Xtralis VESDA VLI Industrial Aspirating Smoke Detector

Overview: Purpose-Built Early Warning Detection for Harsh Industrial Environments

The Xtralis VESDA VLI (VESDA Laser Industrial) is an industry-first very early warning aspirating smoke detection (ASD) system purpose-built for the protection of industrial applications and harsh environments up to 2,000 m² (21,520 sq. ft.). Unlike a conventional point smoke detector, the VLI continuously draws air samples through a network of sampling pipes back to a highly sensitive laser detection chamber, giving plants the earliest possible warning of a developing fire condition – often long before visible smoke or heat would trigger a conventional detector.

As a trusted supplier of Xtralis life safety detection systems, Seven Star LLC sources and supplies the VESDA VLI industrial smoke detector to refineries, gas processing plants, and manufacturing facilities across Oman and the wider GCC. Because aspirating smoke detection pipe network design directly affects detection performance, Seven Star LLC helps fire safety engineers specify the correct VLI configuration and sampling network for each protected area.

Working Principle: Intelligent Filtration for Reliable Detection in Contaminated Air

The VLI combines a fail-safe Intelligent Filter with an advanced clean-air barrier for optics protection, allowing the use of absolute detection technology and a long detection chamber life without the need for recalibration – a critical advantage in industrial environments where dust, oil mist, and other airborne contaminants would quickly degrade a conventional smoke detection chamber. A Lint Trap captures fibrous particulates, a sub-sampling probe acts as an inertial separator, and a secondary filter provides an additional layer of protection before air reaches the detection chamber itself.

AutoLearn Smoke and Flow technology automatically establishes appropriate alarm and flow thresholds for the specific installation environment, while Clean Air Zero provides in-service background confirmation using a user-initiated referencing process, ensuring the detector’s baseline remains accurate over its service life. Air-path monitoring and ultrasonic flow sensing continuously verify that the sampling pipe network is drawing air correctly, alerting maintenance staff to blockages or pipe damage before detection performance is compromised.

Engineering Design of the VESDA VLI

The VLI is housed in a robust IP66-rated enclosure providing complete protection against dust ingress and strong water jets from all directions, supporting installation directly within harsh industrial areas without requiring an additional external protective enclosure. The detector supports up to four inlet pipes with a total pipe length of up to 360 m (1,181 ft), and is suitable for Class 1, Division 2 hazardous locations (Groups A, B, C, and D), extending its applicability to classified areas common in petrochemical and processing facilities.

Five relays (Fire, Fault, and three configurable) support integration with fire alarm panels, configurable as latching or non-latching, with expandable GPI and relay options for larger integration requirements. The VLI is fully supported by Xtralis VSC, VSM4, and ASPIRE software for pipe network design, commissioning, and ongoing maintenance, and its modular design – intelligent filter, aspirator, secondary filter, and detection chamber all field-replaceable – significantly reduces service downtime and associated costs, with documented reductions in service and maintenance frequency of 40 to 60% depending on the environment.

Key Features

The Xtralis VESDA VLI Industrial Aspirating Smoke Detector delivers very early warning fire detection built for harsh conditions. Key characteristics include:

• Coverage up to 2,000 m² (21,520 sq. ft.) with up to 4 inlet pipes and 360 m total pipe length.
• IP66-rated enclosure for complete protection against dust and strong water jets.
• Intelligent Filter, Lint Trap, sub-sampling probe, and secondary filter for reliable operation in contaminated air.
• Suitable for Class 1, Division 2 hazardous locations (Groups A, B, C, D).
• SIL 2 certified per IEC 61508 for safety-critical fire detection applications.
• AutoLearn Smoke and Flow, and Clean Air Zero referencing for maintained accuracy.
• Modular, field-replaceable components reducing service and maintenance by 40-60%.

Detection Sensitivity and Alarm Staging

The Xtralis VESDA VLI covers a sensitivity range of 0.005% to 20.0% obscuration per metre (0.0015% to 6.25% obs/ft), spanning very early warning detection at the low end and conventional point-detector equivalence at the high end, which is what allows a single detector type to serve both a clean control room and a dust-loaded process hall. Four independently programmable alarm thresholds are staged across that range – Alert (0.05% to 1.990% obs/m), Action (0.1% to 1.995% obs/m), Fire-1 (0.15% to 2.0% obs/m) and Fire-2 (0.155% to 20.0% obs/m) – so an incipient condition raises an investigation alarm long before the threshold that would release suppression or evacuate the building. The detector is listed to EN 54-20 with Class A, B and C pipe network classifications, and an onboard event log retains up to 18,000 events in FIFO order, giving commissioning engineers and fire investigators a complete history of alarm, fault, and airflow events.

Power, Sampling Network Limits and Model Options

The VESDA VLI operates from 18 to 30 VDC, drawing 415 mA quiescent and 440 mA in alarm (10 W to 10.5 W) behind a 1.6 A fuse, with four 25 mm cable entries into the enclosure. Detector ambient temperature is rated 0°C to 39°C while the sampled air itself may range from -20°C to 60°C at up to 95% RH non-condensing, so in Omani plant rooms the detector head normally warrants a shaded or conditioned position even where the sampling network reaches into far hotter spaces. Sampling pipe internal diameter is 15 mm to 21 mm, with any single pipe limited to 120 m within the 360 m total network length. Two variants are offered: the VLI-880 with relays and Ethernet, and the VLI-885 which adds VESDAnet for networked multi-detector installations.

Industrial Applications

The VESDA VLI is deployed across mines, manufacturing and processing plants, conveyors, petrochemical plants, power generation facilities, warehouses, and water treatment plants wherever very early smoke detection is required in an environment too harsh or contaminated for conventional point detectors. Its proven track record spans coal mines, sugar mills, paper manufacturing facilities, and equestrian centers among many other demanding industrial settings.

Seven Star LLC supports refinery fire safety teams, gas processing operators, and industrial facility managers across Oman, Muscat, Sohar, and the broader GCC region with sourcing of Xtralis VESDA VLI detectors, helping projects achieve the earliest possible fire warning in their most demanding environments.

Technical Specifications

The table below summarizes the core specifications of the Xtralis VESDA VLI Industrial Aspirating Smoke Detector as supplied by Seven Star LLC.

Request a Quote for Xtralis VESDA VLI Industrial Aspirating Smoke Detector

Seven Star LLC supplies the Xtralis VESDA VLI industrial aspirating smoke detector with datasheet documentation and regional technical support. Contact our fire and life safety division for a formal B2B quotation, to design the correct pipe network and coverage plan for your facility, or to obtain the complete technical datasheet.Seven Star LLC supplies this item on request with the manufacturer documentation, and availability and lead time are confirmed at quotation.

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See also: Xtralis VSP-964-03 VESDA-E Smoke Detection Chamber (MK3).