Problems with coordination between fire protection systems, DCS, and ESD
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Dear experts: My company is interested in taking on the task of developing the control system for a project. Currently, the client requires that this system be integrated with the fire protection system, so that local shutdown can occur in response to fire alarms. The current idea is to have the fire alarm signals go to the DCS, and from there the DCS signals are sent to the emergency shutdown system; is this system a bit overcomplicated? What experience do you all have in this area? Are there any things I need to be aware of?
I have no experience, but I agree with what you said. It probably won’t be that much either; it won’t be overly bulky.
The scheme proposed by the owner for interlocked shutdown of certain devices in the fire protection system should have taken into account the actual conditions of those devices. There is a problem with the signal connection: The stop signal from the fire protection system should be sent to the ESD system via hard wiring. The ESD system uses hardwired connections to send the stop signal to the DCS system.
It is best to consider reliability in order to prevent malfunctioning; for critical interlocks, the 3-out-of-2 configuration used in safety instrumented systems can be adopted
Fire alarms can give false alerts, so this needs to be considered carefully.
I’ve always been curious about this safety and fire protection system; those I’ve seen are independent of DCS and SIS. As soon as the security department comes to inspect, they ask whether it’s linked; it’s linked all the time – how can production proceed like this?
The fire alarm signal is fed into the DCS for alerting; it is also sent to the SIS to enable a delayed shutdown as a buffer against false alarms, and such alarms can be canceled as well. In my case, I directly integrate the fire alarm system into the DCS
The local interlocking after a fire alarm can be handled by the DCS; there is no need for a SIS system for this purpose
The statement on the third floor is the most accurate: it is necessary to have ESD interlock before the signal can be transmitted to the DCS via hardwired connections
The statement on the third floor is the most accurate: it is necessary to have ESD interlock before the signal can be transmitted to the DCS via hardwired connections
Now, a separate system is required for fire linkage control, and it must have CCCF certification; our unit has just installed one such system