Knowledge Center: Plant Safety
Recent incidents such as the 2005 BP refinery disaster in Texas City, USA, in which 15 people were killed and scores seriously injured after overfilling of a tank led to a huge explosion, indicate that process safety remains a deadly serious business. After an inquiry panel castigated BP for failing to establish process safety as a core value across all its US refineries, the company agreed to commit $1.7 billion annually to improve plant safety, including installing modern process control systems on major units, and hiring 300 external experts to conduct comprehensive audits of its safety systems.
This Plant Safety section of the Knowledge Center discusses the fundamentals of process safety – including common terminology like SIL, SIF, SFF; the principles of good safety system design and management; and reveals how some of the latest automation systems are efficiently and effectively contributing to make today’s process plants safer places for the good of workers, owners, and the wider environment.
Plant SAFETYThe Safety Imperative
It has been slow, but certainly steady and sure. Industries the world over are realising the imperativeness of ensuring process safety. It may have taken a few charred bodies, however, to enhance the awareness. More >
The Language of Safety
Despite the fact that safety standards IEC 61508 and IEC 61511 have been in existence for many years, some confusion still abounds when it comes to the interpretation of the terms associated with process safety systems. More >
Safety Instrumented Systems: Optimize Design Through Diagnostics
In this fast-paced, information superhighway “global village”, most process engineers may have had some project experience or at least read up on the various International Safety Standards like IEC61508, IEC61511 or ISA84. More >
Integrating Control and Safety: Experion and Safety Manager
Honeywell delivers operational integration with critical system segregation. With secure integration at the control data and operator levels, Honeywell provides a common operational interface to the process and equipment for both control and safety. More >
Safety With Foundation Fieldbus
Foundation fieldbus technology enables process end users to realize significant CAPEX and OPEX benefits by extending fieldbus benefits into plant safety systems. The Foundation for Safety Instrumented Functions (SIF) protocol has already been approved by TÜV to meet the requirements of IEC 61508 up to, and including, safety integrity level (SIL) 3. More >
Self-Certification for Safety Components
It is fairly common for companies to develop a “preferred list” of transmitters, valves, actuators and other process control components and subsystems. Such lists are usually the result of long-time relationships between the engineering and/or maintenance departments and the various devices themselves. More >
Oil Refinery Sees Successful Safety Management
Alon USA acquired ownership of the Big Spring, Texas refinery back in August 2000 when Alon Israel Oil Company purchased FINA Oil & Chemical Company's US fuels marketing and refining assets. More >
Indian Chemical Plant Upgrades Safety and Controls
Indo Gulf Fertilizers of India manufactures and markets urea, a nitrogenous fertilizer. The company has been able to sustain its leadership position of through its focus on adding value to farmers as a total solution provider, helping them improve their yield at lower cost. More >
