Why Emergency Shut Down (ESD) System are used?

What is the ESD system?

Emergency Shutdown (ESD) systems are highly reliable advanced control systems for high-risk industries such as oil and gas, nuclear power or other explosion-risk environments. Our goal is to protect workers, plant and the environment if the process goes beyond the control margins.

The Emergency Shutdown System (ESD) is designed to minimize the effects of emergency situations, usually related to unregulated flooding, hydrocarbon escape, or fire outbreaks in areas containing hydrocarbons or areas that may otherwise be dangerous.

Functions of ESD:

  • Protection of personnel

  • Minimize production loss and plant asset damage

  • Monitoring of a condition of operation or equipment

  • There is automated intervention if system conditions are unsafe by de-energizing electrical equipment, shutting down and/or isolating process equipment and isolating and depressurizing the device.

  • Enabling manual execution of ESD activities by pressing the ESD button throughout the factory.

  • Fire & Gas (F&G) tracking by the F&G program.

  • In case of F&G hazardous conditions, automated intervention occurs by supplying workers with audible and visual warnings.

  • Isolate electrical equipment

  • Prevent events from worsening

  • Depressurise / Blowdown

  • Emergency ventilation control

  • Open fire-resistant windows and doors

Purpose of Emergency Shutdown System (ESD):

  • ESD system ensures priority control of process equipment required to safely change the operation.

  • Collection and analysis of ESD-related system parameter and equipment data

  • Emergency identification and warning and system deviations from preset limits

  • Automatic shutdown of production facilities (or separate equipment) when parameters deviate from preset limits or operator manual shutdown.

  • Alarms and notifications management

  • Prevention of the repeated start of production facilities (or a separate piece of equipment) before removal of the cause of shutdown or forced unlocking.

ESD system can be built both as a technologically separate system incorporated in DCS at the middle control level and as a functionally integrated system at the lower control level in DCS.