Yokogawa Releases Enhanced Version of ProSafe-RS Safety Instrumentation System - Improved control and safety instrumented system connectivity -

Tokyo, Japan - December 17, 2014

Yokogawa Electric Corporation announces that it will release ProSafe^®-RS R3.02.20 on December 26. This enhanced version of the ProSafe-RS safety instrumented system (SIS) offers improved connectivity with the ProSafe-SLS SIS, enabling the status of both systems to be monitored onscreen by operators of the CENTUM^® VP integrated production control system. In addition, R3.02.20 offers enhanced support of widely used open communication protocols, improving connectivity with other companies' SCADA^*1 software.

From right: ProSafe-RS, ProSafe-SLS

Development Background

In the oil, natural gas, petrochemical, iron & steel, and other energy and basic materials industries, plant safety is a growing concern. There is thus a rising demand for SISs that can help to prevent accidents by detecting abnormal conditions and initiating actions such as an emergency plant shutdown. Yokogawa provides two different SISs, the programmable ProSafe-RS and the solid-state^*2 ProSafe^®-SLS, and customers select which systems to utilize based on their facilities' requirements. For customers who use both SIS systems, there is need for a solution that will enable the status of both these systems to be monitored in an integrated manner.

Overview of Enhancements

Integrated monitoring of systems
With the ProSafe-SLS information gathering capability on ProSafe-RS SIS, operators can now monitor the status of a ProSafe-SLS SIS from CENTUM VP window. If a problem occurs anywhere in a plant, the sequence-of-event (SOE) data from both SISs will be displayed on an integrated screen at the operator terminals. Operators and maintenance engineers can then use this data to quickly identify and analyze the problem cause.
Communication protocol support for upstream applications
In oil and gas wellhead and pipeline applications, cost performance and space saving are key considerations. To satisfy these needs, ProSafe-RS is equipped with both safety and process control functions. The SCADA systems at such sites often rely on Distributed Network Protocol 3 (DNP3) for narrowband wireless and satellite upstream communications because this open protocol supports the temporary storage of data when there is a disruption in network communications. Support of DNP3 in the ProSafe-RS R3.02.20 controller enables customers to easily replace and expand their systems in the field while continuing to use their existing SCADA infrastructure. This saves time and reduces costs.

About ProSafe-RS

ProSafe-RS is a programmable-type SIS that was released in February 2005. It can be fully integrated with CENTUM^® series integrated production control systems, and is certified for use in SIL3^*3 applications. Since its release, ProSafe-RS has been implemented in more than 1,500 projects around the world.

About ProSafe-SLS

ProSafe-SLS is a solid-state safety instrumentation system that was released in 1997. Equipped with a magnetic core, ProSafe-SLS can be used in SIL4 applications. This system is in use at approximately 300 locations around the world, primarily in high-integrity pressure protection system (HIPPS) applications.

*1 Supervisory control and data acquisition. SCADA software is used to monitor and control production processes.

*2 A simple hardware design that employs a magnetic core and a semiconductor device

*3 Safety integrity level. SILs are defined by IEC 61508, a functional safety standard for electrical and electronic equipment that was developed by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). There are four levels: SIL1 to SIL4. For a plant where safety measures are not in place, SIL3 reduces the risk factor to 1/1000-1/10000, and SIL4 reduces it to 1/10000-1/100000.

Applications/Major Target Markets

For use in emergency shutdown systems (ESD) and fire and gas systems (FGS) in oil refineries, natural gas processing facilities, and petrochemical plants, and in oil and gas production facilities

About Yokogawa

Yokogawa's global network of 86 companies spans 56 countries. Founded in 1915, the US$4 billion company conducts cutting-edge research and innovation. Yokogawa is engaged in the industrial automation and control (IA), test and measurement, and other businesses segments. The IA segment plays a vital role in a wide range of industries including oil, chemicals, natural gas, power, iron and steel, pulp and paper, pharmaceuticals, and food. For more information about Yokogawa, please visit the company's website www.yokogawa.com.