Activity

  • Hydrogen Sulfide in Paper Mills: Find it Before it Finds You

    Jim Cahill
    In a Paper360 magazine article, “Wireless Sensors Improve Toxic Gas Mitigation in P&P Mills”, Emerson’s Forrest Francis explains how workers can avoid nasty surprises. TV shows add drama saying their stories are “ripped from the headlines,” meaning they’re based on real-world people and events. Sometimes the same thing can happen with articles. The real-world story in this case was a report from Australia about two…

  • Hydrogen Sulfide in Paper Mills: Find it Before it Finds You

    Jim Cahill
    In a Paper360 magazine article, Wireless Sensors Improve Toxic Gas Mitigation in P&P Mills, Emerson’s Bill Francis explains how workers can avoid nasty surprises. TV shows add drama saying their stories are “ripped from the headlines,” meaning they’re based on real-world people and events. Sometimes the same thing can happen with articles. The real-world story in this case was a report from Australia about two maintenance…

  • Cybersecurity Considerations for Automation Architectures

    Jim Cahill
    Automation architectures extend beyond the instrumentation and control systems to safety instrumented systems, asset management systems, manufacturing execution systems, and more. All these systems and devices must be considered in managing strong cyber defenses. In an Industrial Safety and Security Source article, Considerations in Choosing a Defendable Safety System Architecture , Emerson’s Sergio Diaz and Alexandre…

  • Cybersecurity Considerations for Automation Architectures

    Jim Cahill
    Sergio Diaz Alexandre Peixoto Automation architectures extend beyond the instrumentation and control systems to safety instrumented systems, asset management systems, manufacturing execution systems, and more. All these systems and devices must be considered in managing strong cyber defenses. In an Industrial Safety and Security Source article, Considerations in Choosing a Defendable Safety System Architecture …

  • Safety Shower and Location Awareness Wireless Monitoring

    Jim Cahill
    Marcio Donnangelo In an earlier post, How Digital Transformation Can Impact Compliance for Environmental and Safety Regulation , I shared some safety examples. Emerson’s Marcio Donnangelo explored specific examples more deeply in his 2020 4C HSE conference presentation, Safety Showers and Location Awareness – Improving Safety with Wireless Monitoring. Marcio opened describing three ways to help create a safe environment…

  • Self-Contained Hydraulic Emergency Shutdown System

    Jim Cahill
    Sergio Vaz Lopes A safety instrumented function (SIF) in a safety instrumented system (SIS) contains a sensor, logic solver and final element. All must function properly in the event of a safety demand to take the process into a safe state in coordination with other SIFs. The final element consists of several parts including the isolation valve, actuator, pressure pilots, test valves and other components as required…

  • Self-Contained Hydraulic Emergency Shutdown System

    Jim Cahill
    Sergio Vaz Lopes A safety instrumented function (SIF) in a safety instrumented system (SIS) contains a sensor, logic solver and final element. All must function properly in the event of a safety demand to take the process into a safe state in coordination with other SIFs. The final element consists of several parts including the isolation valve, actuator, pressure pilots, test valves and other components as required…

  • Self-Contained Hydraulic Emergency Shutdown System

    Jim Cahill
    Sergio Vaz Lopes A safety instrumented function (SIF) in a safety instrumented system (SIS) contains a sensor, logic solver and final element. All must function properly in the event of a safety demand to take the process into a safe state in coordination with other SIFs. The final element consists of several parts including the isolation valve, actuator, pressure pilots, test valves and other components as required…

  • Non-contacting Radar for Automatic Tank Gauging and Overfill Prevention Systems

    Jim Cahill
    Bulk liquid storage tanks often contain fluids that are hazardous, flammable and/or explosive. These tanks require not only a control system to control levels but and overfill prevention system (OPS) as layer of protection beyond the control system. This basic process control system (BPCS) is commonly referred to as an automatic tank gauging (ATG) system and the OPS is the safety instrumented system (SIS). A Fluid Handling…

  • Non-contacting Radar for Automatic Tank Gauging and Overfill Prevention Systems

    Jim Cahill
    Bulk liquid storage tanks often contain fluids that are hazardous, flammable and/or explosive. These tanks require not only a control system to control levels but and overfill prevention system (OPS) as layer of protection beyond the control system. This basic process control system (BPCS) is commonly referred to as an automatic tank gauging (ATG) system and the OPS is the safety instrumented system (SIS). A Fluid Handling…

  • Non-contacting Radar for Automatic Tank Gauging and Overfill Prevention Systems

    Jim Cahill
    Bulk liquid storage tanks often contain fluids that are hazardous, flammable and/or explosive. These tanks require not only a control system to control levels but and overfill prevention system (OPS) as layer of protection beyond the control system. This basic process control system (BPCS) is commonly referred to as an automatic tank gauging (ATG) system and the OPS is the safety instrumented system (SIS). A Fluid Handling…

  • Understanding Functional Safety Concepts and Final Element Suitability

    Jim Cahill
    Riyaz Ali The world of functional safety has its own tribal language and acronyms, e.g. safety instrumented systems (SISs), safety instrumented functions (SIFs), logic solvers, final elements (FEs), safety integrity level (SIL), probability of failure on demand (PFD), etc. In a Hydrocarbon Engineering article, Keep in the Safety Loop , Emerson’s Riyaz Ali does an excellent job of defining and demystifying these phrases…

  • Approaches to Partial Stroke Testing Safety Valves

    Jim Cahill
    The safety valve within a safety instrumented function (SIF) must be tested regularly to help assure proper operation in the event of a safety demand. Operators usually perform an offline full stroke test during a scheduled shutdown because of the impact of this test on the process. But when a SIF (a.k.a. safety loop) requires more frequent testing, users can perform a partial stroke test (PST) , per the global IEC 61511…

  • Approaches to Partial Stroke Testing Safety Valves

    Jim Cahill
    The safety valve within a safety instrumented function (SIF) must be tested regularly to help assure proper operation in the event of a safety demand. Operators usually perform an offline full stroke test during a scheduled shutdown because of the impact of this test on the process. But when a SIF (a.k.a. safety loop) requires more frequent testing, users can perform a partial stroke test (PST) , per the global IEC 61511…

  • Approaches to Partial Stroke Testing Safety Valves

    Jim Cahill
    The safety valve within a safety instrumented function (SIF) must be tested regularly to help assure proper operation in the event of a safety demand. Operators usually perform an offline full stroke test during a scheduled shutdown because of the impact of this test on the process. But when a SIF (a.k.a. safety loop) requires more frequent testing, users can perform a partial stroke test (PST) , per the global IEC 61511…

  • Safety Instrumented System Cybersecurity Best Practices

    Jim Cahill
    Emerson’s Sergio Diaz and Alexandre Peixoto presented Best Practices for a Cybersecure SIS at the 2019 Emerson Exchange conference. Sergio opened that the goal of this presentation is to provide practical information to maintain a more defendable security posture for safety instrumented systems (SISs) . Like control systems, defense in depth is an important concept for an SIS. It starts at plant level security, work…

  • Security for Safety System Logic Solvers-Physical Key Switches and Software Locks

    Jim Cahill
    Sergio Diaz Author: Sergio Diaz As a product marketing manager for DeltaV safety instrumented systems (SIS) , I have been asked a few times why the key switch on the CHARMs Smart Logic Solver (CSLS) does not control the lock state as is common with many safety controllers. DeltaV CHARMs Smart Logic Solver (CSLS) The next question is, “Why does the user still need to lock the CSLS via software?” The reason is…

  • Reducing Level Detector Proof Testing Complexity

    Jim Cahill
    Each safety instrumented function (SIF) including its sensor, logic solver and final control element must be periodically tested to make sure it will perform as designed in the event of a safety demand. These “proof tests” help to uncover and failure conditions which may have developed since the last proof test or safety demand. A new whitepaper, Reducing the Complexity of Proof-Testing with New Generation Point Level…

  • Reducing Level Detector Proof Testing Complexity

    Jim Cahill
    Each safety instrumented function (SIF) including its sensor, logic solver and final control element must be periodically tested to make sure it will perform as designed in the event of a safety demand. These “proof tests” help to uncover and failure conditions which may have developed since the last proof test or safety demand. A new whitepaper, Reducing the Complexity of Proof-Testing with New Generation Point Level…

  • Reducing Level Detector Proof Testing Complexity

    Jim Cahill
    Each safety instrumented function (SIF) including its sensor, logic solver and final control element must be periodically tested to make sure it will perform as designed in the event of a safety demand. These “proof tests” help to uncover and failure conditions which may have developed since the last proof test or safety demand. A new whitepaper, Reducing the Complexity of Proof-Testing with New Generation Point Level…

  • Reducing Level Detector Proof Testing Complexity

    Jim Cahill
    Each safety instrumented function (SIF) including its sensor, logic solver and final control element must be periodically tested to make sure it will perform as designed in the event of a safety demand. These “proof tests” help to uncover and failure conditions which may have developed since the last proof test or safety demand. A new whitepaper, Reducing the Complexity of Proof-Testing with New Generation Point Level…

  • Cybersecurity Considerations in Safety Instrumented System Architectures

    Jim Cahill
    Sergio Diaz Alexandre Peixoto Safety instrumented systems (SIS), which are designed to take the process to a safe state in trip conditions, come in several architectures with the basic process control system (BPCS). The SIS and BPCS can be totally separate, interfaced or integrated, yet separate. While the debate on which approach is best has been going on for a long time, what are they cybersecurity considerations…

  • Storage Tank Overfill Protection

    Jim Cahill
    Lydia Miller AnnCharlott Enberg Preventing overfill conditions in tanks and vessels is a job for safety instrumented systems across many industries. In a Flow Control article, A Systemic Approach to Storage Tank Overfill Protection , Emerson’s Lydia Miller and AnnCharlott Enberg describe the key components in a comprehensive tank management system to meet the safety requirements for the application. Lydia and AnnCharlott…

  • Remote Proof Testing Safety Level Switches

    Jim Cahill
    One of the necessities in managing safety instrumented systems throughout the IEC 61511 safety lifecycle is to perform periodic proof tests on the components in a safety instrumented function to verify proper function. A short 2:44 YouTube video, How to Remotely Proof-Test the Rosemount 2140:SIS shows how this proof testing can be performed remotely for safety level switches to save time & costs and reduce risk. …

  • Integrated versus Separate Control and Safety

    Jim Cahill
    Panelists at a session at the 2019 ARC Industry Forum , Safety Systems: Integrated versus Not? Does It Really Matter?, set out to discuss the pros and cons of the approaches and how they accommodate different risk factors. ARC Advisory Group’s Mark Sen Gupta moderated this panel which included executives from Air Products & Chemicals, Dow Chemical, Chevron Energy Technology, and exida. Mark covers the process safety…

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