Insight before ignition: Combatting combustion at the source for UK recycling and energy production plant

FLIR active thermography snuffs out fires before they ignite at UK FCG with a fully automated fire safety system

A leading Energy from Waste Facility in Northern Ireland (FCG) is using FLIR thermography to safeguard assets and prevent fires - sometimes before they are even able to ignite.

Generating enough power for over 21,000 households and recovering energy from waste created by over 155,000 Northern Irish homes, the £107 million facility is a sizable investment for the region’s resource management infrastructure - but what if it were to all go up in smoke?

This is an acute concern. With degrading matter, potentially flammable products and chemical waste all on location, waste management sites are especially prone to fires breaking out. Considering the scale of the refuse, a small fire can quickly grow into a major concern - one which can cost millions to correct.

Don’t talk rubbish: active thermography fights fires before they start

FLIR has worked hand-in-hand with the site and vision integrators Bytronic Vision Intelligence to implement a fully automated fire safety system.

The system combines high-resolution FLIR cameras, location monitoring software and powerful automated water cannons, enabling it to seamlessly extinguish fires, sometimes before they begin. How does it work?

Using a FLIR A300 thermal imaging camera, Bytronic worked with FLIR software that takes accurate thermal readings in real-time and identifies areas that are heating up and liable to combust imminently.

Once a pre-set temperature threshold has been exceeded, the oscillating water canons are activated.

After the fire has been extinguished and the temperature has cooled, the water canons automatically cease - which ensures no excess water is wasted as the system only uses as much as necessary to quash the blaze.

From sprinkler systems to high-pressure solutions

By using the FLIR-led automated system, the UK-based facility is spared the labour and time-intensive downsides of operating under manual inspection.

Spearheaded by FLIR thermography, the fire prevention system is responsive, reliable and efficient. Unlike traditional fire solutions, there is no need for a triggered alert before a response can be rolled out; instead, the adept thermography can see temperatures climbing before an operator or manual inspection would ever be able to.

Rather than being triggered by smoke, this system can see through it - taking accurate thermal readings, whatever obstacle might be obscuring the view of a manual operator or indeed the lens.

The energy from waste site now benefits from less water wastage, less environmental pollution and a measurable reduction of assets lost to fire damage than conventional fire safety systems- all thanks to FLIR technology underpinning this powerful bit of kit.