Case Study: Concept Systems use E2S's unique Appello sounders to improve safety at sea

Concept Adds Voice and Tone Sounders to Improve Safety

Concept Systems Ltd. is a leading supplier of advanced IT systems, solutions and services to the oil exploration and production industry.  Its SPECTRA Integrated Navigation and Control system is accepted as an industry standard for 2D, 3D and 4D marine streamer operations, making Concept a world leader in the supply of real time navigation and positioning products.  To further enhance their navigation systems, Concept have now added the unique Appello voice and tone sounders and strobes from E2S, enabling warnings and safety critical alarms, previously only flagged onto the operator’s workstation, to be broadcast throughout the vessel, ensuring that relevant personnel are made aware of the situation automatically.

E2S Appello Range at Sea

The E2S Appello range of high performance voice and tone sounders are unique in that bespoke voice messages, music or sound of up to 2 minutes long, can be stored in a CMOS device containing non-volatile memory cells, providing zero-power storage, ensuring that the message quality does not degrade with time and that it is not lost during power outages.  The voice is stored directly into the memory in its natural form, providing high quality, solid state reproduction.  During playback, the message can be preceded by one of 45 different user-selectable tones; a visual warning is also given by a Xenon strobe mounted on top of the Appello sounder.  The new version, A121 AX Apello sounder produces up to 111dB(A) @ 1m, giving an effective range of up to 300m @ 1KHz. 

A Concept Systems designed Alarm Control Unit controls up to six sounders over standard Cat 5E Ethernet cable, which provides 24VDC power on unused pairs, so no local power is required for the sounder units.  SPECTRA system communicates with local Alarm Control Unit using industry-standard Modbus/TCP Ethernet protocols – each Alarm Control Unit has a unique network IP address.  Setup, test and diagnostics of sounders is made easy using built-in Alarm Control Unit web browser.  The combination of alarm tone and voice message enables critical alarms to be easily differentiated from other instrument room, bridge or back deck alarms.

For further information about the A121 AX Apello sounders, please follow the links below: