First liquid natural gas development project in Russia is protected using Apollo fire detectors
Phase II of Sakhalin integrated oil and gas development
is under way.
Fire detectors manufactured by Apollo have been specified to
protect the Onshore Processing Facility (OPF) currently under
construction on Sakhalin, an island on Russia's Far Eastern
seaboard. Sakhalin is the site of a major international development
project to construct Russia's first integrated oil and gas
processing terminal. The OPF is part of Phase II, which will
require an investment of almost US$10 billion.
The OPF fire system includes over 1,750 Apollo Series 65 conventional
and XP95 intelligent
devices and provides protection for the personnel working on the
site, as well as protecting essential plant and equipment. Around
70 people will work at the plant when processing begins in earnest.
The fire detection system has been being supplied by Ucok, Apollo's
representative in Turkey, via their local company OOO"TriC", which
is based in Moscow.
Apollo fire detectors protect workers at the onshore
processing facility, Sakhalin island, Russia
Landmark Project
The Sakhalin project was begun following the discovery of large
natural resources offshore. Deposits are estimated at 150 million
tonnes of crude oil and over 18 trillion cubic feet of natural gas
- that's enough to supply current global demand for four years. The
discovery will enable Russia to export gas to Asia for the first
time in its history.
Exploiting the energy resources requires a major investment.
Sakhalin is the first project to be financed under a
Production-Sharing Agreement (PSA). A PSA is a commercial contract
between the investor and the state, which allows the investor to
undertake large scale, long term and high-risk investments.
The investor in this case is Sakhalin Energy Investment Company
(SEIC), a Shell-led operating company that also includes Mitsui and
Mitsubishi as stakeholders. Under the Sakhalin PSA the Russian
Federation government retains its rights and ownership of the oil
and gas resources. SEIC invests all the capital needed to develop
the fields and pays bonuses to the Russian Federation at key
milestones during the project development.
Fire detection requirements
The US$250 million contract for the construction of the Onshore
Processing Facility was awarded to BETS, a joint venture comprising
Russian company Technostroyexport, the US-based Bechtel Inc and
Turkish company Enka Insaat ve Sanayi AS. The OPF has been designed
to meet all appropriate safety and environmental standards, which
includes the installation of extensive fire safety equipment.
The OPF fire detection system specification is in accordance
with NPB 88-2001, the current Russian design regulations governing
fire suppression and alarm systems. All the Apollo devices
specified for Sakhalin also carry VNIIPO certification from the
Russian fire authority.
The fire detection system is based around a central control
panel situated in the dispatch room at the plant. The panel
controls 17 loops of devices, including 1,431 Series 65
conventional smoke and rate-of-rise heat detectors, 109 XP95
intelligent smoke and temperature monitors, manual call points and
over 200 mini switch monitors to interface with other
equipment.
Sounder units are not permitted on the site, so in the event of
an alarm a voice message is triggered advising immediate
evacuation. The control panel also automatically alerts the local
firefighters.
Construction of the Sakhalin Onshore Processing Facility
commenced in the second half of 2003 and production start-up will
occur in phases from Q4 2005 to Q4 2006. When it is fully
operational, Russia's first liquefied natural gas plant will have
the capacity to produce 9.6 million tonnes of LNG per annum.
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