APPLICATION NOTE SOLAS Introduction This Application Note (AN) gives you background information concerning SOLAS, the Praesideo certification for SOLAS and guidelines concerning the installation of Praesideo systems on ships. History In 1914, two years after the Titanic disaster of 1912, in which 1,503 people lost their lives, maritime nations gathered in London adopted the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS Convention), taking into account lessons learned from the Titanic. The SOLAS Convention in its successive forms is generally regarded as the most important of all international treaties concerning the safety of merchant ships. The first version was adopted in 1914, in response to the Titanic disaster, the second in 1929, the third in 1948 and the fourth in 1960. The 1960 Convention - which was adopted on 17 June 1960 and entered into force on 26 May 1965 - was the first major task for IMO (International Maritime Organization) after the Organization's creation and it represented a considerable step forward in modernizing regulations and in keeping pace with technical developments in the shipping industry. The intention was to keep the Convention up to date by periodic amendments but in practice the amendments procedure incorporated proved to be very slow. It became clear that it would be impossible to secure the entry into force of amendments within a reasonable period of time. As a result, a completely new Convention was adopted in 1974 which included not only the amendments agreed up until that date but a new amendment procedure - the tacit acceptance procedure - designed to ensure that changes could be made within a specified (and acceptably short) period of time. As a result the 1974 Convention has been updated and amended on numerous occasions. The Convention in force today is sometimes referred to as SOLAS, 1974, as amended. Main goal for the SOLAS Convention is to improve safety at sea and ensure that in the event of a catastrophe at sea, passengers and crew have the greatest chances of survival. To reach this goal one of the requirements for passenger ships within the SOLAS Convention is that each passenger ship must be fitted with a public address system. Application Note SOLAS 1-8
Praesideo certification. Praesideo is SOLAS certified by the renowned Germanischer Lloyd's who is member of the IACS (International Association of Classification Societies). IACS is a society of the ten most important organizations providing marine classification and was given consultative status with IMO in 1969. The certification of Praesideo is performed according to the "Guidelines for the performance of Type Tests, Part 1 - Test requirements for Electrical / Electronic Equipment, Computers and Peripherals.". This document covers all essential elements of the SOLAS Convention who apply the requirements for public address equipment in offshore applications. The guidelines are based upon the IACS Unified Requirements E10: "Testing procedure for Electrical, Control and Instrumentation Equipment, Computers and Peripherals covered by classification" and the IEC60945 - Maritime navigation and radio communication equipment and systems. Praesideo received both Type Approval Symbols, the straight 'GL' and the curly 'GL', the first one for the hardware, the second one for the software. The figure illustrates the flow from IMO conventions over EU directives to standards and specifications. The IMO conventions and codes form the basis for the standardisation work in the Technical Committees (TC) under e.g. IEC, where TC 18 and TC 80 are the most important for marine equipment. The TC issues new standards that can be a general standard or a product standard. Application Note SOLAS 2-8
Within the certification of Praesideo the following tests were carried out or were already carried out in respect to other certification programs: Visual Inspection Performance Test Power Supply Failure Power Supply Variations Cold (Test A: Products inside a ship) Dry Heat (Test B: Products with increased heat stress or on the open deck) Damp Heat Vibrations (Acceleration value 0,7 g) Inclinations Insulation Resistance High Voltage Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) Electromagnetic Fields Conducted Fast Transients (Burst) Conducted High Frequency Interference Conducted Slow Transients (Surge) Conducted Low Frequency Interference (Harmonics) Conducted Emissions Radiated Emissions from Enclosure Port The following tests were not applicable for the certification of Praesideo. Salt mist Flammability Pressure Test Detailed information on the above test procedures can be found in the document "Guidelines for the performance of Type Tests, Part 1 - Test requirements for Electrical / Electronic Equipment, Computers and Peripherals.". Praesideo is classified and tested according to Environmental Category "C", meaning: Has to withstand a high degree of heat, e.g. for equipment to be mounted in consoles, housings. Tests are carried out based upon a rated input voltage of 100...120 / 220...240 VAC and frequency 50...60 Hz. The 48 VDC supply input connection was not taken into account during the tests and is not included in the certification. See Installation Guidelines for more details. Application Note SOLAS 3-8
Compliance of the tests shows Praesideo equipment is allowed to be installed in the following classified zones. Application Note SOLAS 4-8
Installation Guidelines. In the SOLAS Convention requirements are specified concerning the installation of public address systems aboard of passenger ships. In this paragraph we will describe these general requirements as well some specific items concerning the installation of Praesideo. As described Praesideo equipment can be installed within zones with the specified EMC classes. By installing a Praesideo system special attention should be taken to the mechanical mounting of Praesideo units and the required additional filtering on the main input. Praesideo rack mounting on board of ships Compliance of the SOLAS tests Praesideo units are now supplied with rugged 19" mounting brackets creating a more solid construction and make rack mount units less sensitive for shock and vibrations. Mains filtering To meet the SOLAS requirements Praesideo Power Amplifiers need additional filtering on the mains input. Filters can be installed per unit or on a combination of units depending on the power rating of the selected filter. During the tests Schaffner FN 2080, Multi-stage highperformance filters were used. The 48 VDC input supply connection is not included in the test program and is no part of the SOLAS certification. Application Note SOLAS 5-8
System set-up The general requirements for public address systems on board of passenger ships are described in the SOLAS recommendation on performance standards for public address systems on passenger ships. The public address system should be one complete system consisting of a loudspeaker installation which enables simultaneous broadcast of messages from the navigation bridge, and at least one other location on board for use when the navigation bridge has been rendered unavailable due to the emergency, to all spaces where crew members or passengers, or both are normally present and to assembly stations (i.e. muster stations). The controls of the system on the navigation bridge should be capable of interrupting any broadcast on the system from any other location on board. It should not require any action by the addressee. It should also be possible to address crew accommodation and work areas separately from passenger areas. In addition to any function provided for routine use aboard the ship, the system should have an emergency function control at each control station which: 1 is clearly indicated as the emergency function; 2 is protected against unauthorized use; 3 automatically overrides any other input system or program 4 automatically overrides all volume controls and on/off controls so that the required volume for the emergency mode is achieved in all spaces. The system should be installed with regard to acoustically marginal conditions, so that emergency announcements are clearly audible above ambient noise in all spaces where crew members or passengers or both are normally present and to assembly stations (i.e. muster stations). With the ship underway in normal conditions, the minimum sound pressure levels for broadcasting emergency announcements should be: 1 in interior spaces 75 db(a) and at least 20 db(a) above the speech interference level; and 2 in exterior spaces 80 db(a) and at least 15 db(a) above the speech interference level. The system should be arranged to prevent feedback or other interference. The system should be arranged to minimize the effect of a single failure, e.g. by the use of multiple amplifiers with segregated cable routes. The public address systems should have at least two loops of flame retardant cable which should be sufficiently separated throughout their length and have two separate and independent amplifiers. Each loudspeaker should be individually protected against short circuits. The public address system should be arranged to operate on the main source of electrical power, the emergency source of electrical power and transitional sources of electrical power as required by SOLAS chapter II-1. The space containing a control unit of the public address system is a control station as defined in SOLAS chapter II-2. Application Note SOLAS 6-8
Redundant Network Controller In some offshore applications the Praesideo system design require a redundant Network Controller (NCO). For this applications Bosch offers a special solution by means of a special splitter configuration. For more detailed information please refer to the technical application note: "Redundant NCO" which can be obtained via your local sales organization or via the Bosch Security "Extranet" site. Cabling Cables and wiring serving internal communications or signals should, as far as practicable, be routed clear of galleys, laundries, machinery spaces of category A and their casings and other high fire risk areas unless serving those spaces. Where practicable, all such cables should be run in such a manner so as to preclude their being rendered unserviceable by heating of the bulkheads that may be caused by a fire in an adjacent space. All areas of each fire zone should be served by at least two dedicated loops sufficiently separated throughout their length and supplied by independent amplifiers. In case heat resistant fiber optic cable (GOF) is specified within the system design, two recommended GOF may be used. Fiber optic cable 4OF50/125-E30 4 fibers, multimode G50/125, loose tube (max. 12 fibers) Applications: buildings, tunnels, underground railroads, industry, etc. Functional integrity during fire according to DIN 4102 Part 12: 30 minutes (E30) Halogen free to IEC 60754-1/2 Fire resistance according to IEC 60331, IEC 60332.3C and BS 6387 cat. C Suitable for indoor use; outdoor use with proper mechanical protection Water tight and non-metallic rodent protected High crush resistance Temperature range during operation: -25 C to +70 C. Application Note SOLAS 7-8
Fiber optic cable QFCI 2-24 fibers, multimode G62.5/125, loose tube Steel wire braid armoured Applications: offshore and marine Det Norske Veritas type approval Functional integrity during fire according upgraded IEC 60331: 3 hours at 1.000 C Halogen free to IEC 60754-1/2 Fire resistant according to IEC 60331, IEC 60332-3C, BS 6387 cat. C Suitable for both indoor and outdoor use Temperature range during operation : -30 C to +60 C The use of a certain type of glass fiber cable depends on specific installation and environmental requirements. Please check always the actual requirements. Application Note SOLAS 8-8