Compact UV/IR flame detector provides rapid response and integral false alarm immunity for safety in the oil related industries

Those responsible for fire safety in petroleum, petrochemical, refining and other industries will find that MSA Safety‘s versatile FL500 UV/IR Flame Detector  will provide them with rapid and reliable fire protection in busy plant and industrial locations thanks to its wide field-of-view (FOV) and fast-response sensor. This light and compact flame detector has a small footprint and simplified wiring making it easy to install and maintain. 

This FM performance, CSA, ATEX, IECEx, EN 54-10 and CE marked device measures radiation emitted by a flame in both the ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) spectral ranges. This combined UV/IR optical sensor offers end-users the quickest response time and heightened false alarm immunity from sources of radiation ubiquitous in the ‘petro’ sectors, (for example: tanks and large pipes) for more dependable protection.  averting false alarms will reduce process and plant down time and increase personnel confidence in the plant’s safety systems if and when a genuine incident occurs.

A useful FL500 Flame Detector Simulator is on MSA’s website; this illustrates colourfully the FOV protection afforded by FL500 in a range of hydrocarbon processing locations.  Simulator users can visualise and compare the sensor’s FOV for regular fuel sources such as butane, ethane, heptane, hydrogen, methane, methanol, and propane.

The instrument is FM performance approved for all seven different fuel sources depicted on the simulator.  By merging a precise UV sensor for rapid response with an IR sensor for monitoring flame-emitted radiation, the FL500 works faster and with unparalleled false alarm immunity to offer the oil and gas related industries the most dependable monitoring in its class.

MSA’s FL500 detector provides operators with a wide field of view reaching 130° for optimum protection. The device includes three external LED indicators to facilitate local verification by technicians of standard operation, fault conditions, and alarms. Flexible detector status communications with automated plant safety and control systems through HART, Modbus, 4-20 mA sink or source communications are provided by integrated relays

Optical and electrical self-check diagnostic checks are carried out every two minutes, thanks to the detector’s continuous optical path monitoring (COPM) technology, to ensure the sensor’s optical path is clear and that the instruments’ advanced electronic circuitry is functioning correctly.

The FL500 detector also can be tested with the explosion proof TL105 Test Lamp, a battery-operated device developed specifically to test MSA’s General Monitors flame detection range. The test lamp simulates flickering flames and provides users with a high-energy, broadband radiation source that emits energy in both the ultraviolet and infrared spectra to safely activate the flame sensors from up to 35 feet/10 metres. The TL105 enables end-users to test the detector under real fire conditions without the need for an open flame and its associated dangers.

MSA designed the FL500 for reliable and precise fire safety monitoring in the most demanding environments across the globe. the FL500 Detector has comprehensive safety approvals for use worldwide, from the heat of the Arabian desert to the Arctic tundra.  The operating temperature range is  -67°F/-55°C to 185°F/85°C while the relative humidity range is 0 to 95% RH, non-condensing.