KONGSBERG HMS 300 Helicopter Deck Monitoring System

KONGSBERG HMS 300 Helicopter Deck Monitoring System

HMS 300 Helicopter Deck Monitoring System: The Core Guarantee for Safety in Offshore Operations

In modern offshore oil and gas extraction and transportation operations, helicopters are key tools for personnel and material transportation. However, the deck of offshore platforms and ships will experience continuous movement in complex sea conditions such as waves and winds, posing a serious challenge to the safety of helicopter takeoff and landing. The HMS 300 helicopter deck monitoring system was developed by Kongsberg Discovery AS (formerly Kongsberg Seatex) and is specifically designed to monitor helicopter deck movements and meteorological conditions, providing real-time and accurate safety decision support for offshore helicopter operations.

System Overview

HMS 300 is a complete helicopter deck monitoring solution that measures the acceleration, heave speed, roll, pitch, and tilt angle of the deck in real-time, and combines meteorological data to determine whether the current deck status meets the conditions for safe helicopter takeoff and landing. This system is widely used in various mobile or fixed offshore facilities such as offshore drilling platforms, floating production storage and unloading devices, offshore wind power installation ships, shuttle oil tankers, etc.

1. System design philosophy

HMS 300 adopts a modular architecture, consisting of a processing unit and a human-machine interface unit, which are connected via Ethernet. The processing unit is responsible for core motion calculation and data processing, running independently of the user interface to ensure high reliability and continuity of the system. The human-machine interface unit displays deck motion data, meteorological information, and status indicators through an intuitive graphical interface, making it easy for operators to quickly grasp the on-site situation.

2. Compliance standards

HMS 300 strictly follows the international mainstream standards for offshore helicopter operations, including:

CAP 437: The latest version of the "Marine Helicopter Landing Area Standards" released by the UK Civil Aviation Authority is the September 2018 edition

NORMAM-27: Helicopter Offshore Operations Standards Issued by the Brazilian Navy

NOROG: Norwegian Continental Shelf Helicopter Operation Standards released by the Norwegian Petroleum Industry Association

The system also meets the requirements of the helicopter certification agency's relevant documents (revised 9b), ensuring its applicability in major offshore oil and gas production areas worldwide.

System architecture and core components

1. System components

The HMS 300 system consists of the following core components:

Component Function Description

The inertial measurement unit adopts MRU (E, H, 5, 5+models) or MGC (R2, R3 models), installed at the center of the deck, to measure the motion and acceleration of the deck

Meteorological sensors are usually the Vaisala WXT520/530 series, which measure wind speed, direction, pressure, temperature, and humidity

The core computing unit of the processing unit runs motion algorithms and state judgment logic

Edge unit human-computer interaction terminal, providing graphical operation interface

Independent high-frequency wind sensor (4 Hz output) is required under the CAP 437 standard for wind sensors

Optional component of wave level system, measuring wave height and period

The deck repeating lights are connected to the external relay box through the control unit, and display different color indicator lights such as red, green, and blue according to the system status

2. Network and Data Flow

The system connects various units through Ethernet and supports real-time transmission of on-site data. Kognifai cloud platform can be optionally selected to achieve shore based remote monitoring, allowing onshore personnel and offshore operators to share the same real-time images and enhance collaborative work capabilities.

System operation process

1. System startup and shutdown

Startup steps:

Ensure normal power supply for IMU and weather sensors

Turn on the monitor power

Press the power switch on the left side of the front panel of the processing unit

Press the power switch on the front panel of the human-machine interface unit

Wait for the operating system to start, enter the default password 'operator user'

Closing steps:

Select "Settings" ->"Processing Unit Control" ->"PU Shutdown" on the main interface

After confirmation, wait for the processing unit to safely shut down

Select "Settings" → "Human Machine Interface Unit Control" → "HMI Shutdown"

After confirmation, wait for the human-machine interface unit to close

Turn off the power of the monitor

The system usually does not need to shut down frequently and should maintain continuous operation to respond to helicopter operation needs at any time.

2. Selection of operating standards

Users can choose one of three operating standards in the system:

CAP 437: Suitable for the UK continental shelf and international common scenarios, supporting two modes of "pre landing" and "deck landing"