High Integrity Pressure Protection System (HIPPS) and Implementation Challenges

Over the years, process industries have heavily utilized pressure relief devices (PRDs) to protect the mechanical integrity of system components. While PRDs offer a straightforward and practical way of controlling overpressure in process plants, they do have some inherent limitations such as impacts to flare system design, environmental concerns, and sometimes physical limitations in PRD sizing. In these cases, where the use of PRDs is limited, High Integrity Pressure Protection Systems (HIPPS) can be utilized as a substitute for PRDs.

While HIPPS offers a solution to situations when the application of PRDs is limited, there are some challenges associated with the successful implementation of HIPPS. The aim of this paper is to provide the reader with the guidance and tools necessary to successfully perform all safety lifecycle activities of HIPPS, per functional safety standards and codes. Challenges in the relevant phases of the safety lifecycle, from process hazard analyses and SIL selection to operation and maintenance of HIPPS, is discussed in this paper. Provided guidance about the various types of HIPPS, their pros, and cons, and the application of quantitative tools such as fault tree analysis (FTA) to make more informed decisions when designing the HIPPS.