The Gaasperdammertunnel in Amsterdam uses condition monitoring data to predict maintenance and keep road users safe
The Gaasperdammertunnel in Amsterdam is one of the largest and perhaps most spectacular tunnels in the Netherlands with a lush park landscape above a three-kilometer stretch. This tunnel has 11 lanes distributed between 5 tunnel tubes and is 73 meters wide with capacities for up to 150,000 vehicles per day. To ensure its smooth operation, IXAS, the operator of the tunnel, and the Dutch Infrastructure Authority Rijkswaterstaat rely on SICK Belgium as a service partner. Using SICK's Condition Monitoring smart service, IXAS is always in the right place at the right time, and the recommendations for action for the servicing personnel significantly reduces the maintenance costs for IXAS.
A constantly clear view
As the volume of traffic increases, accurate measurement of the visibility is essential to ensure the highest level of safety in the tunnel pipes. The VICOTEC450 from SICK draws air out of the tunnel space, heats it above the dew point, and determines the visibility using the laser light scattering method. The tunnel sensors continuously monitor contamination and measure the air flow. Using condition monitoring, it is possible to predict when cleaning or a filter change is required.
Data transparency increases availability
To ensure the smooth operation of the tunnel, servicing and maintenance must be well structured. To optimize these and reduce faults to a minimum, IXAS decided to equip the SICK analyzers with the condition monitoring feature.
With condition monitoring providing a stable foundation on the path to predictive maintenance, maintenance work can be detected early, reduced, and optimized. For example, it shows what work is required on which analyzer, and how it should be carried out. Maintenance tasks such as replacing filters are cost-effectively performed by IXAS. SICK Belgium supports the operator as a reliable partner and takes care of the annual maintenance of the sensors.
This collaboration brings several advantages to IXAS. First, maintenance tasks can be planned in a more predictive manner and incidents resolved more quickly. Next, faults that would interrupt the tunnel operation are reduced to a minimum. Finally, instead of assessing the systems on-site in the tunnel, there is a constant flow of data that allows them to be monitored in real time. This makes IXAS faster, better prepared, and saves time and money on materials, spare parts, and labor costs. A further advantage for IXAS is the ability to not only integrate the data from the SICK analyzers into the condition monitoring but also other devices from third party suppliers.
Tailored cybersecurity concept
The local authority RWS Niederlande, the software development department, the cybersecurity and IT team at SICK, and the IT department of the customer have been closely collaborating to comply with the specific data security requirements of the tunnel. The result is a cybersecurity concept that meets the most stringent standards for data transmission. In this concept, smart service gateways are connected to the VICOTEC450 via a unidirectional data transfer and upload the acquired data into the cloud via a local Internet access.. To further protect the data transmission, the connection has been enhanced with a site-to-site VPN solution.
Project advantages that transfer
The condition monitoring project that SICK implemented in the Gaasperdammertunnel is transferable to any kind of tunnel. Operating companies who choose this solution can benefit from numerous advantages, such as lower costs and fewer service deployments, and improved maintenance scheduling. The project in the Dutch metropolis was judged to have been a great success by all. Together the collaboration succeeded in implementing a concept that meets the high expectations of the road users, the tunnel operating company, and the authorities.
Want to learn more about condition monitoring? Contact a SICK representative today!
