The Orbis range ... developed specifically to provide high-quality conventional detection.
Apollo takes the direct approach
01 March 2004
Apollo's latest detector ensures ease of installation, reliability in daily operation and simplicity of design, giving a new edge to conventional detection.
Apollo Fire Detectors launched its new range of conventional fire detectors known as Orbis at the Intersec Dubai (the sixth international commercial security, police, fire, safety and rescue exhibition), held early this year. As part of the launch strategy, Apollo exhibited under its own name for the first time.
Commenting on the launch strategy, Michelle Agius, Apollo’s sales and marketing director, says: “We wanted to take the opportunity to raise our company’s profile generally as well as launch Orbis in the Middle East.”
Orbis has been developed in close consultation with customers and offers a wealth of new features to save time, enhance reliability, reduce false alarms and make everyone’s life easier, he says.
“In fact the whole of the Orbis range has been designed from first principles to ensure that it delivers critical factors such as ease of installation, reliability in daily operation and simplicity of design,” says Agius.
Elaborating on the new features of the product, Agius says: “The Orbis range is likely to help Apollo to increase its market share, as the new detectors have been developed specifically to provide high quality conventional detection in small to medium-size installations.
“The range comprises an optical smoke detector, multisensor smoke detector, three classes of static heat detectors, three classes of rate-of-rise heat detectors and a standard, electronics-free base. A diode base and a relay base are available as options.
“The Orbis optical smoke detector features a new sensor design that enables it to respond to a wide spectrum of fires without compromising reliability. This makes it highly reliable but much less likely to generate false alarms –as it uses algorithms to decide when it should change to the alarm state.
“Orbis optical detectors sample the atmosphere every four seconds and the measurements are processed by microprocessor. The processing power is used as part of the design to eliminate unwanted alarms.
“The Orbis multi-sensor uses the same new optical sensor technology in conjunction with a heat sensor to further enhance its detection capabilities. The multi-sensor is designed as a smoke detector and cannot be switched from smoke to heat detection. Its primary use is in the detection of fast burning, flaming fires or in applications where the fire risk is likely to include heat at an early stage of the conflagration. Multisensors can also be used where ionisation detectors would previously have been installed,” he says.
“There are six heat detectors in the Orbis range, which are classified according to EN54-5 as rate-of-rise or static and are designated ‘R’ or ‘S’ accordingly. They are further defined by their fixed alarm temperature and, in the case of the rate-of-rise detectors, by the design ambient temperature for the rate-of-rise test.
“Air temperature is measured every two seconds and a microprocessor stores the readings and compares them with preset values to determine whether the alarm level has been reached. Static heat detectors will respond only when this threshold is reached. Rate-of-rise detectors also have this fixed upper limit, but measure the rate of increase in temperature as well,” Agius says.
Orbis’ standard base provides installers with an open working area and single quadrant terminals.
Following a successful launch in the UK last year, Apollo plans to roll out the Orbis range to all its export markets by the end of this year.
Apollo has a number of longstanding representatives in the Middle East including Telectron, (Abu Dhabi), and New Age (Dubai), both of whom supported Apollo during the exhibition.
Landmark developments in the Middle East currently protected by Apollo-based fire systems include the Sheikh Ahmed and Hamdan bin Mubarak bin Nayhan twin towers in Abu Dhabi and Batelco’s Salmaniya Complex in Bahrain.
