Use of simulation to support the verification of interlocking, control and protection functions associated with mechanical handling systems

摘要

In high integrity mechanical handling systems it is normal practise to employ multi-layered control and protection systems, interlocked to ensure operation is constrained within a tightly defined operating envelope. The challenge to the designers of the system is to devise an interlocking arrangement that permits the necessary processes to be executed in the appropriate sequence, and yet which prevents excursions beyond the system's defined operational envelope in a manageable and recoverable fashion. The complexity of such systems, comprising the combination of mechanical handling systems and safety interlocking, control and protection functions, is such that the interactions between these components are not trivial to analyse. This in turn leads to the risk of an extended, and therefore expensive, systems integration exercise during commissioning when unforeseen interactions arise.