John McGrath, Business Development Manager at ACEDES explains how FalconEx™ detects abnormal heat and responds autonomously before ignition can occur.
Industrial fire protection has traditionally focused on detecting the flames of a fire and then suppressing it as quickly as possible. FalconEx™ takes a different approach: identifying abnormal heat early enough to intervene before ignition occurs.
We spoke with John McGrath of ACEDES about why FalconEx™ integrates infrared and visual detection, the importance of autonomous response and how automated targeted cooling differs from systems that rely on remote operators.
Many fire detection systems rely on separate infrared cameras, smoke detectors and flame detectors. FalconEx™ combines infrared and visual imaging. Why did ACEDES take this approach, and what advantages does it provide?
The first question is: what are you actually trying to detect? Smoke and flame detectors are proven technologies, but they detect products of combustion. If you are detecting smoke or flame, ignition has already occurred. FalconEx™ is designed to intervene earlier, during the period when something is becoming dangerously hot but has not yet ignited.
Some competing systems use infrared, smoke and flame detectors, but these are generally separate devices operating independently. Each produces its own alarm rather than contributing to a single, integrated analysis. Simply adding more detectors that are analysed independently may therefore provide very little advantage in identifying the hazard earlier.
FalconEx™ takes a different approach. It combines infrared and visual imaging, with both sources analysed together in real time. The infrared image identifies abnormal heat, while the visual image provides additional information about what is happening in the protected area.
Because these data sources are evaluated together, FalconEx™ gains a cumulative advantage in both detection and output. It is not simply receiving two unrelated alarms; it combines complementary information to make a more informed and reliable decision.
This helps the system distinguish a genuine developing hazard from normal operational heat sources while providing the information needed to locate the hotspot and direct the water monitor.
The important issue is not how many detectors a system has. It is whether their information is integrated, how early the hazard can be identified, and what the system can do with that information. If FalconEx™ has already identified and verified a dangerous hotspot, waiting for smoke or flame would simply allow the event to progress further.
FalconEx™ is described as an autonomous early fire detection and extinguishing system. What does “autonomous” actually mean, and why is it important in a real fire event?
When we say autonomous, we mean that FalconEx™ can go from detecting a hotspot to cooling it without waiting for somebody to make a decision.
The system is continuously scanning. If it detects an elevated temperature, it quickly runs through multiple checks to confirm that it is not a false alarm. Once it determines that action is required, FalconEx™ positions the water monitor and begins cooling or extinguishing the hotspot and the surrounding area. Where necessary, it will additionally sound alarms to warn personnel of an incident and that water will be discharged. That all happens automatically and locally at the facility.
If a system relies on a remote monitoring centre, there are additional stages. An alarm has to reach the centre, somebody has to review it, decide whether it is genuine, determine what is happening and then take action.
None of those individual steps are unreasonable, but they all take time. You are also relying on external communications networks, which may not always be available or reliable. We are trying to intervene at the earliest possible stage. It does not make sense to detect something quickly and then introduce avoidable delays before responding.
Operators and fire professionals can still take manual control when necessary. We are not removing people from the system entirely. What we are removing is the need for a person to be involved in that critical initial decision and response.
