Dual-Wavelength Smoke Detector Measuring Both Light Scattering and Extinction to Reduce False Alarms

Abstract

Existing fire smoke detectors use the intensity of scattering light or the light extinction coefficient as the indicator of fire smoke to trigger fire alarms. However, false fire alarms could be triggered by dust and water fog. Achieving reliable early fire detection with minimal false alarms is a challenge. Based on the Mie scattering theory of spherical particles, it is derived that the ratio of scattering intensity and the ratio of optical extinction of two incident lights with different wavelengths only depends on the intrinsic properties of the aerosol (the average particle size and refractive index). This paper then presents an improved dual-wavelength smoke detection by measuring scattering light and extinction simultaneously to reduce false alarms. Simulations and verification with test fires of European Standard EN 54 were performed, demonstrating that fires can be distinguished from nuisance sources without complicated calculations. These results indicate that the improved detection system can be applied for smoke monitoring and fire protection.