.

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 2.  Smoke detector is a device that
detects smoke, typically as an indicator
of fire. Commercial, industrial, and mass
residential devices issue a signal to a fire
alarm system, while household
detectors, known as smoke alarms,
generally issue a local audible or
visual alarm from the detector itself.
Smoke Detector  Operating Voltage: 17 – 28 Volts A

3.  A heat detector is a fire alarm device

designed to respond when converted
thermal energy of a fire increases the
temperature of a heat sensitive element.
The thermal mass and conductivity of the
element regulate the rate flow of heat into
the element. All heat detectors have this
thermal lag. Heat detectors have two
main classifications of operation, “rate-
Heat Detector of-rise” and “fixed temperature.”
 Operating Voltage: 24 VDC

 The break glass call point is a common

4. used manual signaling device in many
fire alarm systems. In the case of a fire,
one can break the glass of the call point
simply by pressing the glass with a finger
to create manual fire signal without using
hammer. A plastic coating on the glass
will prevent the operator from being
Manual Call Point injured by the fragment of the broken
glass.
 Operating Voltage: 24 VDC
 Rating: 10 Ampere

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  The Fire Alarm Bell is an audible
5. signal meant to provide local
notification when a Fire Alarm Control
Panel has been activated. Normally
mounted above doors, on walls or
permanently fixed to other structures,
the Fire Alarm Bell a rapid ringing
tone pattern that is clearly
recognizable when heard.
 6″ Alarm Bell
 Operating Voltage: 24VDC

Alarm Bell

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5.0 DISCUSSION

From the experiment done, we used different types of smoke detector and fire detector to test
the time taken by them to react.

As for smoke detector, we used Optical Smoke Detector and Ionization Smoke Detector as
our tested equipment. An optical smoke alarm (also called photoelectric smoke alarm) works
using the light scatter principle. The alarm contains a pulsed Infrared LED, which pulses a
beam of light into the sensor chamber every 10 seconds to check for smoke particles.
Ionization smoke alarms are the most common type of smoke alarm and are quicker at
sensing flaming, fast moving fires. This type of alarm uses a small amount of radioactive
material to ionize air in an internal sensing chamber. From the result obtained, we found that
Ionization smoke detector react much faster, which is 12 seconds compared to optical smoke
detector that takes 30 seconds. This shows that using ionization smoke detector is better as
we can act faster before anything worse happen.

Table 4: Comparison between two types of smoke detector.

Optical smoke detectors Ionization smoke detectors

 More modern  Outdated but still relevant

 Slightly more expensive
 They are less sensitive to fast burning
fires hence can avoid false alarm.
 (False alarms caused by cooking
odors/fumes, caused by workers
painting and sanding, caused by dust,
caused by malfunctions. These false
alarms will lead to some people not
responding to the alarm with the
alacrity)
 Cheaper in price
 Very sensitive to smaller particles of
smoke that are created from paper and
wood fires but are less efficient at
sniffing out large and dense smoke
particles.
 Can create false alarm.

For heat detector, we used Heat Detector 60 Set Point and Rate of Temperature
Riser Detector. Rate-of-Rise (ROR) heat detectors operate on a rapid rise in element

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temperature of12° to 15°F (6.7° to 8.3°C) increase per minute, irrespective of the starting
temperature. This type of heat detector can operate at a lower temperature fire condition than
would be possible if the threshold were fixed. As we can see from the results obtained, it is
not only reacting faster compare to Heat Detector 60 Set Point, but it also reacts in a lower
temperature recorded which is at 50 degrees Celsius compared to another one which recorded
66 degrees Celsius. This shows ROR is much more better since it is more sensitive to
temperature changes, which allow us to take immediate action.

Table 5: Advantages and disadvantages of heat detectors

Advantages Disadvantages

 Low installation cost  Major disadvantage of heat detectors

 Low life cycle cost is that because they rely on heat from
 Stability a fire to actuate, they are relatively
 Operation under varied environmental slow to respond to a fire compared to
conditions other fire detectors.

To get more accurate results, several precautions need to be taken. Firstly, make sure
the position of eye is perpendicular to the scale of thermometer while taking the temperature
reading. This is to avoid any parallax error. Next, make sure to record the time precisely after
the experiment starts. Any delay in time recording can affect the accuracy of data. Lastly but
importantly, conduct the experiment several times so average data can be taken to make it
more accurate.

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6.0 CONCLUSION

From the experiment that we have done, we can get know about the types of firefighting
system using smoke detector and heat detector and the function of each components and
accessories. The smoke detector has two types and each type have their own characteristic
which is difference of time prediction of smoke's detector to works. While heat detector also
has two types and each type have different characteristics. For example, heat detector 60 set
point need 8 minutes 4 sec to detector works while rate of temperature riser detector only
need 2 minutes and 59 secs to work the detector. We are also known that the smoke detector
and heat detector important to use anywhere for our safety. It is especially for the building like
office, hospital, store, factory, school, or others place that involved human safety and things.

Each component and accessories have their own different function. Different place has
difference components and accessories. It is because; the will put in the suitable place. We
are also known that the smoke detector and heat detector important to use anywhere for our
safety. It is especially for the building like office, hospital, store, factory, school, or others place
that involved human safety and things. Thus, the objective of this experiment has been
achieved successfully.

7.0 REFERENCE

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoke_detector

2. Building Services and Equipment, Second Edition

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_detector

4. http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-2295132/Review-on-the-design-and.html

5. http://www.articlealley.com/article_249368_27.html

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8.0 APPENDIX

Figure 2: smoke was infused into the smoke detector.

Figure 3: Smoke Tester apparatus.

Figure 4: the initial temperature for heat detector.

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