Take No Risks: Implementing Safety Systems for the Process Industry

Many processes can reach a safety-critical state and thus become a risk. It is not only in the best interest of plant operators to take measures to reduce risks based on the current state of technology, in most cases they are even required to do so. Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS) play a significant role in this. Learn about a flexible and easy to scale stand-alone safety system that addresses specifically to customers who want to be able to reliably implement safety applications for small to medium-sized plants.

There is a universal rule that stands above every process optimization, energy saving, or productivity increase: the safety of people, environment, and plant is always number one. The bandwidth of risk potentials in process plants is wide and corresponding structural, organizational, and functional measures derive from them. They are supposed to reduce the overall risk to an acceptable residual risk level.

Systems from automation technology also have a safety role: SIS monitor potentially dangerous processes. When reaching an impermissible operational range, e.g. excess pressure in a boiler, these SIS autonomously regulate the process or notify the operating personnel. The entire cycle and the implementation of safety-related responsibilities are referred to as functional safety.

* * The author is Project Manager with Siemens.