FSL100

Three Versions, One Platform

The detection principles are the same as the higher specification ranges. What changes is the target, which is light industrial and commercial fire protection rather than heavy process plant.

Where It Fits Against the Rest of the Range

It’s worth being direct about this, because specifying the wrong tier costs money in both directions.

The SharpEye and F-Guard ranges are built for heavy process environments: long detection distances, flameproof housings, Zone 1 certification and SIL rated safety functions. On a refinery or an offshore facility, that’s what the risk needs.

A lot of fire protection isn’t that. Warehouses, workshops, light manufacturing, plant rooms, storage areas and commercial buildings all need reliable flame detection without Zone 1 certification or 90 metre detection distances. Specifying a process detector for those areas means paying for capability the installation will never use.

The FSL100 covers that middle ground. It carries ATEX Zone 2 and 22, and FM non incendive approval for Class 1, 2 and 3, Division 2, so it can be installed indoors or outdoors. It’s often positioned to look into a Zone 1 area from a safe distance, rather than being installed inside one.

Wide Field of View

The FSL100 has a 90° cone of vision, so one detector covers a large risk area. On a light industrial site, that’s usually what decides how many units are needed.

Coverage is a volume rather than a line, so field of view and detection distance work together. A wide angle detector at moderate range often covers more useful space than a narrow one reaching further. That’s why a warehouse or workshop can often be protected with fewer detectors than a first estimate suggests.

An optional swivel mount handles installation and alignment. The detector body weighs 465 grams, or 745 grams with the mount, so it doesn’t need fabricated steelwork.

Speed, and Why It Matters Here

The FSL100 alarms in 8 to 30 seconds, depending on the fire and distance, and its maximum ranges are rated to alarm in under 10 seconds. That’s considerably faster than heat or smoke detection in the same space.

In a high ceilinged building, smoke has to travel to reach a detector, and heat takes longer still. An optical detector sees the fire directly, so the response time is detection time rather than travel time. In a workshop or storage area where the fuel is flammable liquid or packaging, that difference decides whether the response is to a small fire or a well established one.

Testing Without Setting Fire to Anything

Two features here reduce the cost of ownership more than the specification suggests.

An automatic self test continuously monitors the sensors, electronics and firmware, so the detector reports its own condition rather than waiting for an inspection to find a problem. A manual self test can also be triggered by a contact closure.

Optional test lamps allow both operational testing and field of view testing. The FSL100-TL is for safe areas. The FSL100-TLX is intrinsically safe, certified to IECEx and ATEX, for hazardous areas. The field of view test is the useful part. Confirming a detector still sees the area it’s meant to cover is normally difficult, and it’s exactly what changes when racking is moved, a partition goes up or plant is relocated.

Outputs and Certification

Alarm and fault relays, each SPDT rated 2 A at 30 VDC, plus a stepped 0-20 mA sinking output, give a straightforward connection to a fire alarm panel or control system. The alarm can be set as latching or non latching, and the detector also connects to a fire panel by end of line and alarm resistors.

Performance certification covers FM 3260 and EN 54-10, which confirm the detector detects fires as claimed. That’s separate from hazardous area certification, which confirms the detector won’t cause an explosion. The FSL100 holds both, and a specifier working to a fire and gas philosophy will usually ask to see the performance approval.

Built for the Job

The housing is glass reinforced polyester (GRP), UV resistant and self extinguishing, in red or white, and rated IP65. A pressure compensating element helps prevent moisture building up inside. It runs on 12 to 24 VDC, drawing just 25 mA in normal operation, and operates from -40°C to +70°C in safe areas, or -25°C to +70°C in hazardous areas.

Where It’s Used

Warehouses and distribution centres. Workshops and light manufacturing. Storage areas and racking. Plant and machinery rooms. Waste and recycling facilities. Loading bays and vehicle areas. Paint and coating areas. Commercial buildings and infrastructure. Fuel and flammable liquid stores. Areas next to a classified zone, where the detector looks in from a safe distance.