Well thought-out fire protection on the high seas: the offshore converter platform SylWin alpha off Sylt.
With offshore converter platforms on the high seas, electricity from wind turbines is brought ashore largely loss-free. The wind turbines generate three-phase alternating current, which is converted into direct current for transport through the submarine cables and back into alternating current on land. In the SylWin wind farm field, 70 kilometers west of Sylt, our converter platform supplies around 900,000 German households with environmentally friendly electricity.
Challenge
Maritime conditions demand everything from the technology of offshore converter platforms. We took on the challenge of ensuring the highest operational reliability in extreme environments with humid and salty air. For example, a complex air conditioning and ventilation system was to be used to keep the sea air away from the sensitive technology. Because converter plants work unmanned around the clock, all systems had to be redundant, low-maintenance and remotely operable. At the same time, it was important to reliably rule out dangers and business interruptions – especially the risk of fire.
Solution
For the security and building technology for SylWin alpha, we drew on experience. Different techniques and systems have been combined to achieve the greatest possible availability. A wide variety of smoke and flame detectors were installed throughout the area. Fire alarm control panels cover all extinguishing areas and are redundantly networked with each other. Special, multi-level fire protection and extinguishing concepts have been developed for particularly sensitive areas . Depending on the area, gas, foam, sprinkler or deluge fire extinguishing systems extinguish. Video surveillance and access control complement the security system. We also control the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system.
Benefit
Our comprehensive security and building technology concept meets the special safety requirements under very demanding conditions. Fire detection and extinguishing systems are specially designed to meet a wide range of requirements. Their data as well as that of the security and HVAC solution are visualized and connected to the control center on land for remote control and maintenance. From there, cameras can be zoomed in or firefighting pumps controlled, for example. This makes the unmanned converter platform in the middle of the North Sea a perfect place for clean power generation.
Smoke, multi-criteria, gas, aspirating smoke as well as infrared and ultraviolet flame detectors detect fires.
Gas, foam, sprinkler and deluge fire extinguishing systems – depending on the type of area – fight fires.
19 redundantly networked fire alarm panels as well as video surveillance and access control.
The heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems are controlled from the mainland, combined with data transmission.