For companies involved in waste management, spontaneous fires are a fact of life and the critical issue is therefore to detect an outbreak as efficiently as possible and prevent it spreading. For one such company in Sweden, FLIR thermal imaging cameras have played an essential role in this effort since 2016.
Jönköping Energi turns up to 160,000 tons of waste per year – or 20 tons an hour – into heat and electricity, sufficient to cover the annual needs of 25,000 households. Preventing and controlling fires is not only a matter of safety but also of economics.
“We have trucks bringing in waste not just from the surrounding area but from all over Europe which is dumped in a waste bunker, mixed by automatic cranes and stored awaiting transportation to the boiler,” explained Plant Manager, Magnus Olsson.
He continued: “These waste piles can be a dangerous mix. Spontaneous combustion from biological products or other heat sources is a continual threat that needs to be monitored 24/7. Apart from the environmental consequences and obvious safety risks, an outbreak of fire can be very costly, up to £100,000 per day. That’s why it is so important to have a reliable early warning system.”
