PDS Method and Handbooks

SINTEF has developed a method for quantifying the reliability/availability of safety instrumented systems (SIS), called the PDS method. The method is widely used in the petroleum industry, but is also applicable to other business sectors.

The PDS method is in line with the main principles advocated in the IEC 61508 / 61511 standards, and is a very useful tool when implementing and verifying quantitative (SIL) requirements as described in these standards. The PDS method is continuously updated, and new method and data handbooks were issued in January 2010. The data handbook is based on extensive experience with operation of instrumented safety systems in the Norwegian petroleum industry and presents data applicable for performing SIL analyses according to IEC 61508 / 61511.

Purchase the PDS handbooks here.

PDS Forum

PDS Forum is a co-operation between more than 20 participants representing oil companies, drilling and well service companies, engineering companies, consultants, vendors and researchers, with a special interest in Safety Instrumented systems. The participants are meeting twice a year for workshops, presentations and technical discussion.

Presentations from previous meetings are found here (members only).

Next PDS forum:
October 15^th - 16^th, 2013,
in Trondheim

General News

PDS forum has received fundings from the Research Council of Norway to carry out a new research project with the title Tools and guidelines for overall barrier management and reduction of major accident risk in the petroleum industry. The project start-up is autumn 2012 and it is planned finalised by the end of 2015.
The report Barriers to prevent and limit acute releases to sea - Environmental barrier indicators proposes a set of suitable indicators for a specified drilling scenario and describes a methodology for developing such indicators. The report has been developed in the PDS project with funds from the Research Council of Norway and the PDS members.
The report Barriers to prevent and limit acute releases to sea - Environmental risk acceptance criteria and requirements to safety systems focuses on non-planned acute releases to sea and the barriers applied during drilling, workover and subsea production in order to prevent such releases. The report discusses requirements to such barriers on two different levels: (1) a high level in terms of environmental risk acceptance criteria (ERAC) and (2) a more derailed level in terms of barrier performance requirements. The report has been developed in the PDS project with funds from the Research Council of Norway and the PDS members.
The PDS Example collection was published in 2011 and demonstrates how the PDS method can be applied to different cases and problems.
ESRA Newsletter March 2010 containing an article on the updated PDS handbooks.
Article in Automatisering (Norwegian periodical on automation), May 2010, about PDS forum.

Member News

The next PDS forum meeting will take place on October 15^th - 16^th, 2013, in Trondheim.
Previous PDS forum meeting: April 16^th - 17^th 2013, SINTEF arranged a PDS forum meeting. Presentations for the meeting can be downloaded here (members only).
"Get to know PDS" seminar: June 5^th - 6^th 2013 SINTEF arranges the seminar "Get to know PDS". This is similar to the seminar arranged November 2011 with more than 50 participants from most of the PDS members. Topics for the seminar isbasic reliability theory, the PDS method and the PDS Tool. The presentations from the seminar in 2011 can be downloaded here (members only).
PDS Tool is a computerized tool for quantification of reliability of safety instrumented systems besed on the PDS method. A PDS tool beta version is now available for downloading (members only). PDS Tool will be open for all when completely tested and upgraded.
The PDS flyer was updated in 2012. The flyer could be used for publising information about PDS both internal and external. Each of the PDS members has received 100 copies. For more copies, please contact Beskyttet adresse.