Protect valve stations

Programmable electronic systems protect valve stations along the length of SABIC UK Petrochemicals’ 250km Wilton-Grangemouth Ethylene Pipeline (WGEP); one of a number of pipelines used to link ethylene production plants in the UK

Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) ranks among the world’s top petrochemical companies. The company is among the world’s market leaders in the production of polyethylene, polypropylene and other advanced thermoplastics, glycols, methanol and fertilizers.

SABIC’s businesses are grouped into Chemicals, Polymers, Performance Chemicals, Fertilizers, Metals and Innovative Plastics. SABIC has significant research resources with 18 dedicated Technology & Innovation facilities in Saudi Arabia, the USA, the Netherlands, Spain, Japan, India and China. The company operates in more than 40 countries across the world with 33,000 employees worldwide.

Specialist safety systems integrator Hima-Sella has completed delivery on safety solutions at all 20 valve stations along the length of SABIC UK Petrochemicals’ 250km Wilton-Grangemouth Ethylene Pipeline (WGEP); one of a number of pipelines used to link ethylene production plants in the UK.

The installations are part of an upgrade programme which commenced in 2010 and includes the replacement of the valve stations’ Remote Terminal Units (RTUs) and hardwired valve interlocks with a BS EN 61508 safety system.

At the valve stations, which are in remote locations, a number of parameters are monitored including valve positions, upstream and downstream pressures, temperatures, cathodic protection, battery charger status and product flows. Hima-Sella’s solution for localised safety within each valve station is the HIMA HIMatrix F35 Programmable Electronic System (PES), which has 8 analogue inputs, 24 digital inputs, eight digital outputs, three Fieldbus ports and four configurable Ethernet ports.

All 20 PESs for the WGEP upgrade were programmed by Hima-Sella, using HIMA’s IEC 61131-3-compliant ELOP II software tool.

In a separate contract, Hima-Sella has also provided a Safety Instrumented System (SIS – and again based on a HIMatrix PES) to SABIC UK Petrochemicals to protect its Teesside, Arthur Taylor Jetty Arm. Located in a Jetty Electrical Hut, the SIS is a standalone SIL 3 system with fail-safe inputs and outputs.