Help for safety engineers to ensure effective compliance with IEC 61508 when selecting solenoid valves for safety systems is available in a new white paper from ASCO Numatics.

Regulatory modifications in 2010 have raised important issues in design and use of industrial safety systems. Certain changes in IEC 61508 now being widely implemented mean that designers and users who desire full compliance must give new consideration to topics such as SIL levels and the transition from 1H to 2H methodologies.

The paper, “Effective Compliance with IEC 61508 When Selecting Solenoid Valves for Safety Systems,” discusses how these issues can impact users’ selection of solenoid valves and prepackaged redundant control systems (RCS) for implementation in a safety instrumented system (SIS). Topics include safety in process, evolving standards, evaluating solenoid valve redundancy and SIL, evaluating routes 1H and 2H, and evaluating suppliers and their ability to deal with such complex new compliance methodologies.

The issues discussed are especially applicable to the oil, gas, chemical and power industries in applications such as safety shutdown systems, boilers, furnaces and high-integrity protection systems (HIPS). Download the paper here.