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⚠️ Introduction to Process Safety Systems: 5-Day Course Outline

Duration: 5 Days | 4 Hours Daily | 20 Total Hours
Level: Beginner to Intermediate

🎯 Course Overview

Comprehensive introduction to process safety systems covering safety instrumented systems (SIS), hazard analysis, protective layers, functional safety standards, and emergency shutdown systems for oil & gas, chemical, and petrochemical industries.

Target Audience: Process engineers, instrumentation engineers, safety engineers, operations personnel, maintenance technicians, project engineers, HSE professionals

Prerequisites: Basic understanding of process operations, instrumentation fundamentals, engineering degree or equivalent experience

📅 DAY 1: Process Safety Fundamentals & Regulations

Learning Objectives: Understand process safety principles, major incidents, regulatory requirements, and safety lifecycle

Modules:

1.1 Introduction to Process Safety

• Definition and importance of process safety

• Difference between process safety and occupational safety

• Process safety incidents: consequences and business impact

• Safety culture and human factors

• Process Safety Management (PSM) overview

1.2 Major Process Safety Incidents

• Historical disasters and lessons learned:

  • Flixborough (1974) - uncontrolled release

  • Bhopal (1984) - toxic gas release

  • Piper Alpha (1988) - offshore platform explosion

  • Texas City (2005) - refinery explosion

  • Deepwater Horizon (2010) - offshore blowout

• Root cause analysis of failures

• Common patterns in major accidents

1.3 Regulatory Framework & Standards

• International regulations:

  • OSHA PSM 1910.119 (USA)

  • Seveso III Directive (Europe)

  • COMAH Regulations (UK)

  • Major Hazard Facilities (Australia)

• Industry standards:

  • IEC 61511 (Functional safety - Process industry)

  • IEC 61508 (Functional safety - General)

  • ISA 84 / ANSI/ISA-84.00.01

  • API RP 754 (Process safety performance indicators)

  • API RP 556 (Fired heaters)

• Regulatory compliance requirements

1.4 Safety Lifecycle (IEC 61511)

• Safety lifecycle phases:

  • Hazard and risk assessment

  • SIS design and engineering

  • Installation and commissioning

  • Operation and maintenance

  • Modification and decommissioning

• Management of functional safety

• Functional safety assessment (FSA)

• Activity: Safety lifecycle mapping exercise

1.5 Process Safety Management Elements

• OSHA PSM 14 elements overview

• Process hazard analysis (PHA)

• Operating procedures and training

• Mechanical integrity

• Management of change (MOC)

• Incident investigation

• Workshop: PSM gap analysis

Deliverable: Process safety framework understanding and regulatory compliance checklist

📅 DAY 2: Hazard Identification & Risk Assessment

Learning Objectives: Conduct hazard identification studies, perform risk assessments, and determine Safety Integrity Levels (SIL)

Modules:

2.1 Hazard Identification Techniques

• HAZID (Hazard Identification):

  • Methodology and workshop facilitation

  • Guidewords and prompts

  • Documentation requirements

• HAZOP (Hazard and Operability Study):

  • Node selection and P&ID review

  • Guidewords (No, More, Less, As Well As, Part Of, Reverse, Other Than)

  • Deviations, causes, consequences, safeguards

  • HAZOP team roles and responsibilities

• What-If / Checklist Analysis

• Preliminary Hazard Analysis (PHA)

• Workshop: Conducting a mini-HAZOP exercise

2.2 Risk Assessment Methods

• Risk concepts: hazard, threat, consequence, likelihood

• Risk matrices and risk ranking

• Qualitative methods: Risk matrix, semi-quantitative scoring

• Quantitative methods: QRA, LOPA (Layer of Protection Analysis)

• Frequency and consequence assessment

• Risk criteria and tolerability (ALARP principle)

• Exercise: Risk assessment case study

2.3 Layer of Protection Analysis (LOPA)

• LOPA methodology and applications

• Initiating events and frequency determination

• Independent Protection Layers (IPL):

  • Process design

  • Basic Process Control System (BPCS)

  • Critical alarms and operator intervention

  • Safety Instrumented Functions (SIF)

  • Physical protection (relief valves, rupture discs)

  • Post-release protection (fire suppression, dikes)

• IPL effectiveness and independence

• Risk reduction calculation

• Hands-On: LOPA calculations and IPL identification

2.4 Safety Integrity Level (SIL) Determination

• SIL concept and definitions (SIL 1, 2, 3, 4)

• Risk reduction factor and Probability of Failure on Demand (PFD)

• SIL selection methods:

  • Risk graph method

  • Risk matrix method

  • LOPA method

  • Calibrated risk graph

• SIL verification vs. SIL determination

• Workshop: SIL determination exercises

2.5 Consequence Analysis

• Fire modeling (pool fire, jet fire, flash fire, fireball)

• Explosion modeling (VCE, BLEVE, confined explosion)

• Toxic dispersion modeling (Gaussian plume, dense gas)

• Software tools overview (PHAST, ALOHA, EFFECTS)

• Impact zones and safety distances

• Demo: Consequence modeling software demonstration

Deliverable: HAZOP report, LOPA worksheet, SIL determination documentation

📅 DAY 3: Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS) Design

Learning Objectives: Design Safety Instrumented Systems, understand SIF architecture, and calculate system reliability

Modules:

3.1 Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS) Overview

• SIS definition and purpose

• Difference between BPCS and SIS

• SIS components: sensors, logic solvers, final elements

• SIF (Safety Instrumented Function) definition

• SIS design principles and independence

3.2 SIS Architecture & Redundancy

• Voting configurations:

  • 1oo1 (1 out of 1)

  • 1oo2 (1 out of 2 - high availability)

  • 2oo3 (2 out of 3 - balanced)

  • 2oo4, MooN configurations

• Partial stroke testing and proof testing

• Common cause failures and beta factor

• Diagnostic coverage

• Safe failure fraction (SFF)

• Hardware fault tolerance (HFT)

3.3 SIS Components & Selection

• Sensors/Transmitters:

  • Pressure, temperature, level, flow transmitters

  • Safety-rated sensors and certifications

  • Systematic capability (SC) and proven-in-use

• Logic Solvers:

  • Safety PLCs and DCS safety modules

  • Certified safety controllers (TÜV, IEC 61508)

  • Redundancy and fault tolerance

• Final Elements:

  • Safety shutdown valves (ESV, SDV, BDV, ESDV)

  • Actuators (pneumatic, hydraulic, solenoid)

  • Fail-safe positions (fail-open, fail-closed)

• Component reliability data sources (OREDA, PDS, vendor data)

3.4 SIL Verification Calculations

• Probability of Failure on Demand (PFD) calculations

• Reliability block diagrams (RBD)

• Failure rate, MTTF, MTTR concepts

• PFDavg calculation for different architectures

• Spurious trip rate (STR) calculations

• SIL verification using simplified equations and software

• Hands-On Lab: SIL verification calculations (2 hours)

3.5 SIS Design Requirements

• Safety Requirements Specification (SRS):

  • SIF description and functional requirements

  • Safe state definition

  • SIL assignment

  • Response time requirements

  • Proof test intervals

  • Operational mode description

• Cause and Effect Diagrams (C&E)

• Safety Integrity Level Verification Reports

• Workshop: Developing an SRS document

3.6 Common Cause Failures & Diagnostics

• Beta factor and common cause analysis

• Environmental factors (temperature, vibration, EMI)

• Diagnostic coverage and self-testing

• Partial stroke testing for valves

• Online diagnostics and fault detection

Deliverable: SIS design documentation, SIL verification calculations, SRS template

📅 DAY 4: Emergency Shutdown (ESD) Systems & Fire & Gas Systems

Learning Objectives: Design ESD systems, implement fire and gas detection, and configure alarm management systems

Modules:

4.1 Emergency Shutdown (ESD) System Design

• ESD system philosophy and objectives

• ESD levels and hierarchy:

  • Process Shutdown (PSD) / Level 1

  • Unit Shutdown / Level 2

  • Plant-wide ESD / Level 3

  • Emergency depressurization (EDP/BD)

• ESD initiation sources:

  • Manual ESD pushbuttons

  • Fire and gas detection

  • Process critical alarms

  • Emergency stop signals

• ESD sequence and logic design

• Isolation valve types and locations

• Depressurization and blowdown systems

• Case Study: ESD system architecture review

4.2 Shutdown Valves & Actuators

• Emergency Shutdown Valve (ESV) types

• Blowdown Valve (BDV) and Depressurization Valve (DPV)

• Actuator selection (spring return, hydraulic, gas-over-oil)

• Fail-safe configurations and failure modes

• Valve response time requirements

• Partial stroke testing (PST) technology

• Valve maintenance and proof testing

4.3 Fire Detection Systems

• Fire detection technologies:

  • Optical flame detectors (IR, UV, UV/IR)

  • Heat detectors (fixed temperature, rate-of-rise)

  • Smoke detectors (ionization, photoelectric)

  • Linear heat detection (cable, fiber optic)

• Detector selection and spacing (API RP 2218)

• Fire zones and voting logic (2oo3, 1oo2)

• False alarm mitigation

• Integration with ESD and fire suppression

• Activity: Fire detector layout exercise

4.4 Gas Detection Systems

• Gas detection principles and technologies:

  • Catalytic bead (combustible gas)

  • Electrochemical (toxic gas - H₂S, CO, Cl₂)

  • Infrared (IR) point and open path

  • Photoionization detector (PID)

  • Ultrasonic gas leak detection

• Gas detector placement (API RP 505)

• Detection coverage and zones

• Alarm setpoints (LEL%, ppm, IDLH)

• Voting configurations and time delays

• Calibration and maintenance requirements

• Workshop: Gas detector mapping exercise

4.5 Fire & Gas System Integration

• F&G cause and effect matrix

• Voting logic and time delays

• ESD integration and shutdown actions

• Fire suppression system activation (deluge, foam, gas)

• HVAC shutdown and damper closure

• Public address and alarm systems

• Escape route lighting and signs

4.6 Alarm Management

• Alarm philosophy (ISA 18.2 / IEC 62682)

• Alarm classification (priority, consequence)

• Alarm rationalization process

• Maximum manageable alarm rates

• Nuisance alarms and alarm flooding

• Operator alarm response

• Critical alarms vs. safety critical alarms

• Exercise: Alarm rationalization workshop

4.7 High Integrity Pressure Protection Systems (HIPPS)

• HIPPS definition and applications

• Difference between HIPPS and conventional relief

• HIPPS components (pressure transmitters, logic, isolation valves)

• Response time requirements (< 2 seconds typical)

• SIL 3 requirements for HIPPS

• Proof testing and partial stroke testing

• Case Study: HIPPS vs. relief valve comparison

Deliverable: ESD philosophy document, F&G system layout, alarm management plan

📅 DAY 5: Operations, Maintenance & Capstone Project

Learning Objectives: Implement SIS operations and maintenance programs, conduct testing, manage modifications, and complete integrated project

Modules:

5.1 SIS Operations & Procedures

• Operating procedures for SIS and ESD

• Bypass and inhibit management:

  • Bypass authorization and tracking

  • Compensating measures during bypass

  • Time-limited bypasses

  • Forced and unforced shutdowns

• Operator training requirements

• Shift handover and communication

• Human factors and human error prevention

• Workshop: Bypass management procedure development

5.2 Proof Testing & Inspection

• Proof test definition and objectives

• Proof test interval determination

• Proof test procedures development:

  • Full stroke testing

  • Partial stroke testing

  • Component-level testing

• Proof test coverage and effectiveness

• Documentation and records management

• Online testing vs. shutdown testing

• Hands-On: Proof test procedure review

5.3 SIS Maintenance & Reliability

• Preventive maintenance programs

• Predictive maintenance techniques

• Failure tracking and reliability analysis

• Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF)

• Systematic capability and proven-in-use

• Spare parts management

• Vendor support and technical services

• Activity: Maintenance plan development

5.4 Performance Monitoring & Metrics

• SIS performance indicators (IEC 61511):

  • Dangerous detected failures

  • Dangerous undetected failures

  • Safe failures

  • Spurious trips

  • Proof test results

  • Bypass hours

• Process safety performance indicators (API RP 754):

  • Tier 1: Loss of primary containment (LOPC)

  • Tier 2: Challenges to safety systems

  • Tier 3: Near misses and operating discipline

  • Tier 4: Management system performance

• PFDavg verification from field data

• Reliability database updates

• Exercise: KPI dashboard development

5.5 Management of Change (MOC)

• MOC process for SIS modifications

• Temporary vs. permanent changes

• Risk assessment for changes

• Revalidation of SIL after changes

• Documentation updates (P&ID, SRS, C&E)

• Software change management

• Emergency changes and procedures

• Case Study: MOC failure analysis

5.6 Functional Safety Assessment (FSA)

• FSA purpose and timing (IEC 61511)

• FSA during design phase

• FSA before commissioning

• FSA during operations (periodic)

• Independent competent person requirements

• FSA scope and deliverables

• Non-conformance management

5.7 Advanced Topics

• Cybersecurity for SIS (IEC 62443)

• Wireless technology in safety systems

• Partial stroke testing technologies

• SIS in distributed control systems

• Black box design and diversity

• Safety instrumented systems for burner management (BMS)

• High Integrity Pressure Protection Systems (HIPPS) advanced

• Discussion: Emerging technologies and trends