Hima ESD systems for German LPG storage facility
10 Dec 2009
Brunsbüttel, Germany – Nordsee Gas Terminal GmbH & Co. KG has opted to install install three H51q systems from HIMA Paul Hildebrandt GmbH + Co KG as emergency shutdown (ESD) systems at its liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) storage facility in Brunsbüttel. The systems help ensure safe operations at the only LPG sea import terminal in Germany.
At the import storage facility, the LPG is delivered to the Elbe Port by tankers, then conveyed through a pipeline into a depressurised, cryogenic tank and three additional pressure tanks. From there, it is loaded into rail tank cars and road tank cars. The hazardous area facility is operated under strict safety measures.
One H51q system will be used as operating and monitoring systems, while two additional controllers will serve as safety systems for the re-liquefaction process. These additional two controllers will monitor two physically separated, low-voltage installations for monitoring the tank cooling temperature. This dual-systems setup is designed to ensure the highest possible process availability. The controllers will be commissioned at the beginning of 2010.
The HIMA systems can process more than 700 signals and meet the on-site requirements for SIL 2 in accordance with IEC 61508. The controllers are safely connected with one another via safeethernet, while the two plant buildings communicate via fiber optic cables. The HIMA systems communicate with third-party systems via PROFIBUS DP.
