Samson Expertise On ISA Standards
April 11, 2017
The ISA Edmonton Section reached out to Dave Robinson - long-time ISA activist - General Manager at SAMSON Controls Canada - Vice President Sales, Oil & Gas North America, SAMSON Controls Inc. - for his expertise on ISA Standards. Here are his thoughts…
At the 2016 ISA Fall Classic golf tournament, a fun expert panel discussion was held at lunch. The topic was – how do you use ISA Standards in your day-to-day business? As I’ve been an active ISA Edmonton Section Member at both the local and international level for many years, I was pleasantly surprised with the variety of ISA standards being used and the passion for which they were held. Some of the standards that were mentioned included: P&ID Symbols (ISA 5.1), Specification Forms (ISA 20), Alarm Management (ISA 18), and Control Valves (ISA 75).
The most widely used and popular ISA standards include: P&ID Symbols (the first ISA standard), Alarm Management (ISA 18), HMI (ISA 101), and Diagnostics (ISA 108). The newest ISA Standard in development is Cybersecurity (ISA 99).
SAMSON is a control valve company, so we of course use the SP75 Series of Standards. A lot of these standards are primarily static, as you wouldn't want to change the Control Valve Face-to-Face dimensions’ standard (ISA75.08) on an annual basis. However, as technology, international cooperation and empirical knowledge increases, we need to develop the Control Valve Flow Capacity Sizing Equations standard (ISA75.01), Considerations for Evaluating Control Valve Cavitation standard (ISA75.23) and Laboratory Measurement of Aerodynamic Noise Generated by Control Valves standard (ISA75.07).
ISA Standards have a five-year shelf life so scope groups are developed to ensure the data is relevant and re-certified.
When it comes to ISA standards as a whole, one thing I’d like to highlight is that ISA is a volunteer society. This means that Society Members and Standard Users are invited to participate on the standards committees that affect their jobs or company practices. You, from right here in Northern Alberta, using your specifically acquired knowledge and experience, can have an impact on standards that are used internationally!
Participating on ISA standards committees allowed me to communicate more effectively with SAMSON’s R&D department in Germany, and together with my participation on the various ISA governance committees, has contributed to my experience required to be on our company's Board of Directors.
To prepare yourself for today's economic climate, experience needs to come from a variety of sources. I encourage you to get involved with ISA to gain experience! The ISA Edmonton Section hosts many events where you can increase your knowledge about and how to use ISA's Standards.
Also, ISA Standards are free to members, so make sure to sign-up!
Dave Robinson
General Manager, SAMSON Controls Canada
Vice President Sales, Oil & Gas North America, Samson Controls Inc.
ISA Edmonton Section District 10 Liaison & Youth Outreach Liaison
ISA Society Finance & Investment Committees
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