ACTUATING SAFETY

Partial Stroke Testing

Integrating valves, systems, and processes can allow partial stroke testing (PST) of emergency
shutdown valves, increaseing safety and extend time between full stroke testing,
thus saving money. But beware of the 7 misunderstood points of PST.

V
Mark T. Hoske alves are expected to operate even if Masoneilan. Esposito spoke on the subject at the
Control Engineering they havent been operated for awhile. Yokogawa Corp. of America 2008 User Confer-
To ensure proper operation in emer- ence & Technology Fair in April.
gency shutdown (ESD) Depending on the process,
service, valves must be
actuated. To do so, most processes
must be interruptedinconve-
nient at best, costly at worst, but
Increase
the interval
between full
documenting and doing the sys-
tem integration for that kind of
change can save millions of dol-
lars in hardware and maintenance
certainly not as costly as a valve costs while increasing process
stroke valve
actuation failure in a safety instru- efficiency, Esposito said. Because
mented function (SIF). testing by of the change in system design
Integrating partial stroke test- a year and and integration of varied prac-
ing (PST), if processes allow, can tices, people may be unwilling
stretch duration between tests
increase the to consider partial stroke testing.
by one to three years and reduce safety integrity Attitudes may change with greater
the probability of failure on level. understanding of IEC 61508, IEC
demand, said Sandro Esposito,

61511, and ANSI/ISA-TR96.05.01,
global product marketing manager for Dresser Partial Stroke Testing of Automated Block Valves,

Weakest link in safety instrumented function (SIF):

Solenoid and emergency shutdown valve

Logic
solver
Process

SIF

Emergency
Complexities in the Sensors Solenoid shutdown
solenoid and emergency valve
shutdown valve contrib-
Weakest link
ute to making them the
weakest link in the safety
instrumented function.

Source: Control Engineering and Dresser Masoneilan

66 AUGUST 2008 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

 Partial stroke valve testing improves safety, saves money Automated partial stroke
Increase the safety integrated level (SIL) and time between full proof test stroke valve testing with partial testing can increase
stroke testing (PST), which is more frequent partial movement of an on/off valve that does not disturb the
safety and extend time
process. PST reduces risk and the probability of failure on demand and, depending on design, can allow
for fewer valves for a safety integrated function (SIF). between full stroke
tests. Depending on the
Valve is fully stroked (full proof test) process, this can save a
boatload of money.
Partial stroke testing

Shutdown
interval
target

SIL3

SIL2

SIL1

1 2 Years
Source: Control Engineering and Dresser Masoneilan

recently approved by ISA and registered with the Increase duration between shutdowns; and
American National Standards Institute. Automatically document a safety event.
When Esposito hears of resistance to new Comparing risk between annual full stroke
ideas, he quotes Albert Einstein, who said: The testing and partial stroke testing four times a
world we have created is a product of our think- year shows that safety of the integrated system
ing; it cannot be changed without changing our may increase from SIL2 to SIL3. In addition,
thinking. Esposito said, a smart design may reduce the
Actuation of the process isolation elements number of required valves for the safety inte-
(the on/off valve that brings the plant to a safe grated function.
state) represents the weakest link in the ESD sys- The graph above shows how partial stroke testing
tem, Esposito said. can increase safety, as well as the interval between
Sources of error are many, including trim partial stroke testing from one to two years.
wear (valve leakage), loose or seized trim, eroded
valve seat, broken shaft or stem, bearings worn Comparison, full and partial
or contaminated, bonnet or packing leakage, Without the SIL increase shown in the graph,
damaged or leaky actuator diaphragm, broken Esposito said PST could stretch the duration of
actuator springs, leaking piston seals, clogged full stroke testing to three years, as the following
venting or filling ports, damaged mechanical analysis shows.
feedback, and air contaminations to accessories
(such as solenoid and booster).
Partial stroke testing, or PST, can improve the
risk reduction factor and decrease the probability
ONLINE: More safety
of failure on demand (PFD). In many processes, knowledge
such testing can be done without disturbing the
process. F or links to the following
safety resources and
more resources on this topic,
A May 2008 article looks
at sensors within machine
safety systems.
Testing advantages visit this article at A Webcast delivers five
Esposito said a fully enabled system that allows www.controleng.com/archive, tips for process safety.
smart ESDs can: August 2008, and scroll down A March 2008 safety
Lower testing cost; to the Online Extra section. article focuses on two appli-
Decrease probability of human errors due to Recent safety-related items cations of safety control-
manual testing; available online include: lers showing safety system
Automate compliance documentation, ensur- A June 2008 article pro- integration: a fiery roller
ing compliance with safety standards; vides links to process safety coaster and a beverage can
Improve availability of ESD valve; whitepapers. installation.

www.controleng.com CONTROL ENGINEERING AUGUST 2008 67

ACTUATING SAFETY
Full-stroke testing assumptions:
Diagnostic coverage (DC) factor is 100%
and time interval (TI) is 1x / yr.
PFDavg= [(DC)(ld)(TI/2)]= (1)(ld)(1/2)= 0.5(ld)
68 AUGUST 2008 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com
PST assumptions: DC is 70% for par-
tial stroke and 100% for full stroke; TI is
6x for partial and 1x/3 yr for full.
PFDavg =[(DC)(d)(TI/2)]p + [(1-DC)(d)(TI/2)]F
=[(0.7)(d)({1/6}/2)]+[(1-0.7)(d)(3/2)]
=0.05 (d)+0.45(d)= 0.5 (d)
The results of the two analyses are
equal. A more traditional system relies
heavily on mechanical, pneumatic, and
electro-pneumatic elements, Esposito
explains, while a smart field device has
an embedded microprocessor and sen-
sors to increase reliability and provide
device health information. A smart ESD
is better than solenoids because: it pro-
vides information rather than data; can
throttle rather than deliver just on/off
pressure; and the pneumatic train is
always under control versus saturation.
Also, the PST is independent from shut-
down mode; with a solenoid, it may not
be apparent if its stuck open or closed.
Information is bi-directional, allowing
accessories testing, automatic documen-
tation, and continuous self-testing.
Health, diagnostics
A smart PST can reliably move an on/off
valve between shutdowns. It has remote
communications for reporting health
and tests according to the IEC 61508
safety standard. Such communications
improve ESD valve integrity and confirm
availability.
After a PST, the system flags the
software, saying that a new signature is
available. While 30% of travel may be
possible with some systems, depend-
ing on the process, 20% of full range of
movement is a typical target and gener-
ally a good number, Esposito said. Sys-
tem diagnostics can uncover things such
as a clogged vent or tubing, an air leak,
pneumatic difficulties, a stuck valve,
broken springs, or ancillary difficulties,
such as stuck booster.
Knowing the equipment health can
help improve safety instrumented func-
tions. Integrity relates to information of
critical components and response time to
components needs. While partial stroke
testing can extend the interval between
full stroke tests, it cannot fully replace
them. Diagnostic coverage is 60% to
70% because partial movement doesnt
test the valve seat, for instance, Esposi-
to said.
Wiring options include traditional
discrete, discrete with a multiplexer,
analog I/O modules with or without a
multiplexer, and analog with HART I/O
modules.
Analog safety demand (ASD) wir-
ing is cost effective, using one pair of
wires for safety function, diagnostics, the wider picture in any implementa- For more information, visit:
and PST. The shutdown signature event tion of partial stroke testing, beyond the www.isa.org/standards
also can be captured during a trip to technologies involved and into the pro- www.masoneilan.com
document behavior of the ESD valve cesses. He cites Aristotle to drive home www.yokogawa.com
upon safety demand and provide the the point: We are what we repeatedly
required full proof test signature. (See do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act Mark T. Hoske is editor-in-chief. Reach him at
PFD calculation.) but a habit. ce mhoske@reedbusiness.com.
The device also should allow efficient
access to ESD information and allow
integration to the system. Esposito rec-
ommends that PSTand data collection
be automated, so someone doesnt for-

Think outside
get (a test can be stopped if needed). For
more insight, see the 7 misunderstood
points. Esposito suggests looking at

7 misunderstood
points on safety
the box. inside
and partial stroke For ten years, our Matrox 4Sight embedded systems have
valve testing taken industrial imaging to new places. Our newest
addition, 4Sight X, features x4 PCIe interconnects,
multi-core CPU support and a GPU for display and even
I n advising on safety and partial
stroke valve testing, Sandro Esposito,
global product marketing manager
image processing. Its all here: hardware and software
support for GigE Vision and IEEE 1394 through our field-
at Dresser Masoneilan, often hears proven Matrox Imaging Library, pre-installed on every
misunderstandings. unit. And we manufacture in-house with stringent change
1. Can partial stroke testing (PST) control, so you have a consistent supply throughout a long
interfere with shutdown? In some cases, life cycle.
yes, but it depends on the technology of
the PST device. Matrox 4Sight X: everythings inside.
2. Can the device store a shutdown sig- Take a tour:
nature for full proof testing? While some matroximaging.com/4sightx
smart PST devices can, others must be
de-energized for the SIL rating of a safety Shown with Matrox Nexis camera heads (sold separately).
function, so it cannot store an event.
3. Do diagnostics need to be read? Yes.
IEC 61511 says that diagnostics must
be visible to the user to benefit from the
diagnostic coverage (DC) factor.
4. Can adding a smart device rated
at SIL3 improve the valve and actuator
rating to SIL3? No. System (valve/actua-
tor/smart device) failure rates must be
considered.
5. Can a solenoid or booster be added
with a smart PST device? Yes, though
quick exhaust may interfere with PST
and is difficult to diagnose online without
valve disturbance.
6. Where does the PST setting reside?
In the non-volatile memory of most PST
devices.
7. Can a smart PST latch like a sole-
noid? Yes. Some can latch on loss of
matroximaging.com/1-800-804-6243/+1-514-822-6020/
energy (electrically and pneumatically). imaging.info@matrox.com

www.controleng.com CONTROL ENGINEERING AUGUST 2008 69