As one of the most powerful forces on earth, there is little more dangerous than an uncontrolled fire – and fires in industrial or hazardous areas spread rapidly, burning at extremely high intensity, and often resulting in complete destruction of assets, structures and lives.
This has been highlighted in recent catastrophic fires, such as the Netherton Bakery Plant Fire in Staffordshire, the Ocado Warehouse fire in Hampshire, and the Houston Petrochemical Storage Facility fire – all of which resulted in huge financial loss.
Underpinning all global business, the industrial sector encompasses a large range of environments, including challenging, hazardous and access restricted areas, where typical forms of fire detection are not practical or don’t perform effectively.
Industrial Applications and their Complex Requirements
Subject to pollution, dirt, dust, debris, and dangerous chemicals or toxins, applications include:
- Floating roof storage tanks
- Conveyor belts
- Distilleries
- Bakeries/kitchens
- Control panels/electrical cabinets
- Heavy equipment/engine compartments
- Waste recycling
Industrial applications can have complex requirements due to the nature of the environment. Factors such as noise, dust, light, high humidity and operating temperature requirements can exclude many types of fire detection products, due to the potential to false alarm or fail prematurely. Furthermore, with various legal frameworks governing hazardous area equipment, including ATEX Directive (EU), CFR (US), IECEx (Worldwide), DSEAR (UK), and BS EN 60079, it can be difficult to find fire safety equipment that is suitable and high-functioning.
Choosing Linear Heat Detection – Fire Detection for Challenging Environments
Considering the most efficient and effective ways to detect the threat of fire in industrial and hazardous environments, Linear Heat Detection (LHD) not only meets the BS5839 regulatory compliance and standards, it is designed to provide the earliest form of detection, prevent false alarms, and is entirely unaffected by airflow, dangerous chemicals or toxins.
Going into more detail, Thermocable hosted a webinar on this very topic last week – if you haven’t seen it yet, you can watch on demand here.
With over 1300 people from all across the world signing up to attend, we were joined by hundreds of fire safety professionals from multiple industrial sectors. Generating dozens of queries from the audience, we caught up with technical expert and Business Development Manager, Spike Armstrong, who answered the most commonly asked questions.
Go on….have a little scroll!
Linear Heat Detection: You Asked, We Answered 2.0
“Is LHD fully approved by the insurance community – and will this help to reduce premiums?”
Yes. Absolutely.
Linear Heat Detection is widely recognised by the insurance industry, especially in environments where traditional fire detection is less effective—such as rooftop solar installations. In some cases, it is strongly recommended or even required.
Installing LHD has helped customers secure insurance coverage or reduce premiums due to added protection.
“What would happen if there was any accidental damage to the cable?”
If the LHD cable is crushed and the internal cores make contact, the ProReact fixed temperature system will trigger an alarm. If the LHD cable is cut or severed, breaking continuity, the system will register a fault.
To minimise false alarms, we offer a stainless-steel braid for enhanced mechanical protection and an Interlock mode, which uses two parallel detection zones and only triggers an alarm if both are activated—helping to distinguish real events from accidental damage.
“Can we use these cables for chiller rooms as an automatic detection system?”
Yes, Linear Heat Detection cables are suitable for chiller rooms and cold storage areas down to -40°C. For these environments, we recommend our ProReact 68°C fixed temperature cable. For ultra-low temperatures down to -60°C, we offer ProReact Plus.
“Okay, but what is the maintenance cost what compared to conventional detection options?”
Aha! We like this question!
Maintenance costs for Linear Heat Detection systems are generally lower compared to conventional options. Since the cable functions as a continuous detector, there’s no need to access and test individual units.
Typically, a push-button continuity test is required once a year to verify system integrity and proper operation. Each detection zone has an end-of-line termination box with test and fault switches, covering routine maintenance needs—aside from optional visual cable inspections.
“Can these cables be installed on large equipment, without support structures?”
Yes, Linear Heat Detection cables can be installed on large equipment in several ways: directly within the asset at the point of risk, mounted on the exterior surface, or suspended above using catenary wire to position the cable at the desired height.
We provide a full range of mounting accessories to support these installation methods.
“How can engineers deter rodents from damaging these cables?”
Interesting question, and one that crops up more than we would have thought! Pesky rodents…
We offer an optional stainless-steel braid on all our Linear Heat Detection cables, providing enhanced mechanical and abrasion protection as well as effective rodent deterrence. This optional braid is easy to install, offering robust durability without complicating installation.
“How about hazardous environments?”
Yes. Linear heat detection cable can be installed and used in hazardous areas as it is regarded as a ‘simple apparatus’ given its low voltage and that it does not contain an ignition source.
The monitor module or conventional fire alarm control panel should be installed in the safe area and the intrinsically safe (I.S.) barriers separate the safe area and the hazardous area as shown in Thermocable’s hazardous area installation guide.
“What type of LHD is best for roof mounted PV panels on exposed flat surfaces?”
We recommend our UL-approved ProReact TH100SS+ LHD cable, which features a low smoke zero halogen base coat and a stainless-steel braid for excellent UV resistance and mechanical protection, making it ideal for outdoor solar installations.
One detection zone is installed per bank of panels along the underside centreline, though for maximum coverage, two zones can be installed along the top and bottom underside edges.
We provide a full range of mounting accessories to support these installation methods. For EN-certified systems, we recommend ProReact EN fixed temperature (digital) 88 SS or ProReact EN Programmable (analogue) SS products.
“If an LHD cable is involved in a fire, does the whole zone need to be replaced?”
We get this question a lot. We answered it here – but are more than willing to do so again!
…The short answer is no, you do not.
Two core, fixed activation (or digital) LHD cable is non-resettable, this means an irreversible change occurs within the cable when it alarms. However, only the section that has alarmed (and we recommend 3 metres either side of that due to heat transfer along the cable) needs to be replaced – not the whole zone length. This type of LHD is triggered at specific temperatures, and is best for higher activation climates, hazardous applications, and areas that experience rapid or extreme temperature changes. It’s also possible to pinpoint whereabouts along the cable the alarm is with fixed activation LHD cable.
Four core, programmable temperature (or analogue) LHD cable is resettable, so does not need to be replaced following an alarm or fire, as long as the sensor cable has not been exposed to a temperature above 125 degrees C.
Our Programmable Temperature Sensing product is the first cable-based resettable linear heat detector approved to EN54-22. It’s also the only type of cable-based linear heat detector that has automatic ambient temperature adjustments, rate of rise detection and pre-alarm functionality.
Both systems are designed for easy sectional repair, not full replacement.
So, now we’ve answered the most common questions, is there anything you’d like to ask? We’d love to hear from you – you can get in touch with Spike directly on [email protected], or on [email protected] for more general enquiries – or you can fill in our enquiry form here.
