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January/February 2013 Factory Automation
Process Automation: Single-to-Multi-Product Production Conversion Factory Automation: System Commissioning & Startup System Integration: Specifying Automation Automation IT: Automation System Lifecycle Management Special Section: Electrical Test Equipment Basics: Intrinsic Safety
American comedian Sam Levenson once said, You must learn from the mistakes of others. You cant possibly live long enough to make them all yourself. When it comes to alarm management, Levenson is correct. Ineffective alarm systems pose a serious risk to safety, the environment, and plant profitability. Too often, alarm system effectiveness is unknowingly undermined by poorly configured alarms. Static alarm settings cannot adapt to dynamic plant conditions, and many other nuisances result in alarm floods that overwhelm operators when they instead need concise direction. Alarm systems are the primary tool for identifying abnormal situations and helping plant personnel take timely, appropriate action to move their processes back to operational targets. For operators considering undertaking an alarm management program, taking the time to examine common alarming blunders is important to ensure steps are taken to avoid them.
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alarm practices are at a comfortable level, they can be integrated into plant workflow to sustain optimized plant performance over the long term. Even with a proper execution path in place, however, operators are still at risk of committing alarm blunders that can impede a successful alarm management program. By avoiding these common pitfalls in their alarm management programs, operators can continue effectively responding to abnormal situations and better ensure their plants are meeting their operational targets.
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know if an operator actually responded to it. Tracking operator actions is an effective way to identify control problems and automation opportunities and audit the effectiveness of the alarm strategy. If the operator did not respond, it is likely that the alarm is a nuisance alarm. Examine the ratio of operator actions to audible process alarms in order to identify poor alarm strategies. The approach requiring that every alarm expects operator intervention demands that this ratio exceed 2:1. Other data to track are related to operator actions, including controller setpoint, mode changes, and system errors. If a controllers mode or output is repeatedly changed, it is a clear sign the loop needs fixing. If action data is coupled with controller performance data, an understanding of the loops problems can be quickly diagnosed, saving time. If a controllers setpoint is frequently changed, and the controller has no supervisory control, then the automation engineer must solve the discrepancy. Installing new automation strategies can free the operator to focus on pushing limits rather than maintaining process stability. In addition, process variable history is important for determining some deadband alarm settings and for performing engineering reviews prior to implementation. It is also worth considering if a loop is poorly performing and the operator is manipulating the output to keep the process in control. Typically, these loops are not a priority, and the work order is placed on the bottom of the maintenance list, yet the operator spends significant time managing this loop.
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It is best to define maintenance tasks and assign responsibilities in the alarm philosophy document. This must be done in a simple manner, both textually and in actual day-to-day practice, to ensure sustained support of the idea. This will also give personnel an opportunity to participate in the system installation and/or verification. They are more inclined to use the new technologies since they have ownership from participating in the initial configuration. An alarm management program can significantly improve plant safety, reliability, and profitability, but will only succeed if deployed properly. By following the recommended life cycle methodology and avoiding common mistakes, operators will have an effective and successful alarm management program that will undoubtedly ensure plant personnel are more productive, making the plant and operations more reliable.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kevin Brown (hpsnews@honeywell.com), global alarm management best practices leader, Honeywell Process Solutions, has 20 years of process control experience and has spent considerable time developing control and safety systems to optimize and improve process reliability.
Post a Comment
Rahul
2013-04-28 13:32:45 Do we have international standard alarm tones (For Fire detection,H2s Detection, Gas Detaction, Temperature High/Low,etc...) ? If so please send the download link
Kent
2013-04-26 10:43:12 My facility is under going a alarm rationalization effort right now. This was a timely light read on some very good points. Thanks.
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