Companies can now demonstrate functional safety compliance to IEC 61511 Edition 2 while lowering costs, following the launch of software applications focused on the operations and maintenance (O&M) phase of the standard, supporting engineering tools and expertise from ABB.
In 2016, IEC 61511 introduced many new clauses associated with O&M activities, further highlighting the need to demonstrate that actual functional safety performance is in-line with earlier predictions. Where discrepancies are found, adjustments need to be made, which includes the ability to reduce maintenance when actual performance is better than predicted. A major hurdle to achieving this is the ability to correlate data across several disparate systems. This requires significant manual effort which is prone to human error.
To solve this challenge ABB is launching a Process Safety Lifecycle Management solution. The O&M applications provide the automated data extraction. Meanwhile, the integrated engineering tools, with imbedded process and functional safety expertise, give context to the vast amount of data generated. The result is actionable insights, enabling companies to improve operational decision-making, sustained safe operations and identify areas of improvement.
ABB’s expertise within its Process Safety Lifecycle Management extends from risk assessment, then design, implementation and sustain/ improve. The risk assessment and design phases are achieved through the release of new LOPA and SIF designer modules that provide the engineering data. The implementation phase is achieved through smart engineering tools which automate the development of ABB’s System 800xA HI application code and cause and effect graphics. This is complemented by ABB’s global network of safety execution centres. The sustain and improve phase is achieved through the SafetyInsight TM applications that collate data from System 800xA and other third-party automation systems along with data from maintenance management systems.
SafetyInsight provides operators with accurate, up-to-date snapshots of safety performance. Among SafetyInsight’s functionality is “ demand reporting” which relates actual events generated during facility operations against the requirements defined in the design stage. It provides automatic independent verification reports that can be used to demonstrate performance standards are being met and valves are functioning correctly, reducing the maintenance burden. The automatic generation of this information, removes the time-consuming need to manually search through alarms and events logs, enabling quicker start-up following an unplanned shutdown.
Other features include “ instrument reliability” which is a key O&M theme within IEC61511 Edition 2. SafeyInsight’s automatic collection and comparison of instrument and equipment performance, can be used to demonstrate that instruments are performing better than predicted, and therefore extend proof testing intervals, or to identify bad actors and make the necessary improvements.
“Bypass management”, addressing another key theme within the updated standard, creates an automatic list of all current and historical bypasses and can be combined with the electronic shift report to ensure key bypass information is transferred effectively between shift handovers.
As process industries seek to meet more stringent compliance requirements, along with the pressure of today’s market conditions, ABB’s Process Safety Lifecycle Management provides the end-to-end, data-driven approach needed for companies to quickly develop, assess and adapt operations to optimize costs and improve performance and maintain safety.
“With our new digital lifecycle approach, not only do we provide a streamlined approach to meet new and existing functional safety lifecycle obligations but we also provide the means to identify and implement improvements which can result in reduced maintenance burden and increased productivity,” explains ABB’s Karl Watson, Global Process Safety Product Manager for ABB Oil, Gas and Chemicals.
