Process - Safety

Safety and risk are bound together

Chemical processes cannot be foreseen 100% of the time. Modifications or chemical spin-off products can lead to conditions which lie outside the original specifications. Start-ups, especially those following process revisions, offer the most risky situations as external staff can also be involved. In addition, there is a flood of emerging regulations and standards to keep. Endress+Hauser works to provide instrumentation and support that can optimally match the risk reduction requirements throughout a facility.

Example 1: Functional safety "SIL" as standard

 

 

 

"Only simple systems are safe” is a central paradigm in plant safety. A priority is therefore the design of inherently safe processes. In order to attain additionally high availability for complex plants, international standards IEC 61508/61511 define concepts for complex safety systems. For the first time, internationally coordinated design strategies to prevent and handle faults are described (safety life cycle management).

 

 

Endress+Hauser adheres to the following principles:

  • manufacturer declaration or certificate documents "SIL quality including proven in use” - standard instruments can thereby fulfill the "state of technology” required by many regulations.
  • modifications on standard instruments, for example changes in hardware or software, are carried out according to IEC 61508 and thereby ensure consistent quality throughout the product´s life cycle.
  • practical test instructions for the use of repetitive tests, e.g. while the plant is in operation.

Example 2: Redundant process barrier (second line of defense)

In order to prevent toxic or explosive process media from reaching the environment during a fault in the primary process barrier, the instruments are designed with an additional barrier ("2nd seal”). These scalable solutions which range up to gas-tight separation with active alarm, are primarily designed as a protective measure for maintenance personnel. In addition, costs for unplanned plant downtimes can be avoided.