FCT (Flow Control Technologies), the French pipeline ball valve manufacturer serving the oil and gas industry, has qualified for SIL (Safety Integrity Level) 3 or 4, IEC 61508 and European PED module H1 certifications.
High Integrity Pressure Protection Systems (HIPPS) are designed to protect oil and gas installations from the consequences of system malfunction. HIPPS systems incorporate emergency shut-down valves (ESDV), which are generally specified to SIL Level 3 or Level 4, the operation of which is critical to the safety of plant and personnel. The SIL qualification is an assessment procedure that determines the probability of safety equipment functioning correctly on demand, over a specified period of time. The assessment, undertaken by an independent authority, involves a detailed review of design, manufacturing quality management and field performance experience, within which statistical probabilities of failure are assessed.
According to the IEC 61508 standard, the Probability of Failure on Demand (PFD) at Levels 3 and 4 are as follows:- SIL 3 PFD >=0.0001 to < 0.001 SIL 4 PFD >=0.00001 to < 0.0001.
The trunnion mounted ball valve ranges of FCT have recently been assessed according to IEC 61508 and found to comply to SIL 3 in the case of a single valve configuration and to SIL 4 where two valves are used in series. This applies to the HPA, HRA, DB, DBW and TE branded valves and include 3- piece, 2-piece, fully welded and top entry ball valves respectively, in sizes 2” to 56” and pressure ratings Class 150 to Class 2500 and API 15000.
These two certifications – SIL 3 or 4 and PED module H1 – confirm that safety issues are a major concern in the design, manufacture and maintenance of FCT ball valves and enable FCT to provide equipment to the highest level of safety and reliability for the most demanding applications.
