fire detecting one may be more difficult than you  think optical flame detectors have long suffered  

from limitations inherent in their design  or the technology they use this means that  

a fire can go undetected or that the detector  frequently alarms when the fire is not present  

for example ultraviolet detectors will false  alarm when lightning or electric arc welding  

is present single frequency infrared detectors can  be susceptible to modulated hot surfaces such as  

engines or even peak UV IR detectors combine the  benefits of ultraviolet and infrared technologies  

but still false alarm when both radiation  sources are present other multi spectrum  

infrared detectors have improved resistance to  false alarms but with hidden penalties their  

effectiveness varies from one type of fire  to the next and they become desensitized by  

modulated infrared sources or reflected sunlight  it's a tough job but the need is clear despite  

the clutter of these deceptive sources a new  level of performance must be attained where  

the detector is not tricked into false alarm  yet always detects a fire Daktronics has the  

solution the X 3301 protector providing the world  stent in multi spectrum infrared flame detection

your safety is our mission since 1973 Daktronics  has been the leader in protecting high hazard  

applications all over the world as a result we are  unparalleled in flying detection research design  

and fabrication expertise we are continuing that  tradition today with the evolution of the most  

advanced multi spectrum infrared detector in the  world the X 3301 protector protector represents  

the ultimate in optical flight detection  providing new levels of flame sensitivity  

while ignoring false alarm sources altogether  protector features greater sensitivity to all  

fires an extended field of view optimized  false alarm rejection true optical integrity  

self checking and a new robust package design  let's look at each of these now in more detail

all fires are not the same in fact there is a  continuum of hydrocarbon emissions related to  

fuel types diesel fuel fires are dirty producing  billowing black smoke heptane burns somewhat  

cleaner while methanol flames are blue at the  base and nearly invisible at the tip protector  

can detect all of these files and at greater  distances than ever before possible testing by  

factory neutral approvals to the 2000 edition of  the standard 3260 has verified that a one-foot  

square heptane fire can be detected at over  200 feet this range has also been verified  

against a 2 foot square jp-5 fire further tests  have demonstrated that a one-foot square diesel  

fire will be detected at 150 feet and a 30 inch  methane at 100 feet in addition to detecting  

standard fires at long distances protector  also provides superior detection at short  

distances this is crucial to early detection of  accidental fires that will often develop quickly  

into catastrophic events protector can identify  such a fire shortly after it starts while it  

is still quite small thereby minimizing damage  that is so disruptive to processes and products

protector has a consistently larger area of  coverage than any other detector in the world  

here's what we mean the maximum on axis range of  a conventional detectors field of view is about  

50 feet off axis these detectors lose sensitivity  at about 25 feet as a result any fires that occur  

outside this view will not be detected testing  has shown that protector has an on axis range  

of up to 210 feet with off axis sensitivities  up to 100% a huge increase in the overall area  

of coverage what's important to remember is that  this increase is consistent across all types of  

fire in fact protector is the first detector to  be tested and verified by FMA against multiple  

fuel types per standard 30 to 60 mm addition  the benefit of this is a significant cost of  

coverage reduction in this case for example  one protector is needed to cover one side of  

the enclosure while a second protector covers the  other side since many applications require voted  

coverage only two more protectors are needed to  complete the system at the lowest possible cost  

if however for conventional detectors are used  to do the same job large areas of non coverage  

are clearly visible even after adding six more  detectors a large unprotected area remains in  

the center of the room providing voted coverage  of this room would require so many more detectors  

that it's clearly an unemotional armed sources  are everywhere in your facility some are fairly  

obvious while others are not other multi  spectrum detection strategies reduce the  

number of alarms to these false sources but the  detectors are easily desensitized by modulated  

IR backgrounds such as reflected sunlight to  better understand this look at this chart showing  

the spectral emissions of a hydrocarbon flame  note the characteristic carbon dioxide peak at  

the four point four micron region when infrared  background is present at high levels this peak  

actually becomes lost amid the interference  virtually blinding the detector to a fire  

protector uses patented electronic optical  and signal processing technologies to see  

the fire amid this IR clutter how protect our  utilizes three regions of the infrared spectrum  

to gather data within its field of view this  data is continually analyzed using patented  

advanced signal processing algorithms supported  by an embedded 32-bit microprocessor wavelength  

flickered intensity and time domain are just a  few of the discriminators used to evaluate what  

the detector sees the advanced effectiveness of  the protector technology has been verified by  

independent third party testing this documentation  shows that protector provides a level of combined  

false alarm rejection and detection performance  that is truly revolutionary to the industry

Daktronics pioneered optical integrity in  the 1970s protector extends this technology  

providing a calibrated IR source for each sensor  to accurately mimic the infrared signature of a  

fire non calibrated test systems that use  over powered internal or external sources  

or different wavelength from an actual fire  will fail to appropriately indicate fault  

conditions other features are protectors pol  I system include non-contact magnetic read  

switch activation to eliminate time-consuming  inaccurate tests with expensive external sources  

also if I are absorbing material reduces  protectors detection range less than 50% a  

fault is signaled complimenting the calibrated  hawai system is a microprocessor control active  

heating system to help prevent the build-up of  IR absorbing ice or water films other detectors  

are compromised when these extreme environmental  conditions occur not protector it keeps working  

because the heating system allows the  detector to self clear these blinding  

materials the result sustained performance  with no manual clearing of ice or snow

the physical design of the ex 3301 has been  optimized for high performance and ease of  

installation and is available in either 316  stainless steel or low magnesium copper free  

aluminum a dedicated wiring compartment has rated  both exp and exp to allow for the lowest cost  

installation that meets individual customer  requirements all electronic components are  

physically isolated in a separate sealed  compartment for maximum environmental  

integrity the modular design allows substitution  of detection technologies or on-site maintenance  

without disconnecting field wiring DnB testing  has confirmed that our stainless steel swiveled  

minimizes the detrimental effects of vibration  while assuring the detector is properly aimed  

at a hazardous area convenient markings on  the horizontal and vertical aiming members  

facilitate proper siting when this capability  is combined with an optional laser aiming tool  

complete detection coverage can be assured at  easily verified as you obscene flame detection is  

tricky business but mostly it's serious business  protector offers you a level of safety never  

available before along with significant battery  protector provides the lowest cost of coverage  

you buy fewer units to do the job because an  extended field of view and uniform fuel detection  

capability produce installation costs because  you mount fewer units using hardware designed to  

simplify the process increase plant availability  because there are no false alarm interruptions to  

disrupt operations reduce maintenance expenses  because protector features heated optics with  

true self checking optical integrity all this  and maximum fire protection regardless of the  

conditions so come to the experts who pioneered  the industry to get the best combination of flame  

detection and false alarm rejection available in  the world get the Daktronics difference with the  

ex 3301 protector step up to the world stem  in multi spectrum infrared flame detection