Major Waste Site

Autonomous robotic fire suppression (ARFS)

After a significant fire shutdown at a UK city’s waste and recycling facility, the rebuild came with a clear directive: improve fire protection dramatically.

To protect the most vulnerable areas, FlameRanger™ – Unifire’s autonomous robotic fire suppression system, was selected as a smarter, faster, more focused alternative to fixed suppression, and as a complement to the overarching sprinkler system.

A national Tier 4 sprinkler company contracted Nobel Fire Systems to supply the full system, including six FORCE 50 BLDC robotic monitors and a central PLC controller with UniFire’s Ammolite™ GUI. The monitors (aka water cannons) and attendant pipework were installed by the sprinkler company, fed from the site’s existing sprinkler tank infrastructure.

Working closely with the water cannon layout, Nobel designed and delivered a tailored flame detection, control, and monitoring solution for the site. Each individual waste bay was equipped with a high-level Sense-WARE IR3 flame detector, linked to a Kentec Sigma A-XT suppression release panel, all panels monitored by a Kentec Syncro AS analogue addressable system.

On fire detection, the panel sends a hardwired signal to the FlameRanger™ PLC, which then activates the robotic water cannon which is pre-programmed to sweep the exact area of risk.

The Result
Fast, intelligent, targeted suppression-activated automatically, tested thoroughly, and fully integrated into the site’s fire protection strategy. A future-ready system for a facility that’s not taking chances a second time.