Fieldbus & Industrial Networking


Improved networking technology for fire and gas detection

May 2025 Fieldbus & Industrial Networking

Critical alarm and event management technology supplier, Omniflex has worked with the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (NECSA) to upgrade equipment providing digital and analogue signals for NECSA’s safety critical fire and gas alarm systems. The new Teleterm M3 remote terminal units (RTUs), which use the company’s proprietary conet technology, require minimum wiring changes to existing panels at its Hartbeespoort Dam site, 30km outside of Pretoria, making the upgrade installation quick and disruption-free.

Teleterm M1 and M2 telemetry RTUs replaced the original Conet squeezer units which were originally installed by Omniflex in the 1980s and 90s for the then Atomic Energy Board. The Teleterm units provide the same functionality while reducing the spares holding requirement by being transceivers – rather than being transmitters and receivers – and allow mixed analogue and digital signals.

Using Teleterm modules allows the site to use the same Conet networking topology across its 127 outstation units allowing them all to be connected via existing copper cable, but replacing any legacy equipment that has become faulty because of age or external factors such as lightning strikes.

“Using the Teleterm M series reduces the installation costs by using the existing cabling and panel space, helping to bring about significantly reduced engineering and configuration time,” explained Ian Loudon, international sales and marketing manager at Omniflex. “This allows us to replace a small part of the existing system with minimal disruption so it continues to work as well as it has done since installation.”

Providing this new equipment for its outstation units allows the NECSA plant to maintain its fire and gas safety critical alarm detection systems alongside its nuclear radiation monitoring capabilities. Existing cable to the fire station control room allows for cost savings and minimal interruption across the site. All outstation alarms from the entire campus are displayed on Omni16 Annunciator panels for duty staff to action from the fire station. Omniflex was also on hand to provide on-site commissioning assistance and technician training for the new system to ease the transition to the latest technology.

The Teleterm M3 RTU and M1 units are the latest iteration of the industry-proven RTU range that Omniflex has provided over its 60-year history, still supporting customers who first adopted the technology decades ago.


Credit(s)



Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

No power, no coverage, no problem
Omniflex Remote Monitoring Specialists Industrial Wireless
Remote monitoring expert, Omniflex has delivered a remote monitoring and control solution for an impressed current cathodic protection control system, aiding local authorities in Queensland, Australia in the essential maintenance of roadside culverts.

Read more...
Smart ICCP monitoring for safer tank storage
Omniflex Remote Monitoring Specialists Industrial Wireless
Cathodic protection is critical for combatting corrosion in oil and gas infrastructure. Omniflex explores how to manage CP systems in hazardous and hard-to-reach areas.

Read more...
Why secure industrial communication depends on deployment as well
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
The Industrial Security Harmonisation Group has released a joint industry perspective highlighting a critical truth in industrial cybersecurity: secure communication is not determined by protocols alone, but by how they are deployed and managed in real-world environments.

Read more...
A single platform for all automation functions
Beckhoff Automation Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
The introduction of TwinCAT in 1996 marked a decisive evolutionary step for PC-based control. Today, the TwinCAT platform combines all automation functions in a strictly deterministic real-time environment, from PLC and motion control through CNC and measurement technology and beyond, to vision, robotics and pioneering AI tools.

Read more...
When SCADA meets the cloud
Omniflex Remote Monitoring Specialists SCADA/HMI
Engineers are faced with the challenge of unifying legacy SCADA systems with modern, IoT-based data platforms. The trouble is, when hardware from multiple manufacturers and generations are all used in the same system, compatibility becomes an issue

Read more...
Loop signature Part 2-4: Feedforward Control: Part 3
Michael Brown Control Engineering Editor's Choice Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
In the previous articles in this series, the basic theory behind feedforward control was discussed, and it was also shown how to apply feedforward in practice. In this article, it will be shown how well feedforward can work in practice by giving a couple of examples.

Read more...
Control Station and Dimension Software partner to connect control performance monitoring with enterprise operations intelligence
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Control Station has entered into a strategic technology partnership with Dimension Software, a leading provider of industrial operations management platforms. The collaboration connects Control Station’s PlantESP control loop performance monitoring platform with Dimension Software’s Asset Intellect operations intelligence environment, enabling manufacturers to operationalise control performance insights across their organisations.

Read more...
PCIe digitiser cards for optimal GHz signal acquisition and analysis
Vepac Electronics Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
The addition of two new PCIe Digitiser cards from Spectrum Instrumentation extends the company’s flagship M5i series to deliver optimal GHz signal acquisition and analysis capabilities.

Read more...
Safety-critical fibre optic systems in mining
Omniflex Remote Monitoring Specialists Enclosures, Cabling & Connectors
Omniflex highlights the importance of fibre optic technology in in enabling systems in the mining industry to transmit shutdown commands reliably over tens of kilometres and verify that they have been executed.

Read more...
The keys to successful nuclear decommissioning
Omniflex Remote Monitoring Specialists Industrial Wireless
Remote monitoring specialist, Omniflex has published its latest sector overview exploring the challenges of maintaining critical alarm visibility and radiation monitoring during nuclear decommissioning.

Read more...









While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.




© Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd | All Rights Reserved