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Three thousand design drawings as a starting point

C3 Shared Services (C3SS) has a long and successful history of providing high-tech integrated security and fire solutions to both the South African and African markets. When the company was approached by a leading services provider in the energy generation sector, it provided an opportunity for the team to demonstrate their prowess in a groundbreaking fire system design project.

The existing fire detection system had become both obsolete and increasingly unreliable. “Not only were the system components no longer available, but the support was also very limited. The client required a design that ensures the reliability and availability of the fire detection system, with the new system based on currently available technology. This necessitated a completely new fire detection system design on site,” says Brendon Cowley, CEO of C3 Shared Services.

A 15-year lifespan

From the outset, the client outlined that any fire detection system design needed to factor in a longevity of at least 15 years. The detailed engineering and design project, which encompassed over 3000 design drawings and calculations sheets, included the integrated design of all fire panels, networks, detectors, cabling, gas suppression systems, solenoids, and the pressure/flow switches that form the interface between the fire protection and detection systems.

“The fire detection system comprises a centralised Human-Machine Interface (HMI) system, which interfaces with and oversees various fire control panels, and will be monitored around the clock in the main control room,” says Cowley.

The design specifications were governed by stringent compliance parameters that include SANS 10139, SANS 14520, and all client’s relevant in-house fire standards. “Our objective was to design a reliable fire detection system that would not only overcome the shortcomings of the existing system, but also meet the insurance recommendations of the present and past insurers,” Cowley points out.

The design undertaken by C3SS standardises the fire detection at the facility to meet the client’s own standards. “By carefully following the client’s exacting requirements, we have developed a detailed design package that may be used for procurement, supply, installation, and commissioning of the new fire detection system,” he continues.

The design documents

The eight detailed design document packs for the plant comprised:

• 3D LiDAR image capturing of the entire plant.

• Eight site assessment reports.

• Eight risk assessment reports.

• Eight conceptual designs.

• Three solutions for every conceptual design.

• Eight detailed designs.

• Create layout drawings for every building in the plant from scratch.

• Plotting of devices on the layout drawings.

• Typical drawings.

• Loop drawings indicating the devices per loop.

• Network and infrastructure designs.

• Cause and effect configurations.

• Power consumption calculations.

• Final bill of quantities (BOQ) and cost estimates to execute the works.

“The immensity and the extremely tight deadlines of the project, which commenced in mid-November 2023 and was handed over on 8 August 2024, meant that our human resources worked at full capacity. It was common for the team to work long hours every day, including weekends and public holidays. We used specialised personnel with various competencies, including technical draughtsmen, electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, fire engineers, and SAQCC designers, all with a thorough knowledge of the technologies available,” he adds.

Teamwork and quality control

Quality control was critical and allowed the team to perform complete site and risk assessments of the entire plant to provide the client with the best possible fire safety design solution.

“With such a large and complex project, communication between the various team members was paramount. We achieved predefined goals through various means, including daily diaries that comprised daily progress reports, work to be achieved the next day, and any delays; weekly updated project plans, and tracking of this against the baseline programme; weekly progress meetings; and a New Engineering Contract (NEC) where early warnings were raised (when potential problems were foreseen, or to bring any issues arising to the attention of all).

“Despite the extreme pressure of completing the project within the revised programme schedule, we are very pleased with the outcome, providing the satisfied client with a system design of the highest quality that will serve as the basis for implementing a reliable and future-proofed fire detection system. The sheer magnitude of this project was successfully accomplished because of the extraordinary capabilities and commitment of our team of dedicated professionals,” says Cowley.

For more information, contact C3 Shared Services, +27 11312 2041, [email protected], www.c3ss.com

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