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| Safety of passengers at Heathrow T5 secured with Siemens |
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| 28th, April 2009 |
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When a safe and reliable control system was required for the tunnel ventilation at Heathrow’s new Terminal 5, BAA turned to Siemens Industry Automation & Drive Technologies and its specialist tunnel systems partner Applied Industrial Systems (AIS).
In order to ensure the safety of passengers and staff travelling on the train that links the main terminal (T5A) to the satellite terminal T5B, it was a requirement that the system for ventilation and smoke control (in the event of fire) met safety standard BS EN 61508 Safety Integrity Level (SIL) 2 both at a product level and for the complete development.
The Siemens and AIS solution integrated a number of Siemens products with third party equipment all designed to provide a reliable and efficient system with the core component being the Siemens S7-400FH dual fail safe and high reliability PLC which is certified up to BS EN 61508 SIL level 3.
The Siemens PLC links via a dual network to dual I/O racks controlling fans via Variable Speed Drives, dampers via Rotork Actuators and Secret Signs – that direct passengers to the right escape route in the unlikely event of an emergency.
The system also features an engineering PC which runs Siemens WinCC SCADA software. This PC is used to control and test all the input and output devices on a regular basis to ensure they are functioning correctly. Readings of the torque curves from each of the dampers also take place to ensure they are in good condition and will be able to operate when required. The whole philosophy behind the system design and development was an active approach towards safety and the on-going safe operation of the system.
Eventually required to interface to a total of 2000 I/O points, the Siemens S7-400 FH PLC has the power to control the operation of the ventilation system from T5A to T5B and also to expand to cover the second satellite terminal, T5C, which is due to open in 2011.
BAA benefitted from a complete solution of a control system product and development that meets the requirements of BS EN 61508 Safety Integrity Level 2 and satisfied the requirements of Her Majesty’s Rail Inspectorate which was necessary in order for BAA to run the train and use the tunnel for passenger movements. An additional benefit was that the system would be capable of expansion to meet the needs of T5C in 2011 and further still if necessary.
Jon Brackpool, the BAA project Technical Leader – comments on why the solution was chosen: “We chose to go with the TVCS offered by Siemens and AIS because we were confident in the technical knowledge and reliability of Siemens and, knew we would benefit from the AIS knowledge of tunnel controls.
“We are very happy with the control system we now have in the tunnel and confident in its ability to perform in all circumstances.”
Robert Sharrock, Product Manager – Integrated Safety for Siemens Industry Automation & Drive Technologies, comments: “This project proved a great challenge for us. The system we provided highlights how our range of products and technical knowledge teamed with the tunnel control expertise of AIS combined to offer a safe and reliable life control system that met all of the specification and quality requirements. The system we installed allows passengers and staff at Heathrow to travel safely and easily from T5A to T5B every day.”
For any further product information or literature requests please contact 0845 7705070 / www.siemens.co.uk/automation. For more information on Applied Industrial Systems Ltd please contact 020 8400 6100 / www.appliedtunnelautomation.com.
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