A Burner Management System is a Safety Instrumented System!

Michael D. Scott, PE, CFSE VP Process Safety AE Solutions P.O. Box 26566 Greenville, SC 29616 mike.scott@aesolns.com
Ready or not here it comes! Industry is classifying Burner Management Systems (BMS) as Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS). ANSI / ISA S84.01 defines the process industry sector as those processes involved in, but not limited to, the production, generation, manufacture, and/or treatment of oil, gas, wood, metals, food, plastics, petrochemicals, chemicals, steam, electric power, pharmaceuticals, and waste material(s). Further, it defines a SIS as a System comprised of sensors, logic solvers, and final control elements for the purpose of taking a process to a safe state when predetermined conditions are violated. Clearly, in the process industry a BMS is included in the above, although not by direct reference. Some unfortunately have tried to utilize the lack of a direct BMS reference as evidence of an exclusionary clause. Grounds supporting this exclusion have all but, evaporated with the arrival / revision of several codes, standards and guideline documents that directly and unequivocally invoke the concept that a BMS is a SIS as noted below: BLRBLAC - Instrumentation Checklist and Classification Guide for Instruments and Control Systems Used in the Operation of Black Liquor Recovery Boilers Oct 1999 FM 7605 Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) Based Burner Systems Dec 1999 ANSI / ISA S84.01 - The Application of ANSI/ISA 84.00.01-2003 (IEC 61511) for Safety Instrumented Functions (SIFs) in Burner Management Systems Draft API 556 Instrumentation and Controls for Fired Heaters and Steam Generators - Draft Oct 2004 EN 50162-1 Electrical equipment for furnaces and ancillary equipment - Draft

All of the above documents invoke the concept that a BMS is a SIS. To specifically address BMS, the SP84 committee has formed a sub-committee to produce a Technical Report / Guideline document to provide guidance for users and OEM of BMS to determine which, if any, safety functions of a BMS should be implemented according to the requirements of ANSI/ISA 84.01-1996 and IEC 61511. The Technical Report / Guideline document will provide examples of Safety Instrumented Functions (SIF) associated with the prescriptive functions that may be required by NFPA 85, NFPA 86, API 14C and API 556 for a variety of unit operations. It will focus on properly identifying SIF and provide examples of Safety Integrity Level (SIL) calculations for a variety of BMS architectures typically utilized in industry. More importantly, in addition to the written words contained in the above codes, standards and guidelines, end users are and have been actively invoking the Safety Lifecycle with respect to BMS.

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This statement is based upon several informal surveys of audience members at ISA national functions over the past three years. However, not all industry sectors, end users and OEM vendors have bought into this concept. One reason is directly related to an education issue. OEM vendors and power industry related end users / engineers, are not necessarily ISA members who have been aggressively exposed to performance based SIS standards over the past several years. To promote and develop cross industry awareness and combat the education issue, the SP84 committee is reaching out to the power community through NFPA, Commercial Industrial Boiler Organization and American Boiler Manufacturers Association members. The performance based SIS standards utilize standard reliability engineering concepts to allow one to design a BMS that meets an installations specific risk reduction requirements, while minimizing nuisance trips. Applying the Safety Lifecycle to a BMS is easy simply identify SIF, select and document SILs, perform conceptual design / SIL verification and perform detailed design. In todays competitive business environment, one cannot afford to over or under design safety systems! One should spend safety dollars wisely and only where needed! Industry standards and actual end user implementation, herald the arrival and acceptance of the concept that a Burner Management System is a Safety Instrumented System. One needs to actively embrace this concept to ensure that your products, projects, and operating equipment are designed, maintained, inspected, and tested per both the applicable prescriptive standards, as well as, the latest SIS performance based standards.

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