Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS for short) that are used in the process industry sector, such as Oil and Gas platforms, Petroleum refineries, chemical manufacturing plants, pulp and paper, fossil fuel power generation plants and so on generally comply with the international standard IEC 61511. This standard, published by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is the most widely used standard all over the world for building and maintaining SIS in the process industries.
In the US, the equivalent standard is ISA S84.01 published by the Instrumentation, Systems and Automation Society (formerly known as the Instrument Society of America). ISA S84 is mostly identical to IEC 61511, except for a few things.
Safety Instrumented Systems IEC 61511 parts
IEC 61511 has three parts as given below. There is a fourth part, which is a Technical Report that gives explanations for changes in the latest edition.
- IEC 61511:2016-Functional safety – Safety instrumented systems for the process industry sector – Part 1: Framework, definitions, system, hardware and application programming requirements
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Functional safety – Safety instrumented systems for the process industry sector – Part 2: Guidelines for the application of IEC 61511-1:2016
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IEC 61511-3:2016 –Functional safety – Safety instrumented systems for the process industry sector – Part 3: Guidance for the determination of the required safety integrity levels
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IEC TR 61511-4:2020 –Functional safety – Safety instrumented systems for the process industry sector – Part 4: Explanation and rationale for changes in IEC 61511-1 from Edition 1 to Edition 2
Which is the latest version of IEC 61511?
The most recent versions are the ones given above. In order to correctly comply with the standard, you must apply the latest versions.
Where can I learn more about Safety Instrumented Systems and IEC 61511?
Simply take the Abhisam Safety Instrumented Systems online e-learning course today. This is the easiest, fastest and most cost effective way of mastering the subject. Not only will you learn everything in a few hours (40 hours) but you can also take the Abhisam SIS exam and get certified as a professional. Most marquee companies accept Abhisam certifications.
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Why must I learn about SIS?
If you are in any way connected with the Process Industry as an Instrument or Control Systems engineer, or as a Safety Professional, or as an Operations guy, or in a discipline that is connected to these two (such as in Project Design, Engineering, Installation, Commissioning or Maintenance) then you must be familiar with Functional Safety and Safety Instrumented Systems. This is because most of todays modern process plants depend a lot on their SIS to reduce the risk of fire, explosion, loss of containment, damage to equipment, injuries to people and harming the environment. Unless you are trained and knowledgeable in the subject, you will not be able to make the best use of these systems.
Secondly, if your organization claims compliance to any of the Functional Safety Standards, such as IEC 61511 or ISA S84, then they must also ensure that employees who work on SIS are competent. This competency should be evaluated by third parties, to avoid bias and this is where Abhisam certifications play a big role. If you wish to train large numbers of your employees or colleagues in the fastest as well as most cost effective manner, then Abhisam courses are the right choice. You will learn this subject easily by way of text, animations, videos and exercises, cases studies, examples in the comfort of your home or office or plant, take the associated exam and get certified as a professional.
Hence this is ideal for ensuring competency of people.
What is the difference between IEC 61508 and IEC 61511?
IEC 61508 is the primary standard for Functional Safety and Safety Instrumented Systems. It is the mother standard as all other industry specific standards (such as IEC 61511 for the process industry sector) are derived from it. Since Functional Safety is applicable to a large set of diverse sectors, such as Railways, Nuclear, Automobiles, Machinery and so on, in addition to the process industry, there are separate “industry-specific” standards for each of them. The base is however IEC 61508.
Read more about the difference between IEC 61511 and IEC 61508 here.
