An offshore booster station is required to mitigate against power losses between the offshore wind farm and the National Grid connection point over greater distances. For any failures or technical support, it is the most convenient and efficient way to transfer maintenance personnel or conduct emergency rescue by helicopter. Thus, a station has the helipad on its platform normally.
Nanhua Electronics was awarded to provide helideck lighting solutions for the Dafeng offshore booster station in 2020. The project is located in the sea area north of Maozhusha, Dafeng District, Yancheng City, Jiangsu Province, with an offshore distance of 72km. Dafeng wind farm has the longest offshore distance among construction projects in China. No matter whether in the night or even foggy and stormy weather, the best possible visual cues should be guaranteed for a pilot during approach and landing.
With over years of experience in helideck lighting, NANHUA helicopter landing aid system ensures offshore structures are visible to pilots in all weather conditions.
NANHUA helideck lighting solutions are in full compliance with CCS, CAP437 regulations, featuring standardized optical performance, load capacity and drainability. Our products are tested and approved to 720h salt-spray test and 7-day seawater test, which means they carry protection against the seaborne C5.M corrosion environment.
In order to ensure the effective operation of the whole system, our engineers designed the landing aid system according to the structure and layout of the helideck.
Solutions
LP3 series helideck perimeter light
The periphery of the landing area should be delineated by omni-directional green perimeter lights visible from on or above the landing area. The lights are to be visible and usable at night from a minimum range of 0.75 NM. They are should be equally spaced at intervals of not more than 3 meters around the perimeter of the landing area.
● Colour chromaticity and light intensity within the boundaries as specified by standards. The light intensity is increased from 30cd to 60cd, when viewed at elevation angles of 0° to 90°. The whole lighting configuration should be designed to be visible over a range of 360° in azimuth.
● The lights should not be higher than 0.25m above the deck surface. Surface and recessed versions of lights are available.
LP205AW series status lights
The helideck status lights tell a helicopter pilot not to land on the helideck during conditions deemed to be hazardous for the helicopter, its occupants or others. Lights should be installed adjacent to the helideck to ensure the signal is visible from all approach directions, i.e. 360°in azimuth. Light intensity is adjustable, i.e. low and high.
● Status lights should be flashing red lights to alert pilots to exercise caution, and shall flash in syn.
● For all angles of azimuth, the effective intensity should be a minimum of 700 cd between 2° and 10° above the horizontal and at least 176 cd at all other angles of elevation, as defined in CAP437.
● The output of the lights should be dimmed to an intensity not exceeding 60 cd while the helicopter is landed on the helideck.
LP4 series TD/PM Circle-H
A Touchdown/Positioning Marking (TD/PM) Circle, denoting the touchdown point for the helicopter, should be located centrally within the clear zone. The TD/PM Circle should be a yellow circle with an inner diameter of 0.5 of the certificated D-value of the helideck. The lighting segments should be of such a length as to provide coverage of between 50% and 75% of the circumference.
A Heliport Identification Marking ‘H’, is installed to denote the direction of approach and/or departure flight paths with clear green signs.
● In compliance with the CAP437 standards for pressure and drainage test.
● Light thickness is just 0.024m.
● The intensity of the lighting along the outline ‘H’ over all angles of azimuth is 11cd-60cd.
● The intensity of the TD/PM circle fixtures over all angles of azimuth is 0.2cd-60cd.
Helideck Landing Aid System Applications
NANHUA helideck lighting solutions have been designed for offshore Oil and Gas Drilling & Production Platforms and other applications and are ATEX, IECEx and China certified. Besides, the System Controller activates the output by on/off switch and maximum light levels can be achieved within 3 seconds. The status lights, perimeter lights, TD/PM Circle, and Identification Marking ‘H’ are designed with step-by-step control buttons, which is convenient for on-site operation.
