CASE STUDIES

Ocean with sunset

SAF – Reliable Industry Grade Wireless Solution for Egyptian Gas Company

Egypt, North of the Sinai Coast

Venue

  • Gas Drilling Rig
  • Onshore site located north of the Sinai Coast
  • Offshore platform is 52km away in the Mediterranean Sea

Solution Overview

  • SAF PhoeniX split mount radio system
  • Setup: 1+1 space diversity (SD) setup
  • Antennas: separate ODU with antenna for each site 

Services

  • Communication of data of the gas well
  • Control and Access the DCS
  • Day-to-Day calls between staff on- and offshore
Problem

ATSI (Advanced Technology Solutions International) was called in to assist an Egyptian gas company to replace their existing satellite communications network. The system was ineffective with frequent downtime, huge delay time and insufficient bandwidth to carry the traffic. There are also high costs associated with running the satellite communications system.

Microwave link conditions were challenging due to distance, and interference due to water in the link path that can lead to inconsistent performance.

Project Details

ATSI decided to go with SAF PhoeniX split mount radio system:

  • Link distance: 52 km
  • Frequency: 7GHz
  • Setup: 1+1 space diversity (SD) setup
  • Antennas: separate ODU with antenna for each site
Solution

SAF Teknika hardware was utilized to provide the best performance. A 1+1 space diversity (SD) setup was used and a separate ODU with antenna was deployed for each site to provide best link performance. This setup meant that the receiver could then pick out the better of the two received signals at two antennas, significantly reducing link multipath interference problems as well as avoiding links with weak RF receiving signals. SAF links were installed at 135 meter height on the onshore tower and at 25 meter height on the offshore tower – therefore overcoming the distance issues.

Outcomes

Result

  • System reliability hit 99.999% with full redundancy  
  • Downtime was reduced to 5 minutes or less per annum 
  • The use of long-distance links is significantly more cost-effective
  • SAF system is easier to manage and maintain than previous satellite communication system
  • Full customer satisfaction as a solution was provided to overcome a challenging and critical installation that had a lot of environment barriers  

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