Optimum Protective Systems for Critical Turbomachinery

In recent years, the Petrochemical Industry has seen greater emphasis placed on the management of Process Safety. As an integral part of the process, turbo machinery has also seen its share of scrutiny and more and more focus is being placed on shutdowns, alarms, critical interlocks and overall Machinery Protection. Although there has been increased focus and improvements to machinery protective systems, the industry is still experiencing failures, unscheduled outages, and costly repairs to rotating machinery.

The purpose of the presentation is to raise awareness and provide some guidance for applying the right amount of protection and verifying the operability of protective systems associated with critical machinery. The presentation will also cover methodology presently used by the Process Sector for assessing and implementing optimum ‘protective instrumented systems’. The intent is to provide guidance to the controls and machinery communities on the use of Process Sector methodology. Such a process will help provide consistent guidelines when rationalizing protection for critical machinery. Relevant standards (ISO/ ANSI/ IEC/ etc) and terminologies associated with the use of Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS) will also be briefly explained.

This session addresses key steps in deciding the correct level of protection, (e.g. conducting an effective LOPA, which determines the necessary Integrity Level), and applying industry standards which, coupled with good technical judgment, ensures an acceptable Instrumented System capable of providing adequate protection. In addition, industry philosophies for proper installation, (referencing API/ ISO/ other industry standards), testing frequencies, and current practice used for the verification of machinery protective systems will be reviewed. Lastly, justification for protective system investment through examples of catastrophic failures and how they could have been prevented utilizing improved protective systems will be shared.