ISA Raleigh-Durham Section - August Meeting - Functional Safety in a Burner Management System (BMS): What End Users Need to Know
Burner Management Systems (BMS) are one of the oldest and most mature applications of functional safety — yet many plant personnel interact with their BMS daily without understanding the safety logic protecting them, or how that logic was determined in the first place. This session introduces functional safety concepts through the lens of a real-world BMS, giving pharma and wastewater end users a practical understanding of why their incinerator, boiler, thermal oxidizer, etc. BMS are designed the way they are.
Starting with no assumed functional safety background, we'll cover:
- What a BMS is protecting against: flame failure, purge requirements, fuel/air interlocks, and explosion hazards
- How NFPA 85/86/87 requirements intersect with IEC 61511 functional safety principles
- The role of HAZOP/LOPA and risk assessment in defining BMS safety functions
- Key BMS safety instrumented functions (SIFs): flame detection, low/high fuel pressure, low combustion air, purge timing, and safety shutdown sequences
- How LOPA outputs translate into concrete SIL targets and IEC 61511 Compliance Deliverables: SIL Verification Calculations, Safety Requirements Specifications, and proof-test procedures
- What this means day-to-day for operations and maintenance: bypass procedures, proof testing, demands, failures MOC, and enterprise risk management
Attendees will leave with a clearer picture of the "why" behind their BMS interlocks and a foundation for engaging more confidently with functional safety discussions on their own equipment.
https://netfoundry.zoom.us/j/86416169728?pwd=pb1DhdwaJJ6w0mBfOqG1WSbFwyII8k.1
Speaker Bio – Mike Scott, PE, CFSE
- B.S. Mechanical Engineering - University of Maryland
- Masters of Engineering - University of South Carolina
- Licensed Professional Engineer - AK, GA, SC, and IL
- Certified Functional Safety Expert (CFSE)
- IEC 61511Committee US Tag member
- ISA Fellow
- Co-chairman of ISA S84 committee on Electrical/Electronic/Programmable Electronic Systems (E/E/PES) for Use in Process Safety Applications
- Co-Chairman ISA S84 BMS sub-committee member on Burner Management Systems
- Past Chairman ISA S84 BMS sub-committee member on Fire & Gas Systems
- Granted 7-US Patents on Safety Lifecycle
- Embedded Process Safety / Functional Safety role for 18 sites
Best Regards,
Mike