April 11, 2005: Together with ALCATEL Italy, ms Neumann Elektronik realized a state-of-the-art plant warning, public address (PA) and intercom system with connection to the public telephone system and to an existing fire alarm system for the customer AGIP Gas in the Libyan desert and the Libyan coastal region.
Fail-Safe Communications Made Possible Along 530 km of Pipeline
The project encompassed the integration of several, widely separated sites: Wafa Desert - a natural gas storage location in the Libyan desert; Mellitha Station - a storage location for natural gas on the Libyan coast; the Sabratha platform - an offshore oil platform off of the Libyan coast; and the company-owned airport.
The Wafa Desert storage location is connected by a roughly 530km-long pipeline to the Mellitha station. There are 18 pump stations along this stretch that were each equipped with PA systems from ms Neumann Electronics, and these systems are also connected via radio over the Multi Service Network to the central office at Wafa Desert. This guarantees that "remote-controlled" PA communications, and emergency warnings, can be transmitted to all stations from the Wafa Desert central office.
In the surrounding area near the Mellitha storage location, there are 5 satellite stations that produce natural gas. These stations were also integrated into the communications concept: they are connected to the system via the Multi Service Network, thus guaranteeing PA communications with the individual stations around the clock.
Maximal Operational Reliability Through Redundant System Design
Due to the increased safety requirements involved in providing communications to oil platforms, pump- and satellite stations, the entire communications network is constantly monitored as to its proper functioning and the possible occurrence of failures. The redundant system design ensures that failure of one subsystem still allows the other systems to continue normal operations. In addition, the entire communications system has been conceived such that it can be accessed via the public telephone network across all sites.
A direct connection to the fire alarm system and the integration of the alarm systems from ms Neumann Elektronik guarantee the highest level of safety. All areas can be selectively reached by voice communication from the individual command centers, thus allowing quick, effective evacuation of a site in emergency situations.
The "Western Libyan Gas Pipeline" project was realized with especially high performance systems and components due to the high safety requirements in the natural gas producing industry. These systems and components included approximately 1,500 explosion-proof loudspeakers, 7 MDK systems and 15 amplifier systems, as well as the Management Systems from ms Neumann Elektronik. It goes without saying that state-of-the-art management systems were used to integrate the different communications equipment in order to guarantee the highest safety levels.
Realizing the Project
Together with ALCATEL Italy, ms Neumann Elektronik developed a further, challenging communications concept for onshore/offshore sites which was put into operation in the years 2004 and 2005. Thanks to the competent cooperation of the development and technical departments, this difficult problem was able to be solved on schedule and to the customer's complete satisfaction. This, however, by no means ends the support commitment of the team from ms Neumann Elektronik, because continuous on-site support and servicing of the systems is included in the project agreement, which was contracted at a total of approximately 2.5 million euros.
About ALCATEL Italy:
ALCATEL Italy is the primary contract partner and supplier to AGIP Gas of information and safety technology.
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