Kentec’s Sigma ZXT control panel has achieved an Underwriters Laboratories (UL) listing at the latest UL 864 10th edition standard, ensuring full compliance with one of the world’s most widely recognised fire safety benchmarks. It means the ZXT platform, which has a strong track record of reliability, can now form the foundation of compliant early-warning fire detection and suppression systems globally, including the Americas, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. 

The control panel builds on the legacy of Kentec’s Sigma A-XT range with additional features and compliance with the latest standards. It is designed to protect critical assets as well as support uninterrupted business operations. It can be configured to provide dual extinguishing outputs, supporting main and reserve cylinders to ensure minimal post event downtime following a release. The dynamic LCD display, with green, red, blue and amber indication, enables clear, real-time status updates on system conditions such as fire, faults, and releasing stages. In addition, the panel has capacity to store 1,000 event logs in a downloadable log, providing historical alarm, trouble, and disablement data for diagnostics and investigation.  

All of this makes it particularly suited to high-growth, high-risk applications such as battery energy storage systems (BESS), where events that might lead to thermal runaway and devastating fires are identified quickly and reliably. 

Key features and benefits: 

• Coincidence activation: Three initiating device circuits (zones) provide the alarm stimulus required to activate the release of extinguishant. Any combination of multiple zones can be configured to provide confirmation of a fire event before release; 
• Synchronised NAC outputs: Three NACs allow for the connection of horns, strobes, and combination horn/strobe devices from multiple suppliers, and can be configured with three patterns to indicate the different stages of extinguishant release. 
• Customisable input and output configuration: Six programmable volt-free relay outputs and two programmable inputs allow customised function control to meet the needs of the facility;
• Event log: Sigma ZXT UL records all events, including alarms, troubles, and disablements, providing historical data for diagnostics and investigation; 
• Sigma ZSi Status Units: Provides remote indications and control for the extinguishing system at additional points of access and egress for the protected area; with up to 7 units on a monitored RS485 Data Bus; 
• Ancillary output card: Additional fixed function volt free relay outputs can be added via up to seven Sigma ZXT UL Ancillary Boards; 
• Single or dual extinguishing outputs: The Sigma ZXT UL can be configured to provide a secondary extinguishing output by reconfiguring one of the panel’s NAC Outputs, enabling dual-system extinguishant release where required. 

Derrick Hall, director of sales at Kentec Electronics Ltd, said: “Achieving UL certification for the Sigma ZXT is a major step forward for Kentec. It allows us to bring a proven and trusted platform to a much wider global audience, particularly in regions where UL compliance is essential.  

Over the last five years, the ZXT has already demonstrated its reliability in the field. This certification ensures customers in new markets can benefit from the same high standards of performance and safety. 

As industries such as BESS continue to expand, the need for intelligent, early warning fire detection and releasing of fire suppression agents has never been greater. The ZXT platform provides a powerful solution to help protect both assets and operations.”