Kittiwake Demands Maximum Safetythe Importance Of Maintenance Free Lighting In Hazardous Areas
18 January 2008
The Kittiwake Platform and the Kittiwake Loading Buoy, located in the North Sea, are owned by the Venture / Dana group. The Duty Holder and Operator is Petrofac. Any equipment used on platforms has to be able to withstand the environmental and mechanical extremes imposed on it. This includes exposure to water, the salt atmosphere and humidity as well as constant vibration. Also up to 85% of the area of the platform is designated as hazardous, with the possible risk of an explosion. The installed equipment should be able to perform for as long as possible and ideally for the life of the platform, with minimum invasive maintenance.
Safety and maintenance go hand in hand. The lower the servicing and replacement requirements, the less risk to life there is in these dangerous conditions.
Lighting equipment plays an essential part in the safety and efficiency of offshore operations. Its functionality is evident but the physical location of lighting on platforms can cause their maintenance being classified in the most dangerous category. Analysis of critical tasks produced a scale appertaining to the risk levels, with 0 being the lowest and 6 the highest. An extra point is added for maintaining towers, typically 100m high, which house safety vents, telephone/radio transmitters and lighting installations.
IMT bv. has developed a patented lighting system based on the Philips QL induction lamp. IQL is the generic name for a range of luminaires which are supplied with a 10 year operational warranty, maintenance free for a minimum of 100,000 hours and sealed for life. Special gaskets and encapsulation techniques ensure this and, unlike other luminaires, no lamps or other parts need be replaced.
Using the IQL system will enable Kittiwake to cut the associated risk level for lighting from 7 (highest) to 0 (lowest) as a large number of risks such as climbing ladders, erecting and negotiating scaffolding, and the need for abseiling can be drastically reduced or completely eliminated.
Because of this, the first of many applications for which Kittiwake use IQL is obstruction lighting, colored red, and positioned at the top and halfway up the tall towers for aviation control e.g. drilling derrick and cranes.
The next consideration was helideck flood lighting. Because of its exposed location on a platform helideck, IQL helideck floodlighting lights, in accordance with the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) and CAP 437 regulations, replaced compact halogen lamp solutions which suffered from vibration and short life – approx one week.
COST OF OWNERSHIP
"Cost of Ownership" can be demonstrated, by means of a simple software program, that return on Investment for an installation with IQL lighting is between two and three years in the chemical, petrochemical and pharmaceutical industries and less than one year for offshore platforms and associated infrastructures. This is based on:
- Reduced installation and energy costs as two IQL 85W luminaires replace three twin
- TL-D 36W fluorescents
- Lower inspection and maintenance costs due to the fact that the luminaires are sealed for life and no lamp replacements are necessary
- The Health and Safety Executive in the UK has confirmed that only a visual inspection in accordance with BS EN 60079-17 is required when using IQL luminaires
As IQL failure rates in these arduous conditions have been below 0.2% since they were first used by Wintershall in 1993, they are now installing IQL in all hazardous areas on new platforms.
Other technical enhancements contributing to this decision include immediate ignition and re-ignition in temperature extremes (-40°C to +40°C), a high power factor and no stroboscopic effects.
Some of the many users of the IQL lighting system are: Wintershall Noordzee bv, Shell, Exxon, Kuwait Petroleum, Aramco, BP, Dupont, TotalFinaElf, Gaz de France, Unocal, Dow, Vopak, Azko, Oil Tanking, Conoco Phillips Petroleum, Dow Corning, Chevron Texaco, British Gas, Borden Chemicals, Port of London.
IQL technology is available as general industrial lighting including emergency luminaires with battery backup, area and street lighting, floodlighting, high bay lighting, obstruction/signal lighting and helideck lighting. All types can be supplied as ATEX certified for use in explosive atmospheres, gas or dust.
