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Tideland Maritime Warning Systems For Offshore Wind Farms
Created on
08 April 2009 by host
0 Comments | Categories: Industry News
Tideland Signal, the international specialist in aids to marine navigation, is offering consultancy services and a comprehensive range of equipment for the safe marking of offshore wind farms to protect against collisions and accidental damage caused by shipping.
The Tideland range includes lanterns, fog signals, fog detectors and monitoring systems, all compliant with the requirements of the International Association of Lighthouse Authority's new recommendations O.139 edition 1 of December 2008 covering the marking of man-made offshore structures. IALA recommendations have the force of a 'standard' in intergovernmental terms and are designed to "avoid confusion from a proliferation of aids to navigation in high density wind farms." The document recommends that "consideration should be given to the use of synchronised lighting, different light characters and varied light ranges" and draws attention to the danger of interfering with ship borne and shore-based radar installations.
All Tideland systems can be solar-powered and may be conformed as highly sophisticated, remotely-monitored systems or simpler installation which can also be controlled from a remote, on-shore location. The company has many years' experience protecting offshore installations of every type around the globe, including the UK's largest offshore wind farm to date at Lynn and Inner Dowsing in the Greater Wash, off the Lincolnshire coast.
Tideland supplies a wide range of compact, high-performance LED lanterns for offshore installations, including self-contained, solar-powered units such as the SolaMAX-155, which has a range of 5 NM. The integral solar panel charges an internally housed battery types, either of the lead acid type or, for extreme low temperatures, nickel metal hydride. Maintenance requirements are minimal and the unit is designed for a service life of seven years on station in the most demanding environments. Long-life LEDs and high-integrity electronics housed in a tough UV-resistant polycarbonate enclosure ensure that the lantern will not need to be opened during its service life and will even withstand being submerged in salt water.
There is a choice of three programming modes. SolaMAX-215 can be factory-programmed to the required setting or, alternatively, the user can programme it either by radio remote controller or from a laptop using Tideland's SignalView program. In addition to code setting, the SignalView program allows the user to set preferred levels for power/intensity, photo cell switching and low voltage disconnect/activation.
The fog signals supplied by Tideland for the Lynn and Dowsing wind farm were its proven AB-560 units, which give a warning audible at up to two miles. The Tideland AB-560 fog signal incorporates five drivers/emitters producing 133.2 dB at 1 metre equivalent and with a usual range of 2NM. It broadcasts a 360º sound beam, with a pre-selected code and can be operated either from mains power or a solar power system. The drivers/emitters are housed in robust GRP casings and are mounted in a galvanized steel structure designed to withstand severe storms. They operate at less than 25% of rated capacity, which results in exceptional efficiency and life expectancy.
Approved to ISO 9001:2008, Tideland Signal Limited is a British-based member of the Tideland group of companies, which specializes in the design and manufacture of aids to marine navigation. The Tideland group is independently owned and has its headquarters in Houston, Texas.
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