Selection Error: Applicability Limits of Heat Detectors and Advantages of the Multi-Criteria Approach

Introduction. Ensuring fire safety of marine vessels is complicated by diverse combustible loads — from flammable liquids to smoldering cables and insulation. Heat detectors (HD) are often selected formally, based on a certificate, without considering actual fire scenarios, which leads to their ineffective installation in areas where smoldering dominates.

Goals and Objectives. To determine the effective application limits of heat detectors on marine facilities and to justify that the multi-criteria approach provides reliable early fire detection under any fire development scenario.

Methods. The regulatory framework (GOST R 53325–2012, GOST 34698–2020, Russian Maritime Register of Shipping Rules, SP 484.1311500.2020) was analyzed. Experimental verification was performed using data from the R&D project “Triumph-25” at the “Hephaestus” training facility. The response times of the thermal, smoke and CO channels of the multi-criteria detector “Bark M” were recorded for various test fires (the paper presents data for seven representative fire types, including smoldering, liquid fires and cable pyrolysis).

Results. Certification tests of HD according to GOST are conducted only on test fire TF-6 (liquid fuel fire), which is correct for fast-developing fires but does not guarantee performance under smoldering. Experiments confirmed that under smoldering, the thermal channel either significantly lags or does not activate at all. The Russian Maritime Register of Shipping Rules directly prohibit systems using only heat detectors and introduce delta-factors (temperature — 5 °C, smoke — 0.5 %/m, CO — 10 ppm over 15 min), which are unattainable for conventional HD but feasible for multi-criteria detectors.

Conclusions. The multi-criteria approach, using combined information from thermal, smoke and gas channels, provides reliable early fire detection based on the analysis of several heterogeneous factors (typically at least two), which eliminates false alarms and guarantees reliable fire identification under any scenario. Recommendations: for mixed combustible loads, use multi-criteria detectors tested on all standard test fires according to GOST R 57552–2017; in sector-specific regulations, clarify the criteria for “special justification” of using only heat detectors.

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