API RP 14C

Abstract

This document presents recommendations for designing, installing, and testing a basic surface safety system on an offshore production platform. The basic concepts of a platform safety system are discussed and protection methods and requirements of the system are outlined. <br>This recommended practice illustrates how system analysis methods can be used to determine safety requirements to protect any process component. Actual analyses of the principal components are developed in such a manner that the requirements determined will be applicable whenever the component is used in the process. The safety requirements of the individual process components may then be integrated into a complete platform safety system. The analysis procedures include a method to document and verify system integrity. A uniform method of identifying and symbolizing safety devices is presented and the analysis method is exemplified by a sample process system. <br>In addition to the basic surface safety system, this recommended practice covers ancillary systems such as pneumatic supply and liquid containment. Procedures for testing common safety devices are presented with recommendations for test data and acceptable test tolerances. <br>This recommended practice emphasizes pneumatic systems since they are the most commonly used; however, the same principles and procedures are applicable to hydraulic and electrical systems and to systems incorporating two or more control media. Instrumentation logic circuits are not discussed since these should be left to the discretion of the designer as long as the recommended safety functions are accomplished. Rotating machinery is considered in this recommended practice as a unitized process component as it interfaces with the platform safety system. When rotating machinery (such as a pump or compressor) installed as a unit consists of several process components, each component can be analyzed as prescribed in this recommended practice.