OTN (Open Transport Network) - a Siemens division based in Belgium - has recently developed technology allowing different networking services as well as various equipments to coexist on the same backbone network in a fully redundant and transparent way.

This new development is called E1-DACS and is based on requirements to interconnect Newbridge equipment, various voice and data services and SDH-compatible communication over one OTN fiber optic network.

This technology allows Saudi Aramco to optimise its network infrastructure, to save costs by re-using its existing equipment with future extensions, and offers it all the benefits of being supplier-independent.

After successful preview and initial tests, the E1-DACS will be launched on the market this month.

In recent years, Saudi Aramco has relied fully on the OTN to provide vital communications along pipelines and to interconnect gas wells and remote headers to the central manifold (in the Eastern province of the Kingdom).

The system was selected because of its reliability, flexibility, low cost of ownership and the ease of use and management of the system. If a gas well station drops out on the transmission path (due to, for example, a power failure), it must not affect the operation of the remainder of the system. OTN, with its unique self-healing capabilities, matches this requirement perfectly.

Of crucial importance in this project was the ability to meet the specific requirements as to environmental robustness: the OTN nodes are built into passive cooled enclosures, allowing the system to operate at temperatures starting from -20¡C up to 55¡C (131¡F) and above.

The new E1-DACS concentrator has been designed to multiplex RS232/RS422 data signals and analog voice signals into an E1 frame. The signaling used can be tailored to the multiplexer equipment. This first version supports the CAS signaling and HCM protocol, resulting in savings on access equipment, increase in manageability of the network components and more reliable communication.

This development puts Siemens with OTN as a forerunner in the ability to offer reliable and critical communication solutions, especially in oil and gas environments.

Other recent realisations in the area include South Pars LNG project in Iran, pipelines in the UAE (Fujairah), Ras Laffan LNG plant in Qatar and various projects in India, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.