1. An Introduction to AlarmInsight

2. Agenda Alarm Management Overview Alarm Management Lifecycle
Definition
Scope of the Problem
Causes of the Problem
Consequences of the Problem
Alarm Management Lifecycle
Alarm Management Solutions for ABB’s System 800xA
ProcessGuard
Alarm MOCCA
AlarmInsight
Putting the Pieces Together

3. Alarm Management Overview

4. Matrikon’s Alarm Management Definition
Process by which alarms are engineered, monitored, and managed to ensure safe, reliable operations

5. The Scope of the Problem
Operators typically monitor more than 5,000 devices
Each device typically has 4 to 5 alarms configured on it
Devices x alarms results in Operators having to manage 20,000 to 25,000 alarms
The average Operator gets 1,200 alarms per day, approximately 1 per minute!
Engineering Equipment & Materials Users’ Association (EEMUA) recommends no more than 6 alarms per hour

6. The Causes of the Problem
Historically, alarms were expensive and difficult to add resulting in careful review before implementation
Each had to be hardwired
Limited space in control panels
Today, hardware and software advances has made it possible to alarm most devices at minimal cost
Large increase in the quantity of alarms
Less review resulting in reduced quality

7. The Causes of the Problem
Alarms are continuously added
Often after incident reviews
Changes in process
After de-bottlenecking projects
Equipment changes and degrades
Different vendors with different normal operating conditions
Wear resulting in reduced efficiency
Seasonal changes to process

8. Common Problem Alarms Types
Standing
No dynamic process logic
Frequent
Poor TP value/s
Possible control problem
Redundant
Improperly Prioritized
EEMUA recommends process alarm priorities of:
80% low
15% medium
5% high

9. Consequences of the Problem
There are many negative consequences of poor alarm systems, some common ones include:
Avoidable incidences
Regulatory fines
Off-spec product
Reduced safety
Reduced process optimization
Reduced plant reliability
High Operator stress

10. Alarm Management Lifecycle

11. Alarm Management Lifecycle
Benchmarking & Assessment
Alarm management is a process, not a product
Matrikon recommends that the alarm management process be divided into six major areas
Alarm
Philosophy
Alarm
Rationalization
Implementation
& Execution
Maintenance
Continuous
Improvement

12. Alarm Management Lifecycle
Benchmarking &
Assessment
Analyze your system and understand your problems
Determine key performance metrics
Operator workload
Problem alarms
Compare facility performance
Gap analysis (you cannot improve what you cannot measure)
Alarm
Philosophy
Alarm
Rationalization
Implementation
& Execution
Maintenance
Continuous
Improvement

13. Alarm Management Lifecycle
Benchmarking &
Assessment
Corporate document that specifies
Objectives of alarms
Assign roles & responsibilities
Procedures for defining alarms
How to assign priorities
Expected Operator responses
Management of change
Alarm
Philosophy
Alarm
Rationalization
Implementation
& Execution
Maintenance
Continuous
Improvement

14. Alarm Management Lifecycle
Benchmarking &
Assessment
Systematic review and documentation of each configured/engineered alarmable tag in the DCS
Store information in Alarm Database
Objective is to optimize alarm quantity and quality
Ongoing process, target 50 to 100 worst alarmable tag per day
Alarm
Philosophy
Alarm
Rationalization
Implementation
& Execution
Maintenance
Continuous
Improvement

15. Alarm Management Lifecycle
Benchmarking &
Assessment
Implement alarm strategy on DCS
Implement advanced alarming strategies
Alarm shelving
Temporary disabling of alarms depending on process state
Dynamic alarming
Change alarm limits depending on process state
Alarm grouping
Use top level alarm to summarize multiple ones (with drill-down capability)
Alarm eclipsing
Disable an H alarm if the HH alarm limit is reached
Alarm
Philosophy
Alarm
Rationalization
Implementation
& Execution
Maintenance
Continuous
Improvement

16. Alarm Management Lifecycle
Benchmarking &
Assessment
Integrate into work practices and embed into company culture
Prevent unauthorized changes
Track changes made
Monitor performance
Alarm
Philosophy
Alarm
Rationalization
Implementation
& Execution
Maintenance
Continuous
Improvement

17. Alarm Management Lifecycle
Benchmarking &
Assessment
Analyze alarm floods during upsets
Frequent intervention analysis
Identify opportunities for additional process automation (supervisory control)
Alarm
Philosophy
Alarm
Rationalization
Implementation
& Execution
Maintenance
Continuous
Improvement

18. Alarm Management Solutions for System 800xA

19. Measures and analyzes alarms that have occurred
ProcessGuard
Measures and analyzes alarms that have occurred
Referred to as “real-time” or “dynamic” alarms
Alarm & event historian
Automated alarm assessment
Problem analysis reports
Web visualization
Universal connectivity

20. ProcessGuard Problem analysis reporting examples:
Alarm count by console
Alarm count by tag
Operator
Interventions
Response times
Chattering alarms
Priority distribution
Standing alarms
Integrated alarm & process data

21. Measures and analyzes alarms configured on DCS
Alarm MOCCA
Measures and analyzes alarms configured on DCS
Referred to as “configured” or “static” alarms
Instant integrity assessment
Automatic audit trail & MOC
Master alarm database
Easy alarm rationalization
Assist & knowledge capture

22. AlarmInsight L
AlarmInsight seamlessly integrates ProcessGuard and Alarm MOCCA reports into the System 800xA environment
Provides context sensitive alarm information for all alarms configured on System 800xA L

23. AlarmInsight Reduces time to decision and action
Reduced nuisance alarms ensure operator focus on valid and important alarms
Maximizes engineering performance
Unified interface for control and alarm management reduces engineering time associated with analysis
Optimizes plant asset availability and performance
Proactive identification of equipment problems through statistical analysis reduces downtime

24. AlarmInsight Integrates information for improved visibility
Alarm analysis reveals root causes and areas for improvement
Improves batch consistency and quality
Alarm and event analysis can uncover performance problems that affect batch quality
Reduces risk through high integrity
Increasing alarm integrity raises the overall reliability of a control system and results in fewer incidents and increased productivity

25. Putting the Pieces Together

26. Alarm Management Workshops
Matrikon hosts regular and global hands-on alarm management workshops. Some of the practical skills attendees learn include:
How to successfully eliminate up to 75% of their alarms
How to improve safety standards, meet production demands and reduce trips
How to employ proven procedures and strategies to prioritize and configure alarm settings
How to build a successful alarm philosophy tailored specifically to their plant

27. Alarm Management Services
Matrikon offers globally based services to ensure that our clients get the most value from our products; these include:
Standard and customized ProcessGuard product training courses
Development of assessments, alarm philosophies, and business cases
Alarm Rationalization for existing systems and systems under design
Implementation of Management of Change solutions for control systems
Advanced dynamic alarming solutions

28. Applying Alarm Management Solutions
Matrikon Services Group
&
Alarm Management Workshops
Benchmarking &
Assessment
AlarmInsight & ProcessGuard
Alarm
Philosophy
Alarm
Rationalization
Alarm MOCCA
Implementation
& Execution
Maintenance
AlarmInsight, ProcessGuard & Alarm MOCCA
Continuous
Improvement