A Study on the Response Characteristics of Smoke Detectors Based on the Smoke Color

Abstract

This study investigates the response characteristics of smoke detectors based on the smoke colors. Experiments on white paper fires similar to the UL 268 real fire garden test, domestic-type approval reference tests, and black polyurethane foam and flammable liquid fire tests that did not undergo domestic-type approval were conducted to examine the response characteristics of smoke detectors according to the smoke color. Consequently, all analog smoke detectors (ASDs) subjected to the paper fire experiments, which generated white smoke, met the UL 268 operating conditions. However, in the flammable liquid and polyurethane foam fire experiments, which generated black smoke, none of the ASDs subjected to the experiment met the UL 268 operating conditions. The total average error for the smoke concentration was measured by the ASDs based on optical concentration ODM, and was found to be -24.54%/m in flammable liquid fires and -81.22% in polyurethane foam.