Verification of a safety certified controller at ABB

Abstract:

ABB has 30 years experienced within the safety area, and the currently used control system was first safety certified 2004. The control system, named 800xA, is a DCS system and is mainly used in a large-scale process system (e.g. Oil & Gas applications) but can also be used in, for example, machinery system and burner management systems. The concept of certifying a controller is based on both development process factors in the organization as well as architectural and technical concepts within the control system. In order to certify a safety controller, standards need to be interpreted and fulfilled, and a third party certification body needs to continually perform audits of the development, testing and technical aspects. The audits compare what is applied and compare it to the safety standards in the area (IEC 61508). This presentation will focus on the safety controller, which is SIL 3 certified, and on how ABB has chosen to fulfil the standard. In addition, this talk will cover an overview of 800xA, development process, testing process as well as the architecture of the control system.