Software tools for the lifecycle support of safety instrumented systems

摘要

Since the publication of IEC 61508 and IEC 61511 there has been a steady increase in the number of PC-based software tools developed to aid compliance. These come with a wide range of both capability and price, but carefully selected tools are considered the most appropriate way forward for ensuring lifecycle support of safety instrumented systems (SIS). Software tools are not just the realm of the design engineer, and this paper draws on experiences to demonstrate the benefits that can be realised by SIS engineering practitioners and end users. This paper will also discuss configuration aids for programmable logic controllers (PLC) but it will not cover PLC software or computer-aided design (CAD) software.