April 19, 2010 — Asset and system availability along with process safety are more critical than ever in the oil and gas industry. A white paper from Rockwell Automation details the options and outlines the technology and design considerations for selecting a safety system for oil and gas process applications that will help users optimize uptime, minimize risks and reduce life-cycle costs. The white paper, “Demanding Performance Requirements of Oil and Gas Industry Requires Careful Safety System Selection,” discusses the pros and cons of common design approaches. It highlights business benefits companies can gain by implementing intelligent safety systems, including improved asset protection and availability, reduced labor costs, and increased overall equipment effectiveness.
“While safety is a concern across all manufacturing sectors, it is especially critical in the oil and gas industry where a single incident or hazardous event could prove costly and have far-reaching impacts,” said Paul Gruhn, PE, CFSE, ISA 84 expert and manager at Rockwell Automation. “To best protect people and equipment, striking the right balance between minimizing risks and optimizing performance requires careful evaluation of the capabilities, limitations and advantages of a particular safety system from the range of available technology options.”The white paper discusses the importance of matching safety system technology to the specific demands of the application through a detailed and systematic risk assessment process.
It also outlines key design and performance considerations, including type of control architecture, level of fault tolerance required, programming complexity and ease of connectivity.Improper design and implementation can jeopardize the effectiveness of a safety system. Therefore, the paper recommends users look for a safety control vendor that can deliver the range of technology required, and provide the knowledge and expertise needed to apply the products to meet the plant’s specific performance, risk and costs goals. Once the equipment is properly installed, the supplier should help with ongoing technical and engineering support, and maintenance to keep the systems running cost-efficiently.
The white paper, “Demanding Performance Requirements of Oil and Gas Industry Requires Careful Safety System Selection,” is available at www.rockwellautomation.com/industries/oilgas . Note: Requires registration to read the paper. Rockwell Automation, Inc.
(NYSE: ROK), the world’s largest company dedicated to industrial automation and information, makes its customers more productive and the world more sustainable. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., Rockwell Automation employs about 19,000 people serving customers in more than 80 countries.