Plumis Automist smartscan User manual

Automist Smartscan®

Handbook

Version 1.2.3

The Smartscan Handbook is designed to provide

stakeholders with essential information regarding

specification, installation, maintenance and commissioning

of the Automist fire protection device.

Supersedes –Automist Smartscan Handbook Version 1.2.2

SMARTSCAN

EW534

Automist Smartscan®Handbook v1.2.3 
Plumis Ltd Copyright © 2017. All Rights Reserved. Page 2 of 64 
 
SMARTSCAN
®
Contents 
INTRODUCTION TO SMARTSCAN................................................................................................................................ 4 
Introduction................................................................................................................................................................... 5 
Automist Smartscan Operation................................................................................................................................... 6 
The Automist Smartscan System ................................................................................................................................ 7 
Automist Smartscan Compliance and Fire Performance .................................................................................... 8 
Concept ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9 
Company ................................................................................................................................................................... 9 
HOW TO SPECIFY SMARTSCAN.................................................................................................................................. 10 
Use and Specification of Automist Smartscan ........................................................................................................ 11 
Room Compatibility ............................................................................................................................................... 11 
Protected and Shadowed Areas ........................................................................................................................... 12 
Creating a Coverage Plan ...................................................................................................................................... 12 
“Preferred Positions” and Avoidance of Potential Obstructions ...................................................................... 13 
Example: At Front of Built-in Cupboard............................................................................................................ 17 
Example: Adjacent to an Opening ..................................................................................................................... 17 
Example: Close to a Wall..................................................................................................................................... 19 
Example: Over Worktop...................................................................................................................................... 20 
Areas Not Required For Coverage........................................................................................................................ 21 
Indirect Coverage ................................................................................................................................................... 21 
Calculation of Effective Shadow Area .................................................................................................................. 22 
Worked Example .................................................................................................................................................... 22 
Use of These Rules ................................................................................................................................................. 26 
Automist Smartscan Known Heat Source Mitigation Procedure...................................................................... 27 
Installation requirements .......................................................................................................................................... 28 
Spray Head Placement .......................................................................................................................................... 29 
Detection System ................................................................................................................................................... 29 
INSTALLER GUIDELINES.............................................................................................................................................. 32 
Installation Procedure ................................................................................................................................................ 33 
A) Preparing the site............................................................................................................................................... 34 
B) Installing the Automist Smartscan Head ........................................................................................................ 35 
C) Connecting the Water Supply........................................................................................................................... 38 
D) Other Electrical Connections............................................................................................................................ 41 
E) The Automist Smartscan Controls ................................................................................................................... 44 
F) Commissioning and maintenance ................................................................................................................... 45 
Commissioning Procedure.................................................................................................................................... 45 

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Post-installation checklist –Key points for installers and Building Control......................................................... 48

Maintenance................................................................................................................................................................ 51

Cleaning ....................................................................................................................................................................... 51

Repair ........................................................................................................................................................................... 51

Troubleshooting.......................................................................................................................................................... 51

Warranty ...................................................................................................................................................................... 54

Notes ............................................................................................................................................................................ 55

APPENDIX A ................................................................................................................................................................. 56

APPENDIX B ................................................................................................................................................................. 62

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INTRODUCTION TO SMARTSCAN

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Introduction

•READ ALL OF THESE INSTRUCTIONS.

•Retain this guide for later use.

•The content in this manual may differ from the product and is subject to change without prior

notice.

•Follow all warnings, cautions and instructions contained in this guide.

•The appliance is not to be used by persons (including children) with reduced physical, sensory

or mental capabilities, or lack of experience and knowledge, unless they have been given

supervision or instruction (excluding children).

•Automist Smartscan requires recommissioning at least annually to provide effective protection.

•When this product has reached the end of its serviceable life, it should be disposed of in a safe

manner.

IMPORTANT: Once installed, complete and submit an installation and commissioning form to Plumis.

WARNING: To avoid hazards, all installation procedures and maintenance must be supervised by an

Accredited Automist Smartscan Installer.

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Automist Smartscan Operation

When triggered by the heat detector, the Automist Smartscan spray head scans back and forth,

measuring the temperatures around the room using an infrared (IR) sensor. Once the peak

temperature location has been determined, the spray head will lock onto that location and activate the

high pressure pump, driving mains water through the unique nozzle unit, quickly directing a dense fog

into the location of the fire. The high momentum vertical spray orientation with a horizontal trajectory

ensures that even shielded fires are saturated with a turbulent flow of mist, suppressing the fire.

In the event of a fire, Automist Smartscan is triggered automatically by a relay contact, provided by one

or more heat alarms/detectors,

compliant with either BS 5446-2 or BS EN 54-5

.The link between

detector and relay may involve a fire panel or, more commonly, a direct wired or wireless connection

between the devices.

Automist Smartscan can be stopped manually by pressing a button on the pump’s front panel, by

means of an optional remote STOP button, or by cutting power to the independent circuit on the

consumer unit (marked with an indicator sticker).

Watermist has a different principle of fire fighting to sprinklers which suppress fires by wetting surfaces and

directly cooling the flames with large water drops, helped by gravity. Water mist uses fine droplets that

evaporate at the base of the fire to extract heat (cool) the fire and displaces oxygen from the fire zone,

resulting in fire control, suppression or extinguishment. Thus, water mist works best when placed closer to

the ground avoiding ineffective evaporation in the hot layer in the ceiling and the upward flow of hot

combustion products. Automist leverages this phenomenon by placing the spray head half way up the wall

(around light switch height): between the hot layer and furniture. This allows increased fire suppression

performance with the same amount of water. Automist is a member of the International Water Mist

Association’s (IWMA) “Archimedes Club” for the products which utilise the optimum deployment of water

mist technology.

In this document the terms “heat alarm” and “heat detector” are used interchangeably.

With suitable interface equipment, either BS 5446-2 heat alarms or BS EN 54-5 heat detectors may be used to

activate Automist. Other specific alarms/detector models are also acceptable where Plumis has tested the

products and documented their use on the Plumis Partner Site library page, provided that associated Plumis and

manufacturer guidance is followed.

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The Automist Smartscan System

1. WRAS approved isolation valve

2. Automist Smartscan supply label & cable tie

3. ¾” single check valve

4. Filter

5. ¾” Stainless Steel Inlet Hose

6. Automist Smartscan Pump Unit

7. Quick connect with test point for pressure gauge

8. High pressure Outlet Hose

9. Assembled Automist Smartscan head

10. Heat alarm and relay base (not included)

11. Sticker set (not shown)

Figure 1: Automist Smartscan System Diagram

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Figure 2: Spray head, parked (left) and in operation (right)

The nozzle is positioned at a recommended strategic height of 1.2m to 1.4m from the ground to avoid

obstructions by most domestic furniture while still placing mist close to the base of the fire, maximizing

the effectiveness of the very small water flow.

Automist Smartscan Compliance and Fire Performance

Automist was independently tested by Exova Warringtonfire during the summer of 2015 and was able to

demonstrate full compliance with the fire performance criteria of the BS 8458:2015. In short, Automist is

performance compliant with BS 8458:2015 despite not being fully prescriptively compliant, which is the

essence of innovations: a smarter approach to reach the same end goal: suppression performance. UKAS

Accredited Certification Body, BSI have also issued a certificate of verification to BS 8458:2015 (VC 656504).

The full report "BS 8458: 2015: Annex B, Method for Measuring the Capability of a Watermist System to

Control a Fire - "Room Fire Test for Watermist Systems with Automatic Nozzles" Document Reference

356258" can be downloaded from the Plumis website.

For more details on the descriptive and performance requirements of BS 8458:2015 please see table 3 in

Appendix A.

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EN 60335-1:2002 Household and similar electrical appliances –Safety:

Smartscan System Clarifications

•The Smartscan system is a Class I appliance, meaning the system provides additional

electric shock protection in the form of a fully earthed pump enclosure

•The system therefore uses protective impedance because of the earthed enclosure

•The Automist pump unit is a stationary device

•The Smartscan head is a fixed appliance

•The Automist pump unit uses a type Y power supply cord –if the cord is damaged, it can only be

replaced by Plumis (the manufacturer) to avoid a hazard

Quality Assurance

Concept

•Independently tested by Exova Warringtonfire and demonstrated to meet the fire performance

standards of BS 8458:2015 and BS 9252:2011, the most up to date residential water mist and

sprinkler, respectively. Smartscan has a (BSi Verification Certificate - VC 656504).

•Developed in collaboration with the University of Greenwich Fire Safety Group, carrying our

analysis and computer fluid models of spray patterns and fire behaviour.

•CE marked –Tested to meet EU consumer safety, health & environmental requirements

•When correctly installed, the Automist Smartscan fire suppression system, complies with the

requirements of the United Kingdom Water Byelaws.

Company

•Third Party Certification by BRE Global have established Plumis Limited have complied with the

Quality Management Systems requirements of ISO 9001:2008 for the design, manufacture and

supply of water mist fire suppression systems.

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HOW TO SPECIFY SMARTSCAN

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Use and Specification of Automist Smartscan

Automist Smartscan is intended to be used as an alternative to domestic/residential fire sprinklers or water

mist system as it has been shown to have equivalent fire performance. Where guidance or fire engineering

principles indicate that suppression should be deployed in a particular part or parts of a property, Automist

Smartscan should be installed to protect exactly the same areas, whether the purpose is to compensate for

means of escape problems or to extend the available time for firefighters to arrive.

As per Registered Detail EW 534:

The system may only be used where Table 2, clause 11 of BS 9991 states that a BS 8458 compliant

watermist system is applicable. The system coverage must be in accordance with that required for

any automatic water fire suppression system, as stated in Approved Document B or BS 9991:2015. It

is not acceptable to provide protection to only part of a single premise unless this is acceptable in

accordance with Approved Document B or BS 9991.

For details on the applications where water mist can be used as a means of suppression in BS 9991,

please refer to Appendix B.

Room Compatibility

A single Automist Plus pump and spray head kit can protect an area within a 6m radius from the spray head

location. The spray head should therefore be within 6m of and in the approximate line of sight of any

possible fire hazards.

A single pump of the standard Automist Smartscan specification (6.0 litres/minute, 90 bar nominal) is not

inherently limited to a specific floor area as it was for Automist, however at least one spray head must be

located within 6m (line of sight) of all possible fire locations (with certain allowances for shadowed areas,

below). Spray head nozzles should be installed 1.3m ± 0.1m above finished floor level, and preferably at a

height of 1.25m. In kitchens, 1.4m should be the default in order to position the spray head clear of any

obstacles on kitchen counters. Presently Automist Smartscan supports only a single spray head per pump.

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Ceiling heights are limited to 3.5m following the guidance on BS 8458:2015. Higher ceiling applications

require the involvement of a fire engineer.

If an obstruction is more than 1.2m high, it should be regarded as blocking the line of sight from any spray

head positioned within 3m. Obstructions higher than 1.5m and wider than 0.3m should be regarded as

blocking the line of sight at any distance see potentially necessitating the use of an additional spray head

and pump). Annual commissioning includes a verification that the system is not being obstructed

inadvertently. Where a radiator, hob, heated towel rail or open fire is located such that it may be visible to

the Automist Smartscan infrared sensor, the Automist Smartscan known heat source mitigation procedure

must be applied. The procedure indicates whether or not the location is acceptable based on the typical

temperature of the item in question.

IMPORTANT: Do not install Automist Smartscan outside Plumis guidelines without first discussing the

design with Plumis. Installing Automist Smartscan outside these guidelines without properly documenting

and agreeing such variations could make you responsible for deaths or injuries.

Protected and Shadowed Areas

Automist Smartscan will only operate at its maximum effectiveness when spray heads have collective

visibility of all fire loads throughout the entire room to be protected, with a minimum of obstructions by

furniture or indeed doors. Spray head locations should be carefully chosen to reflect this fact. Maximum

visibility is most frequently, but not always, achieved by placing spray heads close to doorways (on the

handle side of a door, where light switches are usually present) or close to windows (though avoiding

possible curtains).

Small “shadow” areas are permissible within certain limits. The shadowed section of a room is defined as

the collection of all points where no mist head has visibility of the point within the standard 6m operating

radius. Visibility is said to extend to a 6m radius horizontal semicircle from each mist head and end with a

radial straight-line shadow boundary wherever there is an obstruction. This nominal semicircle of visibility

should be reduced to a quarter circle (90°) or three-eighths circle (135°) where there are potential

obstructions (see below, “Preferred Positions” for spray heads).

Creating a Coverage Plan

The following process should be used to create a coverage plan:

1. Identify Preferred Positions where spray coverage is unlikely to be blocked by placement of large

furniture items against the wall.

2. Select proposed spray head positions (which may or not be Preferred) where spray head

installation is realistically achievable, in order to cover the whole room.

3. Draw nominal 6m 180° spray pattern from each spray head. For each spray head, the pattern is

reduced to a fan of only 90° or 135° if a Preferred Position has not been selected (details below).

The pattern must be truncated wherever a known obstruction blocks the spray as mentioned

above.

4. Mark on a diagram the shadowed areas of the room by the above method.

5. Mark as “not required for coverage” all doorways, sterile corridors and staircases, plus a 0.8m deep

rectangle at the entrance and exit of each of the above (details below).

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6. Mark as “indirect coverage” all shadowed points that are less than 0.3m from a directly covered

point. This rule allows for the way that the spray becomes turbulent around obstructions and for

the fact that activation of a heat detector requires a larger fire.

7. The Effective Shadow Area is the remaining shadowed zone of the room after “not required for

coverage” and “indirect coverage” areas have been removed.

8. Adjust until the effective shadow area is below the maximum square metreage for the project type

(see below).

9. The diagram (later submitted to Plumis) should show the Effective Coverage Area and state its area

in square metres for each compartment to be protected.

Figure 3: 6m radius semi-circular pattern showing shadow areas (hatched yellow) and openings “not required for

coverage” (hatched blue). Combined Effective Shadow Area is well below 2m2 which is within specification for a

three storey house with open plan ground floor and fire separation between ground and first floors.

“Preferred Positions” and Avoidance of Potential Obstructions

A Preferred Position is a location for a spray head where it is highly unlikely that a bookcase or other high

furniture item will meaningfully block the spray pattern, because there is no reasonable location that such a

blocking object can be placed. This does not relate to a householder deciding to disable the suppression

system; full obstruction of the spray head or the creation of de facto room partitions with bookcases are

akin to wilfully removing fire doors or removing smoke detectors and are beyond the scope of this

recommendation.

Where a spray head can be mounted in one of these Preferred Positions, unobstructed both to its left and

right, its spray pattern can be assumed to be a semicircle of radius 6m as mentioned above (truncated by

any known obstacles, these creating a geometric shadow). Table 1 documents the Preferred Positions, and

they are further explained on pages 17 to 20.

Shadow area

Indirect Coverage,

0.3m margin beyond

geometric coverage

Not Required

for Coverage

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Preferred

Position

Justification

Scope of Obstruction

Prevention

Risk Mitigation

Spray head

at front of

or in line

with the

front of a

built-in

cupboard

Access to the cupboard is

required, therefore

although a chair may be

placed nearby, the

cupboard is highly

unlikely to be obstructed

at a height of 1.25m.

The spray can be assumed to be

unobstructed with a clear 180

degree line of sight for the

length of the cupboard.

Customers are made

aware of the need not to

block the view of the

spray head through a

warning, engraved on

the face plate.

Adjacent to

openings,

corridors,

windows,

doorways

etc.

When spray head is

mounted adjacent to a

doorway or other

opening, it can be

assumed that the

doorway will not be

blocked because access is

required through the

opening or that windows

are unlikely to be blocked.

The spray can be assumed to be

unobstructed for the width of

the doorway or opening. For

windows, the window can be

assumed to be unobstructed at

the (correct) mounting height of

the spray nozzle. The adjacent

opening must be within 30cm of

the centre of the spray head

Customers are made

aware after each service

that creating informal

partitions or blocking off

doorways requires an

Automist Smartscan

installer to reassess the

room layout and

possibly install

additional equipment.

Close to a

wall so that

the

obstruction

obstructs

only the wall

When the spray head is

mounted close to an

internal room corner, it

can be assumed that any

obstruction between the

spray head and the

corner limits the spray

head’s view only of the

wall behind the

obstruction, and not of a

major potential fire load.

The spray can be assumed to be

unobstructed on the side facing

the wall/corner. The maximum

distance between spray head

and room corner is 1.5m.

Above a

worktop

When the spray head is

mounted above a

worktop such as in a

kitchen, access to the

worktop ensures that

large obstructions will not

be present. Obstructions

on the worktop such as

coffee machines,

microwave ovens, drying

racks and fryers are

typically less than 35cm

high.

The spray can be assumed

unobstructed for the length of

the worktop provided that the

nozzle is at least 40cm above

worktop but less than 140cm

above floor level.

Customers are made

aware after each service

that adding/changing

cupboards that might

obstruct the spray

requires an Automist

Smartscan installer to

reassess the room

layout and possibly

install additional

equipment.

On a fire

place wall

Fire places, whether real

or unused, create a large

wall area “sterile” of tall

furniture

The spray can be assumed to be

unobstructed 1.5m to either side

of the fireplace enclosure.

Table 1: Summary of Preferred Positions.

Additional information and diagrams are provided in the following sections.

Where one or both sides of the spray pattern might be obstructed, either because a Preferred Position is

not available, or because the Preferred Position is only guaranteed free from obstruction in one direction,

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the nominal spray pattern in that direction should be reduced from a 90 degree quarter circle, to a 45

degree arc pointing away from the wall: Figure 4, below, shows the result when both sides could be

obstructed.

Figure 4: With spray head not in a Preferred Position, the visible area’s full-angle must

be assumed to be only 90° due to potential obstructions either side of the spray head.

Note: this is not a complete layout –additional spray heads would be required to complete the scheme.

If the reduced spray pattern leads to a large shadow area, additional spray head(s) may need to be used in

order to complete the room coverage. Figure 5 and Figure 6 below show the logic behind this rule.

Figure 5: Installation in Preferred Position between window and wall. Use of preferred position ensures that

insertion of a bookcase after installation has low consequences - grey shaded area is approximately 0.3m2.

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Figure 6: This spray head location is more than 1.5m from the wall to its left and is therefore not a Preferred

Position in this sense. If we assume a bookcase may be placed to the left of the head, a large shadow will result. A

second spray head would be required to complete the coverage.

For simplicity, if a Preferred Position prevents the introduction of obstructions within 3m to the left or to

the right, the spray pattern can be assumed to be free from such unknown potential obstructions in that

direction for the full 6m spray radius, as no obstruction is likely to subtend a large angle at this distance.

See for example Figure 8 and Figure 9. This principle applies only to unknown, potential obstructions. Known

obstructions should be treated as creating simple shadows as per page 12.

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Example: At Front of Built-in Cupboard

Where a spray head is in line with the front of a built-in cupboard, access to the cupboard prevents

obstruction.

Figure 7: In line with front of built-in cupboard. The distance of 3.8m to the end of the cupboard is greater than

3m and therefore the spray can be assumed unobstructed in this direction. The proximity to a wall ensures that

there is no potential for meaningful obstruction in the other direction. Thus this is a Preferred Position.

Example: Adjacent to an Opening

A spray head placed next to an opening guarantees that unknown obstructions will not be placed

obstructing the spray pattern.

Figure 8: Preferred Position for spray head near openings. The head is assumed unobstructed between the kitchen

units and the right-hand end of the sliding doors. If distance d is greater than 3m then the spray pattern is

assumed unobstructed by potential obstructions to our right. See Figure 11 for example treatment of a kitchen

worktop.

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Figure 9: Preferred Position next to a pair of openings and an external corner. Distance e must be less than 0.3m

for the area to our right to be assumed free from potential obstruction. If distance d is greater than 3m, the area

on our left can be assumed free from potential obstruction. Note that this spray head does not protect the

recessed area to the rear right.

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Example: Close to a Wall

Figure 10 shows a spray head less than 1.5m from a wall. In such cases the area between the head and the

wall can be assumed unobstructed.

Figure 10: Spray head close to a wall. Any object to the (viewer’s) left of the spray head

cannot obstruct other objects due to the limited space between the spray head and the wall.

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Example: Over Worktop

Provided that the worktop and cupboard heights are suitable, the need to access a kitchen worktop

guarantees its freedom from unplanned obstructions.

Figure 11: Automist Smartscan head Preferred Position above kitchen worktop

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