Safety Instrumented Systems: A Life-Cycle Approach (EC50)

EC50 focuses on the engineering requirements for the specification, design, analysis, and justification of safety instrumented systems for the process industries. Students will learn how to determine safety integrity levels and evaluate whether proposed or existing systems meet the performance and documentation requirements defined in the ISA 84 (IEC 61511) standard.


Certificate Program

This course is part of the ISA/IEC 61511 SIS Fundamentals Specialist Certificate Program. Course registration includes one exam fee. Pass the exam and earn the ISA/IEC 61511 SIS Fundamentals Specialist certificate.
 
ISA EC50 Instructor Interview

View Offerings by Format

Classroom (EC50)

Length: 4.5 days 
CEU Credits: 3.2

Classroom Offerings (EC50)

Virtual Classroom (EC50V)

Length: 4.5 days 
CEU Credits: 3.2

Virtual Classroom Offering (EC50V)


Instructor-Guided Online (EC50E)

Length: 8 weeks 
CEU Credits: 3.5

Instructor-Guided, Online Offering (EC50E)


Self-Paced, Modular (EC50M)

Length: 12 Modules, 25-65 minutes each
CEU Credits: 2.0

Self-Paced Modular Offering (EC50M)

Learning Objectives

  • Define safety instrumented system
  • Discuss how regulations have resulted through lessons learned from high profile process industry accidents
  • Determine which ANSI/ISA, AIChE, and IEC guidelines and standards are relevant in industry
  • Identify the Scope of ISA 61511
  • Discuss strategies for the management of functional safety
  • Identify the stages of the safety design lifecycle
  • Identify available safety layers for an IACS
  • Discuss the importance of "defense in depth" concept
  • Identify how SISs are used to reduce risk
  • Categorize risk using a PHA
  • Determine SIL using qualitative methods
  • Determine performance requirements for each SIL
  • Conduct a LOPA
  • Discuss LOPA methodology
  • Develop guidelines for LOPA
  • Determine risk tolerance
  • Identify resources for cybersecurity in an IACS
  • Identify failure modes and the risks involved with each
  • Identify hardware modeling techniques (SIL verification)
  • Explain the impact of redundancy on failure rates
  • Demonstrate the use of fault tolerance tables
  • Develop an SRS
  • Explain the pros and cons of relay logic systems
  • Explain the pros and cons of microprocessor systems (PLC)
  • Discuss the pros and cons of pneumatic systems
  • Identify typical field devices in an IACS
  • Discuss impact of field devices on system performance
  • Explain Center for Internet Security (CIS) Benchmarks
  • Explain pros and cons of using certification vs prior use devices
  • Explain the FAT process
  • Explain installation and commissioning process
  • Explain the validation process
  • Identify priorities of the operation and maintenance phase
  • Identify safety requirements for MOC
  • Identify documents to maintain for SRS

Topics Covered

  • Background, Scope, Management Issues, Lifecycle
    • High-profile process industry accidents
    • Resulting legislation
    • Lessons learned
  • Hazard and Risk Assessment, Selecting SILs
    • Concepts and benefits of independent safety layers
    • Hazard identification
    • Risk assessment
    • Safety integrity levels (SIL)
  • Layer Of Protection Analysis (LOPA) and Cybersecurity
    • LOPA
  • Reliability and Modeling Issues
    • Reliability issues
    • Hardware fault tolerance requirement tables
  • SRS and Logic Solver Technologies
    • Safety requirements specification (SRS)
    • Pros and cons of pneumatic, relay, and microprocessor logic systems
  • Field Devices, Certification, Miscellaneous Design Issues
    • Impact of field devices
    • Differences between using certified vs. proven-in-use devices
  • FAT and beyond
    • Factory Acceptance Testing
    • Installation
    • Commission
    • Validation
    • Operations
    • Maintenance
    • Testing
    • Bypassing
    • Management of change

Resources Included

ISA Standards

  • Online access to ISA/IEC 61511 standards for the duration of the course

ISA Book

A hand-held, scientific calculator should be brought to class.

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