IEC 61511

Key takeaways

IEC 61511 belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect IEC 61511 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of IEC 61511 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

IEC standard 61511 is a series of technical standards which sets out practices in the engineering of systems that ensure the safety of an industrial process through the use of instrumentation. Such systems are referred to as Safety Instrumented Systems. The title of the standard is "Functional safety - Safety instrumented systems for the process industry sector".

Scope The process industry sector includes many types of manufacturing processes, such as refineries, petrochemical, chemical, pharmaceutical, pulp and paper, and power. The process sector standard does not cover nuclear power facilities or nuclear reactors. IEC 61511 covers the application of electrical, electronic and programmable electronic equipment. While IEC 61511 does apply to equipment using pneumatic or hydraulic systems to manipulate final elements, the standard does not cover the design and implementation of pneumatic or hydraulic logic solvers. This standard defines the functional safety requirements established by IEC 61508 in process industry sector terminology. IEC 61511 focuses attention on one type of instrumented safety system used within the process sector, the Safety Instrumented System (SIS).

History In 1998 the IEC, which stands for International Electrotechnical Commission published a document, IEC 61508, entitled: “Functional safety of electrical/electronic/programmable electronic safety-related systems”. This document sets the standards for safety-related system design of hardware and software. IEC 61508 is generic functional safety standard, providing the framework and core requirements for sector specific standard. Three sector specific standards have been released using the IEC 61508 framework, IEC 61511 (process), IEC 61513 (nuclear) and IEC 62061 (manufacturing/machineries). IEC 61511 provides good engineering practices for the application of safety instrumented systems in the process sector. In the United States ANSI/ISA 84.00.01-2004 was issued in September 2004. It primarily mirrors IEC 61511 in content with the exception that it contains a grandfathering clause:

For existing safety instrumented systems (SIS) designed and constructed in accordance with codes, standards, or practices prior to the issuance of this standard (e.g. ANSI/ISA 84.01-1996), the owner/operator shall determine and document that the equipment is designed, maintained, inspected, tested, and operated in a safe manner. The European standards body, CENELEC, has adopted the standard as EN 61511. This means that in each of the member states of the European Union, the standard is published as a national standard. For example, in Great Britain, it is published by the national standards body, BSI, as BS EN 61511. The content of these national publications is identical to that of IEC 61511. Note, however, that 61511 is not harmonized under any directive of the European Commission.

The Standard IEC 61511 covers the design and management requirements for SISs throughout the entire safety life cycle. Its scope includes: initial concept, design, implementation, operation, and maintenance through to decommissioning. It starts in the earliest phase of a project and continues through startup. It contains sections that cover modifications that come along later, along with maintenance activities and the eventual decommissioning activities. The standard consists of three parts:

Framework, definitions, system, hardware and software requirements Guidelines in the application of IEC 61511-1 Guidance for the determination of the required safety integrity levels ISA 84.01/IEC 61511 requires a management system for identified SIS. An SIS is composed of a separate and independent combination of sensors, logic solvers, final elements, and support systems that are designed and managed to achieve a specified safety integrity level (SIL). An SIS may implement one or more safety instrumented functions (SIFs), which are designed and implemented to address a specific process hazard or hazardous event. The SIS management system should define how an owner/operator intends to assess, design, engineer, verify, install, commission, validate, operate, maintain, and continuously improve their SIS. The essential roles of the various personnel assigned responsibility for the SIS should be defined and procedures developed, as necessary, to support the consistent execution of their responsibilities. ISA 84.01/IEC 61511 uses an order of magnitude metric, the SIL, to establish the necessary performance. A hazard and risk analysis is used to identify the required safety functions and risk reduction for specified hazardous events. Safety functions allocated to the SIS are safety instrumented functions; the allocated risk reduction is related to the SIL. The design and operating basis is developed to ensure that the SIS meets the required SIL. Field data are collected through operational and mechanical integrity program activities to assess actual SIS performance. When the required performance is not met, action should be taken to close the gap, ensuring safe and reliable operation. IEC 61511 references IEC 61508 (the master standard) for many items such as manufacturers of hardware and instruments and so IEC 61511 cannot be fully implemented without reference to IEC 61508. IEC 61511 is the process industry implementation of IEC 61508.

IEC61511 is updated with Edition 2.0

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with IEC 61511

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what IEC 61511 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to IEC 61511 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about IEC 61511 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of IEC 61511

In research: IEC 61511 appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses IEC 61511 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: IEC 61511 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Electrical standards, Industrial processes, Safety, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for IEC 61511 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study IEC 61511 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what IEC 61511 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain IEC 61511 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is IEC 61511 in simple terms?

IEC standard 61511 is a series of technical standards which sets out practices in the engineering of systems that ensure the safety of an industrial process through the use of instrumentation. Such systems are referred to as Safety Instrumented Systems.

Why does IEC 61511 matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study IEC 61511?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on IEC 61511.