Cambridge International Airport’s spray-painting hangar protected by Talentum flame detectors

22 Feb 2017

To protect workers during aircraft spray-painting, Cambridge International Airport have installed nine Talentum flame detectors and one Fireray beam detector from FFE.

“Because of the explosive nature of the paint used in the hangar, explosion-proof flame detectors were necessary,” commented Brian Myall, Fire Safety Officer for Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group, the company which manages the airport. “Our chosen installer specified Talentum UV/IR2 flame detectors and we are very impressed by their performance and reliability so far.”

In addition to the hazardous area of the hangar, a Fireray 5000 beam smoke detector is installed at ceiling level for general smoke detection.

Flame detectors are ideally suited to this type of installation as they detect almost all types of flickering flames. This is especially important in this application, where flames can originate from the paint and many other sources, including plastics, composites and even metals. By utilising infra-red (IR) sensing, they can also identify flames through dust, steam or smoke and are immune to the effects of wind or draughts.

The Talentum UV/IR2 also gives the highest immunity to false flame sources, with internal self-test sources that check the detector’s operation when remotely instructed. The maximum ambient temperature is normally 55°C or 85°C for the higher temperature specification detectors.

For general smoke detection in large indoor spaces with high ceilings, like aircraft hangars, conventional point smoke detectors are not suitable as they can only be used at heights of up to 10.5 metres. Beam smoke detectors on the other hand can be used up to 40 metres. Wall-mounted, they transmit a beam of invisible infrared light across the building space to be protected and a receiver detects and measures the light and can recognise smoke interference anywhere along the beam path.

All types of aircraft, both civilian and military are painted at the site, which is capable of accommodating planes as large as a Boeing 747. The FFE units were installed by EFire of Norfolk.

Commenting on the installation, FFE’s Managing Director Mark Osborne said, “This is yet another example of the wide range of applications where our products can be used. We are delighted to have been selected to protect Cambridge International Airport in this way.”