Upgrading Safety Systems in the Petrochemical Industry: Basic Guidelines

Related Vendors

DÜPERTHAL Sicherheitstechnik GmbH & Co. KG

Italvacuum, Srl

Donadon SDD Srl

Rockwell Automation GesmbH

When do Safety Systems Become Obsolete?

Every piece of equipment or system will eventually come to the end of its useful lifecycle. Based on our experience, safety systems need to be upgraded some 15 to 20 years after initial installation. For safety systems, this can become apparent in a number of ways:

Equipment obsolescence – Equipment often becomes obsolete when the underlying components are no longer manufactured. While ‘last-buy’ options from manufacturers can temporarily address this, the ongoing maintenance and support of these systems will no longer be viable once the supplier support infrastructure can no longer service the equipment.

Erroneous operation – As safety system components age and fall out of tolerance,’ no longer performing within their designed parameters, part of the system could begin to operate erroneously. Since safety systems are designed to fail to a safe state, this can often result in unnecessary and costly shutdowns.

Inability to expand or enhance the system – Legacy systems, particularly hardwired systems, are difficult to expand, beyond small changes. Therefore, expansion to accommodate new features – such as

additional subsea tie-backs, artificial lifts or compression facilities – is often difficult to accommodate due to physical space and system interface constraints. In addition, older systems may not meet current

industry standards.

Safety System Upgrade Step–By–Step

Implementing a safety system upgrade requires an in-depth analysis and risk assessment of the existing technology, so you have a solid understanding of the requirements needed for a new system. A safety system upgrade should follow a systematic and well-documented process. We recommend the following approach:

Establish a baseline

Evaluate the current system architecture

Build and thoroughly test the new system in the factory

Meticulously plan and manage the system migration

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