Working under pressure: Managing overpressure hazards with high integrity protective systems

The process industrial sector has accepted the use of high integrity protective systems (HIPS) to prevent overpressure of vessels and pipelines. The most common use cases are where a pressure relief device is considered impractical by the owner/operator due to application‐specific factors or where emergency venting causes significant safety consequences. HIPS can also be used to eliminate or minimize the environmental impact of emergency venting. The effectiveness of HIPS is limited by the skill applied in the identification of the overpressure hazards and in the implementation of the HIPS to stop those scenarios. Ultimately, it is the owner/operator who must ensure that the HIPS is designed, installed, operated, and maintained in a manner that prevents overpressure of process equipment.