Aspirating Smoke Detection
Aspirating Smoke Detection consists of a air sampling system that consists of a length or lengths of pipe with are strategically placed with sampling holes along its length. An air impeller is used to draw air along the pipe from the sampling holes and through the detector measuring chamber. The transit time for air to travel from the sampling holes to the detector head can be significant, so there must be significant advantages to this system to offset this delay.
The detector is designed to be stable, reliable and highly sensitive (approximately 10 to 200 times the sensitivity of a point detector). Such additional sensitivity allows the detection of smoke at much earlier stage in the development of a fire, and as a consequence, this may reduce damage levels considerably. This saving of time more than offsets the delay due to the transit time. The action of pulling air into the air sampling system gives a better smoke collection method than the naturally occurring air convection relied upon by point detectors, and the sampling pipe systems frequently allow the sampling holes to be strategically better placed, for example in an air extraction system or within smoke strata which may be anticipated.