What is HIPPS?
HIPPS is an instrumented safety system that is designed and built in accordance with the IEC 61508 and IEC 61511 standards. Additionally API RP 17O – Recommended Practice for Subsea HIPPS - provides guidelines for using the IEC standards in subsea systems. These international standards refer to safety functions (SF) and Safety Instrumented systems (SIS) when discussing a solution to protect equipment, personnel and environment. A system that closes the source of over-pressure within 2 seconds with a determined reliability level is usually identified as a HIPPS.
A subsea HIPPS is a complete functional loop consisting of:
- The initiators that detect the high pressure.
- A logic solver, which processes the input from the initiators to an output to the final element.
- The final elements, that actually perform the corrective action in the field by bringing the process to a safe state. The final element consists of a valve and fail safe actuator and possibly solenoids.
Safety loop
In order to provide a complete HIPPS system Mokveld works together with reputable suppliers of subsea initiators, voting logic, instrumentation pods and subsea skids. The complete HIPPS module will be certified to the required safety integrity level.