Safety control system passes Shell assessment test 15 December 2010

Following successful completion of Shell's operational assessment test, Hima's HIMax safety system can now be used worldwide on the oil giant's projects, without further evaluations.

Shell performs assessment tests on all safety systems, and in this case four HIMax systems were tested with four different control systems (Yokogawa, Siemens, Honeywell and Emerson) – double the number required.

Audun Gjerde, from Shell Global Solutions, explains that the testing included a communication test, a hardware stress test, a FAT stress test, a temperature test and an asset management test.

"The performance of HIMax is impressive – above all, the performance between two safety controllers. The reaction rate of the controller under load is remarkable, as well as the fact that the configuration can be adjusted," says Gjerde.

HIMax is aimed at mid-size and large applications, and separates the safety system from the controls -- ensuring safety-critical design and in particular that programming and operating errors are avoided.

"If no common mode failures may occur, a very good solution is a standalone safety system with a communication interface to the DCS [distributed control system]," comments Gjerde.

He says that HIMax also passed the communication, stress and temperature tests and declares that the system meets Shell's safety requirements. And he adds: "During the tests, we usually try to take systems beyond their limits, but this was difficult with HIMax."

Looking at operations, Gjerde also says: "The option to perform changes online and replace the hardware during system operation avoids process shut-downs." And he likes the system's function blocks, which he says are useful for Shell. "We prefer working with libraries and like to use the same solution in follow-up projects," he explains.

Brian Tinham

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