A high integrity pressure protection system (HIPPS) is a safety instrumented function (SIF) whose job is to stop overpressure at its source by rapidly closing dedicated valves, instead of relieving the excess pressure to a flare or vent. It is applied where conventional pressure relief is impractical, undersized, or environmentally unacceptable, for example on high-pressure wellhead and pipeline systems that feed into lower-rated downstream equipment.
HIPPS is a generic industry term for this type of safety function, not a brand or a specific manufacturer’s product. Many vendors supply HIPPS packages, but the name refers to the engineered function and its design approach, not any one company’s equipment. Because a HIPPS is often the last line of defense against a rupture, it almost always carries a high integrity target (commonly SIL 3), which is why real designs lean on heavy redundancy such as voted pressure transmitters tripping redundant final valves.
Key Points
- HIPPS is a generic industry term for an engineered safety function, not a particular vendor’s product.
- It closes in the source to prevent overpressure, rather than relieving it to flare or vent, and is typically engineered to SIL 3 with redundant sensors and final elements.
- HIPPS is most attractive where a relief system would be impractical, undersized, or environmentally unacceptable.
Example
A wellhead HIPPS protects a lower-rated production manifold. Three pressure transmitters vote 2oo3 to trip two HIPPS valves arranged 1oo2, so the function still closes on a genuine high-pressure demand even if one transmitter and one valve happen to be unavailable.
See Also: SIF, final element, safety integrity level (SIL)
Cited Sources
- IEC 61511-1:2016, Clause 11 — a HIPPS is designed and managed as a safety instrumented function under the SIS design and engineering requirements.
- The Equity Engineering Group — Applying High-Integrity Pressure Protection Systems (HIPPS)