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Wednesday 17 January 2007

Communicative and open for everything

Easy integration of safety controllers at Fina Antwerp Olefins through open communication

(Bruehl, Germany) Safety-related HIMatrix controllers from HIMA Paul Hildebrandt GmbH +Co KG have been ensuring the reliable monitoring of a new butadiene pipeline owned by Fina Antwerp Olefins (FAO) in the port region of Antwerp (Belgium). Thanks to their high communications capabilities, the HIMA systems could be integrated seamlessly into existing control and safety technology of different manufacturers.


The butadiene pipeline connects the AGT tank farm located on the left-hand side of the River Schelde with the FAO petrochemical center on the right-hand side, a subsidiary of Total Petrochemicals (65 %) and ExxonMobil Chemical (35 %). In total, five HIMatrix systems F35 are used as Emergency Shut Down (ESD), Fire & Gas (F&G) or monitoring systems in the tank farm, along the pipeline and in the central control room of FAO.

FAO commissioned the company Egemin with the integration of the safety technology and stipulated the use of HIMatrix as the safety-related controller. HIMA delivered the hardware and software to the system integrator, supported Egemin during the integration phase and held training courses. The HIMatrix systems as well as the safety-related communication of the devices among each other are TÜV-certified and approved for safety-related applications up to SIL 3, Cat. 4 in accordance with IEC 61508, IEC 61131, EN 50156 as well as EN 954.

The high communications capabilities of the HIMatrix systems played an especially critical role in this project. In the AGT tank farm HIMatrix communicates via Profibus with an Emerson DeltaV system; at FAO a Modbus RTU coupling exists with Honeywell TDC. All PLC`s are also connected via the public telephone network with a centralised PLC on FAO.

The Antwerp Olefins project represents Fina‘s first use of Ethernet technology. The introduction of Ethernet also serves as a test for a large-scale upcoming revamp project: an approx. 100 km long pipeline to South Belgium.