Project Overview
This underground utility tunnel project in Suzhou is designed to accommodate a range of municipal utility pipelines, including water supply, drainage, electricity, gas, telecommunications, and radio and television lines. The project also includes a municipal-level monitoring center.
By making effective use of underground space, the utility tunnel helps maximize urban land efficiency and supports the green development goals of the housing and urban-rural construction sector.
Project Requirements
A comprehensive utility tunnel contains not only municipal utility pipelines such as water supply, drainage, power, gas, telecommunications, and broadcasting lines, but also many supporting systems including power distribution, lighting, and surveillance equipment. As a result, the inspection, maintenance, and repair workload inside the tunnel is substantial.
Because the utility tunnel is located underground and separated from the ground by a significant distance, mobile communication networks cannot be used inside the tunnel. Therefore, during pipeline installation, daily operation, and maintenance, a dedicated utility tunnel communication system becomes one of the most critical support systems for safe and efficient operation.
Solution
The project required the deployment of an emergency communication system for the utility tunnel. The system consists of a monitoring center command and dispatch platform and utility tunnel telephones. In this project, Becke Communication provided the utility tunnel telephones.
Monitoring Center
A visual dispatch platform is deployed in the utility tunnel monitoring center to centrally manage surveillance and communication terminals distributed throughout the tunnel. The monitoring center uses a large display screen to conduct real-time video monitoring of the tunnel, ensuring that emergency measures can be taken immediately in the event of an incident.
When the monitoring center receives a help call from personnel inside the tunnel, it can instantly access video from the nearest camera to identify the location and nature of the incident. After confirming the alarm information, operators can use the dispatch console to initiate zone-based paging, line-wide announcements, or emergency broadcasting throughout the tunnel.
When the monitoring center needs to contact tunnel personnel, it can call the number of a loudspeaker intercom group. All telephones in the called group will broadcast through their built-in speakers. Tunnel personnel can then go to the nearest utility tunnel telephone and answer the call by picking up the handset. Once one telephone is answered, broadcasting on the other telephones in the group stops automatically, and a two-way conversation is established between the monitoring center and the answering party.
Utility Tunnel Telephone System
Utility tunnel telephones are installed at regular intervals throughout the tunnel, ensuring that emergency calling capability is available along the entire route. Personnel inside the tunnel can also use these telephones for two-way intercom communication with each other.
In the event of an emergency, tunnel staff can use the nearest utility tunnel telephone to contact the monitoring center immediately. The utility tunnel telephones are equipped with warning lights and waterproof loudspeakers. After the monitoring center confirms the alarm, it can activate the warning light to trigger audible and visual alerts, while also starting preset broadcast messages to guide on-site personnel to evacuate quickly and safely.
Core Product
Utility Tunnel Telephone
Because each application compartment inside the utility tunnel carries critical municipal utility pipelines, all emergency telephone devices deployed in the tunnel must provide industrial-grade protection against water, dust, corrosion, and oxidation.
Different telephone models are also required for different tunnel environments. In the power compartment, the project uses the Becke EX-BT27 waterproof industrial telephone with waterproof and anti-corrosion protection. In the gas compartment, the project uses the EX-BH621 explosion-proof telephone to meet hazardous-area safety requirements.
Application Results
The emergency communication system for the utility tunnel is able to meet the mobile communication needs of personnel from different departments working inside the tunnel. It establishes a flexible and reliable communication environment for maintenance staff, duty personnel, and patrol workers inside the tunnel, while also ensuring direct communication with control room operators and management personnel.
