Joshua B.

Dinaburg
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LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Understand the operating principles of traditional beam
smoke detectors
Response to various stimuli
How to simulate fault and fire alarm responses
Impacts of minor misalignments

Understand the unique function of the dual wave imaging

detector
Particulate discrimination
Obstruction identification
Misalignment notification
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BACKGROUND
OSID Detector operates using unique principle compared to
more traditional beam detection devices
Dual wavelength beam v. single wavelength beam
Imaging array v. single sensor
Emitter to Imager v. Emitter/Detector to Reflector

Full Scale tests of relative fire detection and nuisance source

rejection conducted for Xtralis
Simultaneous fire exposures

Solid objects
Dust
Water Mist
Angular Misalignment
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OVERALL APPROACH
Expose detectors to various stimuli and record response
Detectors included:
Xtralis OSID OSI-10 long range detector
Three traditional beam detection devices (A, B, C)
Single beam wavelength
Emitter/Detector send signal to reflector panel design

Detectors installed at or near maximum listed distance

328 ft (100 m) for traditional beam detectors A, B, and C
492 ft (150 m) for OSI-10

FIRE TESTING: SETUP

Detectors installed with common beam crossing point at
height of 35 ft
Fires at floor below point

FIRE TESTING: SETUP

Detector Settings:

35% sensitivity (Beam A 50%)

30 sec alarm delays (Beam B, Beam C)

All other settings default/not available

DETECTOR VERIFICATION
Detector operation verified at installation and daily
before testing

Initial installations performed by experienced contractors

Baseline signal strength used to verify alignment

Manually trigger fire alarm response

Blocking portion of reflector for traditional beam devices

Using red test filter for OSID detector

Manually trigger fault response

Fully blocking reflector for traditional beam devices

Fully blocking emitter for OSID detector

Verified that detectors did not cross-talk through

daily fire/fault responses
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FIRE TESTING: SOURCES

Empty boxes

A range of fire sizes,

smoke production rates,
and source materials
evaluated
Range of fire/smoke
sizes selected to find
detection threshold

ABS Plastic

n-Heptane

Fire size for all detectors to

alarm
Fire size for none or one
detector to response

Diesel

Boxes w/
peanuts
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FIRE TESTING: SOURCES

Empty boxes

n-Heptane pan fires

(12x12 to 22x22)

ABS Plastic

Diesel pan fires

(2x4 to 15x15)
Cardboard boxes w/
polystyrene packing
peanuts
(empty to full)

n-Heptane

ABS plastic sheets

8x16x3/8
(1 and 4 vertical sheets)
Diesel

Boxes w/
peanuts
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Detector

OSI-10

Beam A*

Beam B

Beam C

DNA Did not alarm

Boxes
FIRE FIRE FIRE FIRE 4 sheets

FIRE FIRE FIRE FIRE 1 sheet

FIRE FIRE FIRE FIRE 2 full

FIRE DNA DNA FIRE 2 full

Diesel
FIRE DNA DNA FIRE 2 1/8 full

DNA DNA DNA DNA 4 Empty

FIRE FIRE FIRE FIRE 15x15

FIRE FIRE FIRE FIRE 6x6

N-Heptane

DNA DNA DNA DNA 2x4

DNA DNA DNA FIRE

FIRE DNA DNA FIRE 22x22

FIRE DNA DNA FIRE

DNA DNA DNA FIRE 15x15

DNA DNA DNA FIRE 12x12

FIRE TESTING: RESULTS

ABS

* BEAM A at 50% sensitivity per

manufacturers requirements

OSI-10 alarmed to most fires (earliest response to all fires)

OSI-10 DNA to small diesel pool and empty boxes (all DNA)
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NUISANCE TESTING: SOLID OBSTRUCTION

Detector

Partial Obstruction
(% obstructed)

Full Obstruction

OSI-10

DNA (up to 67%)

FAULT

Beam A*

FIRE (80%)

FAULT

Beam B

FIRE (67%)

FAULT

Beam C

FIRE (67%)

FAULT

DNA Did not alarm

* Beam A at 50% sensitivity per manufacturer

Solid cardboard placed partially and completely obstructing beam

path at reflector (or OSID emitter)
Tested at ceiling level while installed in fire test locations
No detectors respond when blocked by 33%
OSID detector did not enter a fire alarm when partially obstructed
Emitter blocked partially from top/bottom/left/right
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NUISANCE TESTING: CEILING LEVEL

Initial dust and water mist exposures conducted
at ceiling level

Simultaneous exposures to all devices at fire test location

Individual exposures oriented down specific beam paths

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NUISANCE TESTING: CEILING LEVEL

Dust/mist could not be sustained long enough to
maintain clouds at the ceiling level

Alarm level obscurations were reported by Beam B and C

Obscuration level could not be sustained to overcome alarm

delays using setup

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NUISANCE TESTING: FLOOR LEVEL

Detectors installed at floor level (3 ft) at max distance
Evaluated independently (not simultaneous
exposure)

Dust exposures tested simultaneously in fire installation

locations at ceiling level no alarms produced
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NUISANCE TESTING: DESCRIPTION

DUST EXPOSURE
Portland ASTM C150 Type I-II
and Arizona A4 tested
Released from flour sifter over
fan directed down beam path
20 ft from detector

WATER MIST
Water ejected through
atomizing nozzle using 2000
psi pressure washer
Spray directed over reflector
(OSID emitter)

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NUISANCE TESTING: DUST EXPOSURE

Dust
Type
Cement
Arizona
Cement
Arizona
Cement
Arizona
Cement
Arizona

Exposed
Detector
Beam A
Beam B
Beam C
OSI-10

DNA Did not alarm

Response
FIRE
FIRE
FIRE
DNA (75% Obsc., dust not sustained for 30 sec)
FIRE
DNA (75% Obsc., dust not sustained for 30 sec)
FAULT
DNA (sufficient obscuration for fault but not enough
duration to produce response)

Approx.
Duration of
Dust
Exposure
(sec)
30
15
30
15*
30
15*
30
15*

* Arizona dust ejected through sifter quickly, insufficient

amount to sustain over alarm delay time

Dust resulted in sufficient reduction in signal strength to cause fire alarm in all
three traditional beam detectors
OSID detector entered fault condition to dust exposure, both UV and IR
signals decrease proportionally to distinguish larger dust particles v. smaller
smoke
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NUISANCE TESTING: WATER MIST

Detector

Response

Beam A
Beam B

FIRE
FIRE

Beam C

FIRE

OSI-10

DNA

DNA Did not alarm

Water mist resulted in sufficient reduction in signal strength to cause fire

alarm in all three traditional beam detectors
OSID detector did not alarm to water mist
Insufficient obscuration to produce fault, both UV and IR decrease
therefore additional mist would probably cause fault, not fire
response
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NUISANCE TESTING: OSID RESPONSE

UV = IR FAULT

Cement Dust
- FAULT RESPONSE
A4 Road Dust
- No Response*

Solid Obstructions
Water Mist ( at higher
concentration than tested)
Cement Dust
A4 Road Dust (for longer
duration than tested)
Water Mist
- No Response

Solid Obstruction
- FAULT RESPONSERed Test Filter
- FIRE ALARM

Signal Attenuation
0%
100%

UV beam attenuation
IR beam attenuation

UV >> IR FIRE
Red Filter
12 of 14 fire sources tested

*A4 dust sufficient obscuration to fault but

exposure too short to overcome delay time
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NUISANCE TESTING: ANGULAR MISALIGNMENT

Incrementally adjust horizontal alignment between
detector and reflector/emitter
Increment angle at 0.5o until detector responds with fire/fault
Signal strength decays with angle of misalignment Fire/Fault
OSID reduce UV/IR at same level Fault Response only

-6

FAULT

100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

FAULT

Beam Attenuation (%)

Generic Beam Detector Response to Misalignment

NO
RESPONSE
-4

-2

Misalignment (degrees)
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NUISANCE TESTING: ANGULAR MISALIGNMENT

All three traditional beam detectors enter fire alarm when slightly
misaligned (fault at greater angles signal decays with angle)
OSI-10 detector enter fault indication when slightly misaligned
(no fire alarm produced up to 5o misalignment)
Detector
Beam A
Beam B
Beam C
OSI-10 (100 m distance)
OSI-10 (150 m distance)

Response
FIRE
FAULT
FIRE
FAULT
FIRE
FAULT
FIRE
FAULT
FIRE
FAULT

Angular Misalignment
1.5 - 2.0
5.0
1.0
5.0
1.0
5.0
Fire alarm not produced
1.0
Fire alarm not produced
0.5 - 1.0

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Fires
(Alarm/Total)

Dust

Water Mist

Solid
Obstructions

Misalignment

DATA SUMMARY

Detector
OSI-10

12/14

Fault

None

Fault*

Fault*

Beam A

5/14

Fire

Fire

Fire/Fault

Fire/Fault

Beam B

5/14

Fire

Fire

Fire/Fault

Fire/Fault

Beam C

9/14

Fire

Fire

Fire/Fault

Fire/Fault

- Desired response to dust/mist is unclear between fault or none

Desired response is dependent on continued ability to detect fires (not tested)
* - Fault indicated as GREEN condition for solid obstruction and misalignment
These conditions prevent proper detection and a fault is a necessary response
- Fire response obtained to partial obstructions or slight misalignment
Fault (desired condition) to full obstructions or more severe misalignment
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CONCLUSIONS
Traditional beam smoke detectors
Produce fire alarm when measured light signal reduced
Produce fault response when light signal completely cut off
No ability to distinguish between various sources of partial or total
blockage
Signal reduction from misalignment interpreted as fire when partial
or fault when fully misaligned

Dual wave imaging detector

Discriminate between large (dust, water) and small (smoke)
particles by comparing attenuation of UV and IR response
Identify solid obstructions by equal ratio attenuating UV and IR
response
Identify misalignment using imaging array locate and report fault
as misalignment

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