One of the widespread issues currently in manufacturing plants is alarm overload. This is partially as a result of formerly independent systems that are integrated for more effective operation by fewer operators, each operator then has to monitor an increasingly wider area and consequently deal with more alarms. Without rigorous alarm rationalization efforts, alarm flooding becomes a serious problem and increases the risk of safety and environmental incidents.
There are a number of alarm management standards and guidelines such as ISA-18.2-2009, IEC 62682 and EEMUA 191 that help customers rationalize their alarm systems, but practical tools that can be implemented are still in short supply. Yokogawa proposes a smart approach to alarm management that helps customers achieve safe and agile plant operations based on the concept of combining practical bottom-up solutions with fundamental top-down improvements.
Customer Challenge
Plant operators are often faced with a high number of alarms and abnormal situations. They are therefore unable to respond quickly enough to prevent safety related incidents, environmental issues, shutdowns and equipment damage. In addition a poorly applied alarm management philosophy may result in excessive alarms that can cause operators to routinely ignore these alarms due to the information overload.
Our Solutions
Exaquantum Alarm Management Suite
Yokogawa’s Alarm Management Suite offers an integrated web-based environment to support the customer in the following key areas of the alarm management process; Monitoring and Assessment, Management of Change and Rationalization.
Specific modules of the Alarm Management Suite include
Exaquantum AMD – Alarm Master Database solution
- Assists managers and supervisors in monitoring, assessing and auditing the behaviour of alarm setpoints as part of an alarm documentation and rationalization program such as ISA-18.2-2009
Exaquantum ARA – Alarm Reporting and Analysis
- Provide statistical reports based on ISA-18.2-2009, IEC 62682 and EEMUA 191. These reports aid supervisors and managers in identifying which alarms and events are occurring most frequently and where the alarm management policy can be improved
Exaquantum SER – Sequence of Events Recorder and Trip Analysis
- Provides Root Cause Analysis to aid in identifying and eliminating future trip recurrences
Yokogawa urges customers facing alarm flooding situations in their plants to introduce CAMS for HIS. It also benefits those who are looking for alarm management capabilities that go beyond the current generation of DCS alarm systems. Customers planning to consolidate their control rooms and design their alarm system to be in compliance with the ISA 18.2 standard will benefit from this product’s practical and immediate solutions.
Customer Benefits
Overall reduction in: alarms, workload, operator uncertainty, operator errors, operator response time, and cost
Supports a structured approach to Alarm Management through
- Integrated Management of Change and Rationalization process
- Tighter control of approval workflows
- Enterprise deployment and access
Enhances Operator Response through
- Identifying nuisance alarms
- Sequence of events aids decision making
Provides a mechanism for Change Control
- No more unaudited setpoint changes
- Suppressed and disabled alarms are reported
- Automated notification to relevant stakeholders
Integrated solution
- Yokogawa Centum and ProSafe
- CAMS for HIS
- Emerson DeltaV
- Honeywell Experion
- Coming soon; Citect, GE and ABB
