Teams at the mont Blanc Tunnel are excited about a new centralised control system for safety and security equipment. Called Logos, which is a French acronym for ‘localise, organise and manage security operations’, it makes use of tens of thousands of data points along the tunnel and can store many times more data than the previous system. It also automates a lot more actions, allowing security teams to respond quickly “after a few clicks of the mouse” according to a spokesperson for the owners. The system has been implemented at a cost of EUR 4M (USD 4.5M) by joint concessionaires Mont Blanc Autoroutes and Tunnel (ATMB) for France and SITMB of Italy. The new system is connected to the control tower – a command and control centre – where 22 operators working in shifts round the clock control all the tunnel’s security equipment, from ventilation and barriers to rescue team alerts.

The system constantly analyses 36,000 security-related data points received from 157 cameras and 4,000 sensors placed throughout the tunnel. It detects, analyses and warns of any abnormal situations, for example if a car has stopped inside the tunnel or a higher risk event has taken place. It is capable of making 11,000 pieces of tunnel operational equipment interact with one another so that operators can decide on and launch the appropriate response for a given situation, for example turn on the ventilation system, lower barriers, or to alert rescue teams or other emergency services.

More operations have also been automated in Logos, such as set radio calls and message dispatching. It features an updated interface designed to keep operators more focused on security actions and decision-making.

DATA-DRIVEN TRAINING

The system can also store 36 times more data than the previous setup, which provides what might be an unexpected benefit – a training aid. Tunnel teams undergo training drills on a daily basis at the Mont Blanc Tunnel; the new storage capacity allows the system to save real-world events, for example the effects of a broken down vehicle, that can then be used in simulation exercises for response units and operators. This also allows for easier information-sharing with other operators.

A spokesperson adds: “The old system was already a centralised system for the remote or manual monitoring and control of field equipment in the tunnel. This system, which was particularly cuttingedge for that time, used technologies that were tried and tested at the end of the ‘90s and offered tunnel management functions, some of which have been reinstated in the new system. The new system makes use of the latest technologies (for example: storage capacity or server virtualisation) and offers much improved performance compared with the previous system. “All the operators have also followed a 40-hour training protocol to prepare them to use Logos as soon as it is launched. The new man-machine interactions (MMI) were the subject of an ergonomic study and were designed by a graphic designer.

“The outcome: better detection of abnormal situations, quicker access to the control buttons, reduced eye stress, to mention but a few.”

TESTING

In 2012, teams at GEIE du Tunnel du Mont Blanc began a complete overhaul of the control system with an objective of using the latest technology. Based on feedback collected from 10 years of practice and operations, teams working on the tunnel compiled a list of new functionalities for the system.

After a phase for development and testing in the plant, the teams spent a year testing the new system starting at the end of 2015. The rollout required one million tests, including 12,000 under real-life conditions during the 25 nights the tunnel was closed. For this testing phase, teams used a simulator to train.

COMPLIANCE

In accordance with the requirements of the GEIE project team of the Mont Blanc Tunnel, the safety functions of Logos have been designed and developed so as to achieve Safety Integrity Level (SIL) 2 laid down in the international standard IEC EN 61508, based on which the software was certified by RINA Services, the leading certification company in Italy. The International IEC EN 61508 standard regulates the design and operation of electrical, electronic and programmable electronic safety-related systems for those sectors likely to present a risk to people or the environment or where a loss could be incurred.

FULFILLING THE CONTRACT

In order to meet the requirements of the specifications, the Italian company Giordano & C., which was awarded the contract, designed and developed a computerised system based on the monitoring software systems of Wonderware (a company of the Schneider Electric Group), for distributed architecture and the virtualisation of servers.

The IT resources needed for its functioning are distributed on the French and Italian platforms of the tunnel and communicate with each other via a network of optical fibres dedicated to monitoring. The data can therefore be sent from one end of the tunnel to the other within less than 300ms and, because the architecture offers several redundancy levels, it guarantees the high degree of availability of the system. “By improving the centralised system’s performance, we are increasing response time for operators. This new tool is the culmination of human and technical performance. Twenty people were mobilised for the entire duration of the project,” says Cédric Petitcolin, project manager in the technology and IT department.

FINAL THOUGHTS AND FIRE ENGINES

According to the owners, the need to keep up with technological changes was the main reason for the upgrade, although they wanted to have new functionality for their operators, such as the automated actions, speed and use of data, and remotecontrolled systems.

The teams also told Tunnels and Tunnelling that they wanted to mention their new pride and joy, a redesigned fire engine called the Proteus. Not everything is software. It has been produced in cooperation with tunnel crews and boasts a 12,000 litre reservoir with enough pressure for 20 minutes, two hoses with variable spray guns for a range of 60m, a “start and go” button on the side of the vehicle that immediately turns it on and saves firefighters precious time, infrared cameras, next-generation radar and an extra-low cab so the truck can be driven under any visibility conditions. It has replaced the Janus truck, which was introduced with the reopening of the tunnel in 2002.