Patol has completed its latest industrial fire project, working with designers and installers Hall & Kay Fire Engineering and P. Gibson (Services) to provide protection for the UK operation of a global specialty chemicals company.
The UK facility of Ashland Industrial Chemicals is based in Kidderminster, part of a business that has been operating for almost a century, starting out as an oil company to diversify into a chemicals conglomerate serving a wide range of markets, from construction and energy to food and beverage, medical and packaging.
In selecting the most appropriate fire detection method for the processing area at the West Midlands’ site, P. Gibson (Services) identified the analogue resettable Linear Heat Detection Cable (LHDC) manufactured by Patol. The cable is a cost-effective option for providing early detection of fire and overheating in applications that would not ordinarily be viable, either through the inability to sustain the environment requirements or through prohibitive costs.
The cable is secured to the bund wall of the external processing area and is monitored in zonal lengths by SIL 2 certified LHDC interface controllers for an elevated temperature or fault status. It is configured to operate in two wire modes to emulate the operation of conventional heat detectors, allowing interfacing with the site’s fire control panels’ trigger circuits.
The LHDC monitoring is connected to a fire suppression system, designed and installed by Hall & Kay Fire Engineering, with mechanical galvanised pipework running throughout the protected area. This ensures swift and automatic intervention in the event of an incident, with foam automatically dispensed if no override instruction is given within the 30 second delay period built into the system.
The LHDC was installed by P. Gibson (Services) who drew on more than 30 years’ experience of sprinkler system design and an in-depth understanding of the standards relating to sprinkler installation to come up with the solution for Ashland. The company is BAFE and ECA certified, offering a range of fire protection services including wiring of sprinkler pump houses, life safety systems, zone checks, trace heating and lagging, maintenance, interfacing to fire alarm and Building Management Systems, and fault-finding services. P. Gibson worked with Hall & Kay Fire Engineering, who were awarded the fire protection contract by Ashland. Hall & Kay can trace its origins back to 1878 and is the UK’s largest independent fire suppression company.
The range of available linear heat detection cables ensures the alarm set point can be matched with the requirements of a given environment, making LHDC suited to many different applications including cable tunnels, escalators, conveyors, warehouse high rise pallet racking and grain solos, to name but a few.
Ashland Global Holdings Inc now operates in over 100 countries and, in addition to producing a wide range of products, offers its customers a dedicated team focused on Analytical Services and Technology (AS&T). In 2018, the Group recorded annual sales of $3.7 billion. The operation located in Kidderminster specialises in the production of adhesives, used extensively in product labelling in supermarkets.
For more information please visit: www.patol.co.uk
