Okuzeka
Chemical Engineering vocabulary · Process Safety and Hazards

Interlock

Meaning in chemical engineering, with examples

/ˈɪntərlɑːk/nounCommon term

In chemical engineering, interlock means: An automatic protective function that stops or prevents an action when a dangerous condition is detected, for example closing the feed valve on high reactor pressure.

In Turkish: emniyet kilitlemesi, interlock, kilitleme

How it is used

Used in process safety, control system design and operations. Interlocks are designed, tested, activated, reset and, only with formal approval, bypassed. They are often part of a safety instrumented system (SIS).

Example sentences

  1. The high-temperature interlock shut off the steam and stopped the feed pump.

  2. Never bypass an interlock without a signed permit from the shift supervisor.

Common collocations

  • safety interlock
  • bypass an interlock
  • interlock test
  • reset the interlock
  • tripAn automatic shutdown of a machine or unit by its protection system when a value goes past a safe limit, such as high pressure, low level or high vibration.
  • relief valveA spring-loaded valve that opens by itself when the pressure in a vessel or pipe goes above a set limit, releasing fluid to protect the equipment from bursting.
  • HAZOPShort for hazard and operability study: a structured team review of a P&ID, section by section, using guide words to find deviations that could cause harm or operating problems.
  • DCSShort for distributed control system: the computer-based system that runs the control loops of a plant and gives operators their screens, alarms and trends in the control room.
  • runaway reactionAn exothermic reaction that gets out of control: heat is produced faster than it can be removed, so temperature, reaction rate and pressure rise faster and faster.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Process Safety and Hazards

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: