Alarm Management MythBusters Part 1
For those of you that surf the web to learn more about Alarm Management, I want to add a couple of postings in the next few weeks to your repertoire of readings… and maybe bust a few m
yths in the process.
Myth #1: Alarm Management is all about counting alarms
This myth sounds good because it is quick and easy
1) Plug in any alarm counting software package
2) Collect some data
3) Print the reports
The general thinking behind this myth is that once you’ve identified the problem, you’re pretty much done!
Sadly, there are people out there who just want you to believe that if you could just count your alarms, things will get better…
I guess they assume that if their software points out the problem, you would of course take action to solve it.
That’s like saying an overweight person would get thin if only they knew their weight.
Nope.
It doesn’t work that way.
Plant operators and engineers already have way too much on their plate.
Sure, they may take some action and bring down the count - just like an overweight person goes on a diet and drops a few pounds.
But without correcting the situation and keeping it there, the pounds come right back after the diet stops.
There is a solution.
And lots of customers are finding it.
At PAS, we have a number of customers who have switched from someone else’s Alarm Counting software to the real thing – an Alarm Management software + service solution that corrects the under
lying problems and then acts to keep those problems from recurring.
Counting alarms with printer port software was not enough for them.
Neither was the fancy analysis.
They tried the diet.
And it didn’t work.
No surprise, right?
These customers now understand that higher plant reliability (and profitability!) comes from a complete Alarm Management solution comprising all of the following:
>> An Alarm Management Philosophy that matches the needs of their plant
>> Documentation & Rationalization of existing alarms to highlight the real issues in any plant upset and not just ring a flood of alarm bells
>> Alarm Management Software that not only counts & analyzes alarm activity, but also interacts with the process control system in real-time to obtain and maintain alarm loading goals
If all of this sounds like hard work, it’s because it is!!!
But the benefits are there - increasing plant reliability and safety by more pro-actively alerting operators to process upsets BEFORE going off-spec, off-grade or shutting down.
A saying from my high school days have stuck with me ever since - Caveat Emptor.
It’s true that you get what you pay for – those Romans were right with their advice!
Want to learn more?
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Hmmm
The article says "Documentation & Rationalization of existing alarms"
Hmmm
If I have a plant that is out of control, what is the use of documenting and rationalizing the alarms that are causing it to go out of control.
Instead, I would think that you would want to take a broader look at the problem and document and rationalize the IO, and thereby creating alarms that are appropriate for the equipment and the operation. The difference being that my plant probably has the wrong alarms in the first place, so spending time documenting those would be like the overweight person documenting and explaining the nutritional value for the Super Sized Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese meal that they have every day at lunch. Perhaps it will steer them towards not having those every day, but what they really need is a salad and 20 minutes on the tread mill.
My thought is let's not document what is already broken and instead design and document what it should be. If the plant is in good shape, then sure, document what you have. But what you are describing above is something that is badly broken.
Or did I just misread what was written?
Anyway, just a thought.
Regards
Alan
>> ROLAND replies:
The PAS Documentation & Rationalization service does not just document the alarms as they are, but goes through the entire configuration of control system points and alarms to determine which points should have what level of alarm – basically a re-design of the alarm system.
Hope this helps clarify the posting!
Posted by: Alan Phipps | January 25, 2008 at 11:21 AM