Britvic PLC

The distribution centre is a busy, 24 hour operation with vehicles and employees coming and going at all hours, 365 days a year.

As part of Tecserv’s ongoing re-assessment of equipment, it had been identified that the fire alarm was in need of upgrade as some of the parts were becoming obsolete and based on outdated technology.  The system was also beginning to fail, causing too many false fire alarm activations due to its inability to decipher true fire signals from other fumes and gases that are emitted in a busy warehousing facility. Moisture particles caused by dew from adjacent fields were also causing unwanted fire alarm activation issues.

Fire detection for buildings with open spaces – such as warehouses and production floors presents many problems as already being experienced.

Britvic wanted to upgrade to a more reliable fire alarm system based on the latest technologies which would enable the activities of the distribution centre to continue without disruption from unwanted fire alarms.

Tecserv installed an Xtralis open area smoke imaging detection system (OSID) from Gent Honeywell. The Xtralis OSID System is designed to overcome all of the shortcomings inherent to other open-area detection systems.

The OSID System is based on the patented use of digital imaging, dual-frequency beams, and smart algorithms. The use of dual light frequencies in an open-path device enables OSID to discriminate between real smoke and other objects, including insects, steam, condensation and dust, thus dramatically reducing false alarms, making OSID a robust, standard sensitivity detection system.

Tecserv conducted a thorough assessment to define the required configuration for the imager and camera alignment. OSID by Xtralis uses one imager, a camera-like device with a wide field of view, and a wired or battery-powered emitter roughly aligned on the opposite wall within the protected area. The emitter sends both infrared and ultraviolet coded light signals to the imager. If the light reception is altered due to the presence of genuine smoke particles, the imager will go into alarm.

The Britvic distribution centre now has a reliable and cost-effective solution for detecting the early signs of fire within its open spaces and unwanted fire alarm activations have been eliminated. OSID is designed specifically for these environments, enabling early detection and response to save lives and prevent service disruptions.

The OSID system also satisfies the requirements of BS5839.