PSI to Upgrade Leak Detection System at Dow Chemical

In 2011 PSI AG was awarded a contract by Dow Olefinverbund GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of Dow Chemical, to upgrade the existing PSI leak detection system that was delivered in 1997 for all the company’s pipelines to the current version of the PSIpipelines monitoring system. The official experts at TUV Sud, TUV Nord and TUV Rheinland certified PSIpipelines after thorough testing and issued the required permit for the commencement of permanent operation in June 2012.

The new system had to meet the necessary requirements in accordance with the Technical Guideline on Pipelines (Technische Regel fur Rohrfernleitungen – TRFL) as well as the requirements for Safety Integrity Level 1 (SIL 1) as per IEC EN 61508.

Dow currently operates a network of ten pipelines for the transport of raw materials and products to and from their production plants in the Leuna/Schkopau/Bohlen chemical triangle. Raw materials such as naphtha, condensate and liquid gas as well as products such as styrene, ethylene, propylene or butadiene are transported in the network. The pipelines have a diameter between 6" and 16" (150 to 400 mm) and a total length of more than 1200 km. In accordance with the requirements of TRFL, two continuously operating and independent methods must be employed for these pipelines to detect leaks. The hazardous classification of the transported fluids requires that the leak detection and location system correspond to the Level 1 safety requirements of IEC EN 61508.

On the basis of its own software products, PSI AG develops and integrates complete solutions for energy management (electricity, gas, oil, heat), production management (metals, automotive, mechanical engineering, mining, logistics) and infrastructure management for transport and safety. PSI was founded in 1969 and employs more than 1,500 persons worldwide.