Honeywell FS24X Plus IR3 Flame Detector

Overview

The Honeywell FS24X Plus is a triple infrared (IR3) flame detector designed to respond to both hydrocarbon and hydrogen fires within a solid field of view. Built on the Fire Sentry FS24X platform, it uses wide-band solid-state sensors that Honeywell states can see through rain, fog and smoke better than other technologies, so protection is maintained when visibility is poor. The Honeywell FS24X Plus detects a 0.1 square metre n-heptane fire at up to 60 metres in its very high sensitivity setting, carries FM3260 and EN54-10 performance approvals, and is certified SIL 2 by TUV SUD to IEC 61508.

Seven Star LLC supplies the Honeywell FS24X Plus to oil and gas, petrochemical, power and industrial customers in Oman and across the GCC as a trusted supplier, with engineering support in Muscat. Our team assists with selecting the enclosure material, entry thread and mount option, and with sensitivity planning so each detector covers its fire zone without unnecessary nuisance trips.

Operating Principle

Fires release radiant energy across the infrared spectrum, with a pronounced peak from hot combustion gases and a characteristic flicker. A triple IR detector looks at three carefully chosen infrared bands and compares their intensity and time behaviour. The Honeywell FS24X Plus applies this analysis with solid-state, wide-band sensors, which allows it to recognise not only conventional hydrocarbon fuels but also hydrogen, whose flame is almost invisible to the eye and much weaker in the carbon dioxide emission band that most IR detectors rely on. Signals that do not match a genuine flame signature, such as steady hot surfaces or reflected sunlight, are rejected.

Fuels tested on the Honeywell FS24X Plus include n-heptane, isopropyl alcohol, methane, butane, propane, ethanol, methanol, hydrogen, diesel, kerosene and JP-4. The field of view is a 90 degree cone, widening to a 120 degree cone at 50 percent of the on-axis range. Detection distance to a one square foot (0.1 m²) n-heptane fire is configurable in four steps: 15 m low, 30 m medium, 45 m high and 60 m very high. Typical response is about 5 seconds with a maximum of 10 seconds as witnessed by FM, and around 3 to 5 seconds is possible under specific conditions.

Engineering Design of the Honeywell FS24X Plus

The Honeywell FS24X Plus is offered in low-copper aluminium with marine-grade paint or in 316 stainless steel, sealed to IP66/IP67 and Type 4X, with two cable entries in M25 or 3/4 inch NPT and plug-in terminal connections that speed up wiring. Hazardous area approvals include ATEX and IECEx Ex db IIC T5 Gb and Ex tb IIIC T135°C Db, cFMus Class I Division 1 Groups A, B, C and D and Class II/III Division 1 Groups E, F and G, and INMETRO. Operation is rated from –55°C to +75°C, with a heater drawing up to 12 W at full duty to keep the window clear.

Every Honeywell FS24X Plus ships with the lightweight SM4 graduated mount and a sunshade, and a marine version mount (SM4-M) is available. A high-visibility LED halo ring around the window shows green for normal, yellow for fault or warning and red for alarm, which can be seen from a distance across a plant. Internal diagnostics monitor window clarity and performance, and the opto-electronics module can be swapped in the field. Set-up and post-event analysis use Honeywell Flame Manager PC software with the FirePic tool, and a hand-held test lamp lets technicians test the detector from the ground without climbing to it.

Key Features

Specifiers choose the Honeywell FS24X Plus for the following capabilities:

• IR3 detection of hydrocarbon and hydrogen fires in a solid field of view.
• Four sensitivity levels from 15 m to 60 m for a 0.1 m² n-heptane fire, configurable through Flame Manager.
• Wide-band solid-state sensors maintain detection through rain, fog and smoke.
• An LED halo ring gives clear green, yellow and red status indication at a distance.
• Alarm, fault and auxiliary SPDT relays rated 2 A at 32 Vdc are configurable as energised or de-energised and latching or non-latching.
• A 4–20 mA output can be wired as source, sink or isolated, alongside RS-485 Modbus, FP2 and HART.
• FirePic post-event analysis in Flame Manager helps investigate alarms after an incident.
• Low power consumption of 1.8 W nominal and 2.4 W in alarm, excluding the window heater.

Industrial Applications

Triple IR detectors are a standard choice for open and semi-enclosed hydrocarbon process areas. Typical Omani locations for the Honeywell FS24X Plus include wellhead and manifold areas, gas compression and processing plants, crude and product pumping stations, tank farm and loading facilities on the coast, refinery and petrochemical units in Sohar and Duqm, and LNG facilities in Sur. Its hydrogen capability is relevant to hydrogen-cooled generators in power stations and to the green hydrogen and ammonia projects being developed around Duqm and Salalah, where a single detector type can cover both hydrogen and hydrocarbon hazards.

The Honeywell FS24X Plus integrates with common fire and gas controllers and PLC-based safety systems through relays, 4–20 mA, Modbus or HART, which helps when it is added to existing installations. Seven Star LLC supplies the Honeywell FS24X Plus together with SM4 and SM4-M mounts, test lamps and spare modules from Muscat, and our engineers can support coverage studies and detector placement reviews for clients in Oman and the GCC.

Technical Specifications

The Honeywell FS24X Plus values below are taken from the Honeywell datasheet; consult the user manual for wiring and configuration details.

Related Fire and Gas Detection

Other flame detectors in our range include the Dräger Flame 1500 IR3 flame detector, the General Monitors FL5000 MSIR flame detector and the Simtronics DM-TV6-T flame detector.

For open path gas detection from the same manufacturer, see the Honeywell Searchline Excel Plus open path gas detector.

How to Order

To request a formal quotation for the Honeywell FS24X Plus, check stock in our regional warehouse or download the technical datasheet, contact the instrumentation division at Seven Star LLC. Tell us the enclosure material, cable entry, mount type and quantity, and our engineers in Muscat will confirm Honeywell FS24X Plus availability and delivery for your project in Oman or the GCC.