SIL Verification

Industrial licensing authorities and regulations require operating companies to carry out a SIL Assessment and a SIL Verification study for the Safety Instrumented Functions (SIF) during facility design, as well as prior to construction and during operation.

What is SIL?

The acronym SIL stands for Safety Integrity Level.

A SIL Assessment is a study usually performed contextually to a Risk Analysis (HAZOP).
The SIL target for each Safety Instrumented Function (SIF) existing in the installation is assessed by a team of specialists that typically includes personnel from Process, Instruments/Electrical, HSE, Project Engineering and Operations.

The SIL Assessment study is led by an experienced facilitator. Once the SIL values are assessed, a Verification of such values is performed in order to check that the Probability of Failure on Demand (PFD) for each SIF is inside the range of the PFD corresponding to the required SIL.

Moreover, the compliance of the SIF architecture with the required availability level (SIL) is verified.
SIL Assessment and SIL Verification are developed in accordance with IEC 61508 and IEC 61511.

HOW WE SUPPORT YOU

Bureau Veritas performs SIL Assessments for operating facilities by means of a two step approach;

(i) SIL Classification and
(ii) SIL Verification.

Note: IEC 61511 gives normative references to SIL Assessments for process industries.

We use a risk based approach to determine the safety integrity requirements of E/E/PE safety-related systems. This approach is comprised of multiple examples demonstrating its execution. An overall safety lifecycle model may be utilized as part of the technical framework of activities necessary to ensure functional safety is achieved by these systems.

Our focus is to encompass all aspects of the system and corresponding subsystems that carry out the safety function. This may include hardware, software and failure mechanisms (random hardware and systematic). Our methods contain requirements for preventing failures (by avoiding the introduction of faults) and for controlling failures (ensuring safety even when faults are present).

These techniques and measures are necessary to achieve the required safety integrity for our client’s products.

Bureau Veritas offers services for various safety lifecycle activities including the initial concept; hazard analysis and risk assessment; development of safety requirements; specification; design and implementation; operation and maintenance; modification; and final decommissioning and/or disposal.