»The Smarter E Europe«: AP Sensing offers fire protection system for solar parks

Stuttgart, Germany-based AP Sensing GmbH, a provider of fiber optic sensor solutions, will present its new fire monitoring system, available since March, at »The smarter E Europe« in June. The LHD N45 series is a third-generation fiber optic linear heat detection system (LHD stands for »Linear Heat Detection«) and, according to the manufacturer, is suitable for both larger rooftop installations and grid-scale solar parks. Other applications include tunnels or parking garages.
With fiber-optic LHD technology, temperature is detected at every point along a fiber-optic cable, allowing temperature changes and hotspots to be identified. For example, on a ten-kilometer cable, the system measures 10,000 points every five seconds. It detects hotspots and fires, enables rapid alarms and provides information on fire location, size and spread.
In contrast to the previous series, the certified measuring range is now up to 16 kilometers instead of ten. The number of configurable alarm zones per channel has been increased from 256 to 2,000, and the number of integrated relay contacts from 48 to 98. Another new feature is the fully integrated web server, which enables easy configuration via browser.
AP Sensing does not provide any information on investment costs, as these can vary greatly depending on the individual fire protection concept. The operating costs, on the other hand, are manageable. The power consumption of the N45 evaluation unit is between 175 and 350 kilowatt hours per year, and AP Sensing describes the time required for annual maintenance as »very low« (Booth No. B4.392).
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