| SCAME Sistemi installed 276 Hochiki SLR-E-IS photoelectric smoke detectors |
Kashagan is the world's second largest oil field and the most important of the 11 offshore sites falling under the North Caspian Sea Production Sharing Agreement (PSA). An enormous development, it covers a total of 5,600km² in the Kazakhstan part of the Caspian Sea, 80km south-east of Atyrau.
Since it was first discovered in July 2000 it has been estimated that the field holds up to 38 billion barrels of oil, of which around 13 billion are potentially recoverable with the use of gas re-injection.
In such a potentially hazardous environment such as this the protection of the 140 operatives working there is of paramount importance.
Therefore, when SCAME Sistemi, an Italian fire safety specialist, was asked to install new fire detection systems within the utility and accommodation areas at Kashagan’s EPC2 and EPC4 drilling islands, it chose Hochiki fire equipment to fulfil the brief.
SCAME Sistemi’s Managing Director, Mr Gianni Piacentino explains, ‘Over the course of our 20 year history we have gained an enviable amount of experience and expertise through working in environments such as Kashagan. We know that in this scenario only best-in-class products will do.’
The Kashagan oil field has a zero tolerance approach to unwanted alarms, as anything that disrupts production and requires the evacuation of those on-site has serious logistical and financial implications. SCAME’s Gianni Piacentino comments further, ‘From past experience we knew that Hochiki Europe’s products would be the most suitable solution for this installation due to the company’s ongoing commitment to producing devices that are innovative, reliable, hard wearing and built to the highest specifications.’
In order to meet this strict criteria, SCAME Sistemi installed a wide range of Hochiki’s hazardous area products throughout, including 276 of its SLR-E-IS intrinsically safe photoelectric smoke detectors, which incorporate a remote indicator output and a removable chamber for easy maintenance.
The SLR-E-IS detectors feature Hochiki’s pioneering High Performance Chamber Technology. The design of the optical chamber in this product minimises the differences in sensitivity experienced in flaming and smouldering fires, creating a high performance solution that is equally responsive to all smoke types. SCAME Sistemi’s Gianni Piacentino, comments, ‘A smoke detector which can be installed where different types of fire risk have been identified means that there is a reduced likelihood of unwanted alarms.’
SDP-2 duct probe housings were also installed, allowing some of the SLR-E-IS devices to be mounted on the outside of air ducts. Using an aspirating technique, the air within the duct is drawn via a pipe into the probe's housing, allowing constant sampling which, in turn, makes smoke detection within the duct simple, effective and easy to maintain. Completing the installation were DCD-1E-IS conventional intrinsically safe rate of rise heat detectors with a 60°C fixed temperature element and CCP-E-IS intrinsically safe conventional manual call points.
The new system installed by SCAME ensures that there is minimal risk of danger due to fire damage and helps to maintain the smooth, efficient and safe operation of the site.