A control system for thermoprocessing equipment must meet stringent requirements in terms of system and operational safety, functionality, availability and cost-effectiveness. A wide range of relevant EC Directives and standards must be given due consideration for the electrical and electronic equipment for these systems. This article explains the correlations.

It also explains the requirements for the design of protective systems and describes the steps required to complete a risk assessment. Furthermore it describes the calculation of so-called “SIL/PL levels” for safety functions.