VESDA LaserFOCUS™ VLF-000 Product Description, Features and
Benefits
The VESDA LaserFOCUS VLF-000 aspirating/air sampling smoke detector offers very early
warning at a lower cost point to specifically address smaller critical environments and provide
improved addressability for cabinet and object detection. It brings a new opportunity to introduce
VESDA detection performance to new customers.
As VESDA becomes more of an accepted standard and is more widely promoted to new
territories increasingly less experienced users will interact with the product. To overcome heavy
support issues with installation and set up the product has been designed with an “Out of Box”
approach where no programming tools (like a PC or Hand Held programmer) are required to get
the product working. The display (the main user interface) has been simplified and enhanced to
provide faster diagnostics and easier to understand abnormal conditions
A Field Service Access Door is provided to allow easy access to authorized personnel who are
responding to an incident or conducting regular maintenance. It allows users to interact with the
product without the need for removal of the front cover so internal components are protected from
accidental damage. In fact, if the user needs to remove the cover (to replace the aspirator
assembly or remove the detector from the wall) the internal electronics are protected when the
front cover is removed. When opening the Field Service Access Door the user is presented with:
•
Reset, Disable and Fire Test Buttons
•
RS232 port for direct access to a PC for connection to the configuration software (that can
be used on all VESDA products), VESDA System Configurator (VSC).
•
AutoLearn Smoke and AutoLearn Flow functions via pin access holes
•
Two recessed screws for removing the front cover
This smart design cannot be found on competitive products.
The detector incorporates Ultrasonic Flow Sensing to monitor the integrity of the sampling pipe
network and sampling point contamination. This new method of flow monitoring is the first in the
industry setting a new benchmark in detecting changes in flow and is unaffected by temperature
changes, altitude or contamination.
Applications
The VESDA LaserFOCUS VLF-000 can be used for the protection of many small area locations
including (but not limited to):
•
Telecommunication facilities
•
Computer rooms
•
Control rooms
•
Electrical and switching cabinets
•
Production machinery
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•
Utility infrastructure hubs
•
Museum cabinets
VESDA LaserFOCUS VLF-000 Features and Benefits
The VESDA LaserFOCUS VLF-000 detector continues to deliver the well established suite of
Unique Selling Propositions that VESDA holds in the market place including:
•
Absolute calibrated smoke detection
•
Clean air bleed
•
Wide sensitivity range
•
AutoLearn
It also introduces new and improved features to extend this USP list including:
•
Field Service Access Door
•
Ultrasonic Flow Sensing
•
Out of Box operation
•
AutoLearn algorithms (improved and extended to include Flow)
Other enhancements include:
•
RS232 connectivity
•
Compartmentalised Event Log
In addition to the above it is also supported by the market leading software program:
•
VESDA System Configurator (VSC) – for field support purposes
Below is an outline of the Benefits associated with the new USPs:
Field Service Access Door
The thinking behind the Field Service Access Door follows that of modern European car engine
bay. When you open the bonnet you have access to serviceable elements and everything else is
hidden. In fact it continues the approach adopted in the LaserCOMPACT where delicate
processor boards are hidden during regular servicing.
An authorized user (either the End User or Field Service Engineer) pushes in the retention tab
and opens the door to reveal commonly required items (Access Level 2):
•
Filter Cartridge
•
RS232 port
•
Reset
•
Disable
•
Fire Test
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From Access Level 2 the user can initiate Access Level 3 items with a small probe:
•
AutoLearn Smoke (sets alarm thresholds based on ambient conditions)
•
AutoLearn Flow (sets flow thresholds based on ambient conditions)
Ultra Sonic Flow Sensing
With the detection system function being reliant on airflow, monitoring and understanding it is
critical. Following a review of existing technologies used both by VESDA and other ASD
manufacturers it became apparent that flow sensing technologies employed to date generally
measure a secondary phenomenon of flow (such as heat loss from a thermal device) and monitor
for relative changes in the measurement.
The secondary indication of flow is fraught with problems which can largely be overcome by
careful design and calibration but they remain susceptible to contamination. This can be
overcome in the field by appropriate system checks, cleaning and re-normalisation whenever
there is a flow fault.
After a period of research Ultrasonic flow measurement was identified as a direct measurement
of volumetric flow rate. The challenge in using ultrasonic flow sensing for an air sampling
detection system has been to make the device small enough and sensitive enough to be suitable
for monitoring the airflows that typically occur in air sampling systems.
How Does it Work?
Two transducers are placed on a section of pipe inside the detector. Each transducer sends a
signal to the other, one signal going with the flow of air and the other against it. The time
difference between the arrival of both signals is then used to calculate the velocity of the air in the
pipe.
Ultrasonic flow sensing offers many advantages over other flow sensing technologies:
•
Tolerance of contamination
•
Extremely tolerant to temperature changes
•
Not affected by altitude or changes in atmospheric pressure
•
Absolute flow measurement in litres per minute
•
Knows when the flow is going backwards!
These elements contribute to a high level of reliability for the lifetime of the product and, more
importantly, provide absolute flow measurement – i.e. measurement regardless of the
temperature, elevation of the environment or the contamination of the flow sensors.
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Air Flow
Transducer
Ultrasonic pulses
Transducer
Out of Box Operation
As VESDA becomes more of an accepted standard and is more widely promoted to new
territories increasingly less experienced users will interact with the product. To overcome heavy
support issues with installation and set up the product has been designed with an “Out of Box”
approach where no programming tools (like a PC or Hand Held programmer) are required to get
the product up and running.
Taking the product out of the box, connecting the pipe (using the pre-engineered pipe network
designs) and powering up, the user only need to initiate AutoLearn Smoke and AutoLearn Flow
for the unit to start operating reliably. These learning algorithms can be started independently
should the user wish to operate at factory defaults.
AutoLearn Smoke
The VESDA Laser FOCUS VLF-000 implements a new algorithm for AutoLearn Smoke. The
new AutoLearn Smoke takes into account the mean smoke level for the AutoLearn period and the
highest consistent smoke level. This is a much more robust approach than simply averaging
smoke readings over the AutoLearn period.
AutoLearn Flow
With Ultrasonics, because we are measuring the absolute speed of flow, the detector can
determine the speed and direction of airflow. If the flow reaches zero (or goes backwards) the
unit will go into fault.
AutoLearn Flow operates in the same manner as the AutoLearn Smoke by accommodating
peaks during the learning period to set the appropriate Flow Alarm Thresholds.
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RS232 Connectivity
With the VLF-000 detector the user can connect to the detector with VESDA System Configurator
(VSC), via the RS232, port without the need for a High Level Interface (HLI). The detector is also
able to auto-sense between permanent monitoring and local configuration modes.
Open Detector Control Protocol (ODCP) Support
A number of existing and potential customers of Xtralis install fire protection systems to protect
high value assets installed in multiple, geographically diverse, small sites. These customers have
a large existing investment in monitoring systems such as Building Management Systems
(BMSs) and Environmental Control Panels (ECPs). Consequently they wish to utilize as much of
their existing monitoring infrastructure as possible to remotely monitor and control these sites.
Monitoring of VESDA fire systems from non-VESDA equipment is traditionally achieved via the
use of an Open HLI. In very small sites, where only a single VESDA detector is installed, the
additional cost of purchasing an HLI may not be justified. To deliver a cost-effective solution in
such sites, VESDA has made available the ODCP for the VLF-000.
Integrating with the VLF-000 using the ODCP offers a cost-effective solution for installations that
require centralized monitoring and control of multiple, geographically diverse, independent smoke
detectors, using existing infrastructure.
The Open Detector Control Protocol:
Provides access to the following detector data:
• Alarm Status for all VLF alarm levels
•
Current smoke level
•
Current flow level (% flow and litres/min)
•
VLF Detector state (Running, Disable & Standby)
•
Fault Status (identified as per Instant Fault Finder)
•
Remaining Days for Filter Life
•
Smoke Threshold levels
•
Detector’s product ID (serial number), and
Controls the detector through:
• Reset
•
Disable
•
Standby
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Compartmentalised Event Log
The event log in the VLF-000 is non-volatile (hurrah!) and can save up to 18,000 events. We
have refined how the information is stored by compartmentalising the event log to store
separately:
•
Smoke History
•
Flow History
•
User Interactions
•
Status
What’s the advantage? Should a detector experience a high incidence of faults smoke history is
not reduced (because the event log no longer becomes filled with faults). So when, turning up to
site to review an incident the user is assured of a reasonable length of smoke history to review.
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