Heat-responsive devices are either a Spot type or a Linear Heat Detection type.
Spot Heat Detection
Spot Heat Detectors are mounted on exposed ceiling surfaces or on a sidewall near the ceiling. Heat detectors are designed to respond when the operating element reaches a predetermined temperature (fixed temperature detector), when the temperature rises at a rate exceeding a predetermined value (rate-of-rise detector), or when the temperature of the air surrounding the device reaches a predetermined level, regardless of the rate of temperature rise (rate compensation detector). Some devices incorporate both fixed temperature and rate-of-rise detection principles. Spot-type detectors are usually small devices a few inches in diameter.
Linear Heat Detection