Working to an extremely tight schedule, Tideland Signal has supplied Centrica with a comprehensive package of Syncrolan LED light stations and fog signals for the refurbishment of warning systems marking its DP3 gas platform in the South Morecambe field.
Discovered in 1974, the South Morecambe field lies 25 west of Blackpool in the Irish Sea and first produced gas in 1985. Now operated by Centrica subsidiary Hydrocarbon Resources Limited (HRL), the field is still producing as well as providing production services to other fields. DP3 is one of four normally unmanned wellhead platforms supplying production to the field’s central processing complex.
As part of a major refurbishment programme, HRL is installing Tideland’s latest LED warning system comprising two main Syncrolan light stations with a range of 15 NM, two Syncrolan fog signals, two red subsidiary lights, a central alarm and monitor panel and intermediate structures. All equipment is ATEX certified for use in Zone 1 (Cat 2) hazardous areas.
Tideland’s Syncrolan light stations combine an MLED-180-HI EX main light and a MLED-150 EX secondary light wired to an Exe junction box and mounted on a galvanised steel pedestal. The subsidiary beacons are Tideland MLED-150 Ex units, also wired to an Exe junction box and mounted on a galvanised steel bracket.
Tideland’s MLED lanterns are designed for use with an external power source, in this case solar, and offers minimal maintenance requirements and a service life of seven years on station in the most demanding environments. Long-life LEDs and high-integrity electronics housed in a tough Exd well glass enclosure ensure that lantern will not need to be opened during its service life.
The fog signal stations each comprise an AB-68 fog signal mounted on a galvanised steel bracket, which also incorporates two ECU 800 control units. A central panel provides DC distribution and indicates the status of the equipment and provides photocell override to allow the lights to be switched on during daytime and a fog signal silent switch to silence the fog signals.