Due to the expansion of the urban area, underground networks have been gradually transformed into multi-utility tunnels (also called utilidors). The advantage of such “utilities” is that they allow hosting multiple services’ infrastructures inside an accessible/safe space and simple maintenance. Under specific national and local regulations, utility companies adopted a solution of underground tunnels for transporting water, electricity, steam, compressed air, telecommunication cables, natural or city gas.What are the main requirements and challenges of utility tunnels’ networks?
Underground network installation is complicated as it requires deployment lighting systems, ventilating devices and conducts, electrical power and signal cables, communication equipment. Moreover, control and monitoring must be guaranteed by connecting IP-cameras, a large number of separate sensors for smoke/gas detection and other abnormalities, and an emergency alarm system to the control room.
Conventional point-type systems for utility tunnel monitoring must be distributed along the length of the tunnel to ensure good coverage. It’s hard to overestimate the importance of the deployment of the reliable network, as it significantly reduces the annual maintenance and eliminates the risks of sabotage, vandalism, as well as principal risks of fire or gas leak in tunnels which can lead to catastrophic consequences and cost millions of dollars in disruptions and lost business.
How can utility tunnels be protected from these invisible dangers?
Earlier this year, WoMaster has launched an innovative embedded smart city communication box SCB1000/1200 series specially designed for intelligent industrial IoT applications, particularly for smart utility tunnels.
- The interfaces include 4 Gigabit 802.3bt/at PoE++ ports (one port can deliver up to 60W PoE to HD IP-camera and rotating PTZ, providing 360-degree intelligent utility tunnels monitoring.)
- 60W high power PoE technology can supply power to the high power digital signage, and the real-time information from the tunnel can be updated to the control center
- The internal electrical port can be expanded to connect various network devices and PD, such as the IIoT gateway for collecting the data from wireless sensors
- RS232/422/485 serial port is used for connecting various types of environmental sensors, DI, DO, SD card and USB expansion interfaces.
- The tunnel inside and outside intelligent monitoring network can be deployed in a single or multiple ring network topology through 2 Gigabit uplink/downlink optical ports with ERPS v.2 for millisecond-level recovery and uninterrupted network communication.
- SCB1200 supports audio input/output, and can directly connect waterproof microphones and amplifiers.
- The same management interface can be used for configuring all these functions and status monitoring.
- A PoE WAN port is reserved internally, and industrial IoT LPWAN gateway can also be installed to receive wireless sensor information, upload to servers or cloud remote control.
