Safety tactics for reconfigurable process control devices

Control systems are increasingly subject to reconfiguration either because of a failure of a component or a change in the process under control. With the introduction of intelligent field devices, system reconfiguration can now be managed more efficiently through commercially available asset management software applications. This paper seeks to address the question over the use of intelligent reconfigurable hardware in safety related systems by proposing a number of safety tactics and a specific lifecycle for their use that is focused on the issues around the acquisition of COTS components.