Darex UK

Darex UK wanted to improve its fire safety measures at its site in St. Neots, Peterborough to meet the compliance requirements of the ATEX Directive, the name commonly given to the two European Directives for controlling explosive atmospheres.

They needed a commercial fire alarm company with knowledge of both the ATEX Directive and installing systems within hazardous environments.

The work Tecserv UK carried included the supply, installation and commissioning of a fire detection and alarm system within the building where solvents and chemicals are used. The project involved replacement of an existing analogue addressable fire alarm system and conventional CEL rack panel with a new Kentec bespoke analogue panel running Apollo protocol.

This system now controls and monitors the foam deluge system protecting the solvent building and the automated foam monitors which cover the external loading area.

Tecserv also provided linear heat detection to the underneath of the three sets of solvent tanks with interfaces within the switch room to provide an earlier warning of a fire condition beneath the tanks. The linear heat detection used Rilsan coated heat sensing cable designed to signal fire above 45°C.

Chemical explosions can cause loss of life and serious injuries as well as significant damage. Preventing releases of dangerous substances, which can create explosive atmospheres, and preventing sources of ignition are two widely used ways of reducing this risk.

By upgrading to the latest fire detection technology, Darex UK now has a modern fire alarm and suppression system that will provide early fire detection signalling which will help reduce the risk of a fire spreading.