Course content

The course provides a comprehensive introduction to the design and operation of larger industrial control and safety systems - primarily within the process industry.

• This includes examples of regulatory requirements and standards that must be followed, typical technical solutions including user interfaces, equipment selection, types of communication, configuration of logical operations in software and hardware, and how the design of systems is affected by cyber security threats.
• The course also explains how requirements associated with instrumented safety systems are derived in a risk-based approach and how the results affect the technical solutions.
• Although today’s process industry is the main focus, examples of approaches within, for example, signal systems railway, carbon capture, and nuclear power are given. An introduction is given on how to calculate the reliability of instrumented safety functions and how this is used to make decisions about whether the solution is good enough - also in operation.
• Based on this, the students should be able to highlight the role of instrumented safety systems as measures to prevent major industrial accidents.
• Overall, we may refer to this course as a systems engineering course, considering the Wikipedia definition of systems engineering as an interdisciplinary field of engineering and engineering management that focuses on how to design, integrate, and manage complex systems over their life cycles

Learning outcome

Knowledge:

• In-depth knowledge of the design of industrial control and safety systems - including common network topologies, choice of industrial communication solutions, roles of the equipment involved, and configuration of control systems (hardware and software) and user interfaces.
• Basic knowledge of relevant standards and regulations within the field and how to find them.
• In-depth knowledge of key requirements and design principles for instrumented safety systems, and how these are different than for automation systems in general
• In-depth knowledge of how to calculate the reliability of typical configurations for instrumented safety functions, and basic knowledge for how the requirements are influenced by risk analyses.
• In-depth knowledge of how to use and interpret key technical drawings/documentation
• In-depth knowledge of the detection principle for fire and gas and the design of electrical equipment that is in explosive environments.
• Basic knowledge about installation, operation, and maintenance of industrial control
• Basic knowledge of how cyber-attacks can influence the performance of instrumentation systems and how the industry is managing cybersecurity.

Skills:

• Be able to identify requirements for instrumentation systems and explain different technologies and solutions used in large plants such as the process industry.
• Be able to apply (i.e., configure software and hardware) for some selected industrial control systems that each control a single process or safety function. The configuration involves connecting the control system to equipment in the physical process with associated network and communication, implementing logic based on programming languages for industrial controllers and creating simple user interfaces. As part of the work, one must learn to interpret technical documentation and drawings.
• Be able to explain the role of safety-instrumented systems, be able to independently conduct reliability analysis for such systems and apply the results when making decisions about design solutions and for operation and maintenance.

General competence:

• Be able to take part in professional discussions by being familiar with concepts, concepts and solutions that the industry uses.
• Be able to explain the role that instrumented safety systems in ensuring sustainability, by protecting people, the environment, and values from damage.

Learning methods and activities

Lectures, group project, laboratory work.

Compulsory assignments

• Labøvinger

Recommended previous knowledge

Students in the 5- year master program in cybernetics and robotics will after two years of study be able to take this course. The same applies to students admitted to the 2-year master's degree in "kybernetikk og robotikk" and in "industriell kybernetikk".

Course materials

Course material (syllabus) is published on the course Blackboard page, and consists of individual chapters in a compendium developed for the course. Supplementary material, if used, is also notified through black board.

Topics from the group project and laboratory work are also part of the course material.