Best practices for petrochemical alarm rationalization

1. Standards
Certification
Education & Training
Publishing
Conferences & Exhibits
The Art of
Alarm Rationalization
Alarm Management – One Year Later
Randy Conley - TOTAL

2. PRESENTER
Randy Conley is currently APC Supervisor for TOTAL’s Port
Arthur Texas refinery. He supervises the advanced control
group, serves as architect for PAR’s Alarm Management
project, and works special projects. Randy’s previous
employers include Profimatics (APC consulting) and CITGO’s
Lake Charles Louisiana refinery. During his career Randy has
fulfilled roles in Operations Supervision, Product
Coordination/ Blending, LP/ Planning, Performance Control,
Project Development, Project Management and DCS/ APC
implementation.
Randy holds BS and MS degrees in Chemical Engineering
from Lamar University and is a PE and PMP. Randy has
written and presented DCS/ APC-related articles and papers
since the late-1980’s.
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REVIEW: WHAT IS A PROCESS ALARM?
• Indication of an abnormal situation that requires a timely operator
response
REVIEW: WHAT IS A GOOD PROCESS ALARM?
• Relevant: has significant operational value
• Unique: not a duplicate of other alarms
• Timely: occurs at the proper time for Operator response to correct the fault
• Prioritized: has an importance consistent with the significance of the problem
• Understandable: has an easily understood message
• Focusing: draws attention to the most important issues
• Diagnostic: helps the Operator identify the problem
• Advisory: directs the Operator to take the appropriate action
Alarms do not in themselves control the plant or make it safer … alarms are only
information delivery tools to help operators make decisions

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•REVIEW: WHAT ARE OUR OPERATOR PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS? *
• Normal operation: optimize – push toward constraints while minimizing
quality giveaway
• Minor upset: bring the process back to normal operation
• Major upset: bring the process to the nearest safe state
• If disaster threatens: shut down while trying to limit consequences
• REVIEW: HOW DO ALARMS IMPACT THESE EXPECTATIONS?
• During normal operation…
• Responding to nuisance alarms prevents operators from optimizing the
process
• In an Upset…
• More alarms may be triggered than an operator can effectively address
(alarm flood)
- Overwhelming the operator when they most need concise direction
- Increasing the likelihood of human error, contributing to incidents
* C T Mattiasson, The Alarm System From an Operator’s Perspective

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REVIEW: VARIOUS ALARM MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES/ STANDARDS
• EEMUA 191
• ANSI/ISA 18.2
• IEC 62682
• NAMUR NA-102
• DOT- PHMSA’s 49CFR Parts 192 and 195
• SAFE PIPES act
• API RP1167
• AGA Guidelines

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REVIEW: ISA 18.2 (2016) LIFECYCLE

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REVIEW: ISA 18.2 (2016) LIFECYCLE – APD

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REVIEW: ALARM PHILOSOPHY DOCUMENT (APD)
• Cornerstone for developing an effective alarm management program
- What should be alarmed
- Stakeholder roles and responsibilities
- Alarm prioritization
- Alarm management of change (MOC)
- Alarm KPIs
• Anyone who is affected by the APD is included in its development
• Place to capture and document common alarm “typicals” (site best-
practice configurations) developed during A R (Alarm Rationalization)

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ISA 18.2 (2016) LIFECYCLE - A R

10. BAD-ACTOR RESOLUTION
• Complete before A R
– Eliminate nuisance alarms first –all consoles benefit, operators begin to see the
value of A R
– Bad-actor resolution information requirements include
– Alarm configuration data
- Proper alarm deadband
- Proper process filter
- Proper alarm delay-time (on-off, on-delay or off-delay)
– Reports: Time-in-alarm, time-between-alarm, suppressed and stale (long-
standing) alarms
– Typical Bad-Actor Problems
– Chattering (most frequent)
– Fleeting
– Bad actor cleanup reduces ‘average’ alarm rate
– A R follows to reduce maximum/ peak/ upset alarm rate
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11. A R TEAM ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES
• Facilitator –maintains consistency, progress
• Alarm Coordinator – stewards all aspects of the site’s process alarm lifecycle
• Console/Outside Operators – experienced –a recent retiree may be an option
• Process Engineer – experienced
• Explains alarm’s purpose (operator may not know)
• Serves as the ‘lookup’ person – procedures, PHA/ LOPAs, incident reports
• Records errors on P&IDs, operator graphics and alarm descriptors for later
correction by others
• Process Control – first few days
• Explains how the alarms function (deadband - % or engineering units)
• Re-alarming settings
• How deviation alarms reset (delay)
• Others (as needed) – Process Supervisor, SMEs (subject matter experts)
• Pumps, vibration
• PLCs
• Environmental limits
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A R LOCATION & SCHEDULE
LOCATION
• Single meeting room location preferred
• Away from the control room (minimize pager/ cell phone / plant radio
distractions)
• Video projector, screen, white board
• Wi-fi, DCS access (if not possible, visit control room at end of day to answer
questions)
• Reference materials (operator graphics, P&IDs, etc) available
• Coffee, beverages available; lunch brought in
SCHEDULE
• No more than 2-3 consecutive weeks
• Consecutive days – so you can pick up where you left off
• Allow time for normal duties (start at ~9 AM)
• Start on schedule, maintain on-time breaks

13. A R MATERIALS
• DCS graphic screen-shots – helps operator relate to what they see when alarm
triggered
• P&IDs – may include alarm mark-ups
• PHA/ LOPA and investigation reports
• ESD logic diagrams
• SOPs (Standard operating procedures)
• KPIs – alarm statistics
• Alarm Rationalization data – from previous efforts
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14. A R TOOL – DATABASE – OFTEN EXCEL, IMPORTED INTO MASTER
ALARM DATABASE AFTER AR
• Contains all alarmable points, not just alarmed points
• Includes all extracted DCS configuration parameters for each alarm point
• Captures alarm and related process knowledge
• Database is used to document…
– Alarm process triggers [brief – most common]
– Consequences
– Recommended response to alarm (most probable corrective actions by the
Console and/ or outside operator -recommendation, not rule – keep it simple)
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A R METHODOLOGY
• Follow logical process flow through DCS graphics or P&IDs
- Search for tag in A R tool, using wildcards to capture related instruments
(PIxxx, PCxxx, etc)
- Rationalize all process-related tags as a group
- Select best tag for alarm(s)
• Be consistent/ follow the APD
• Remember: alarm response time = inside + outside operator response + process
response
• Clarify alarm-state descriptive text – “Running” instead of “Run”, “Stopped” instead
of “Stop”
• Use product loss (throughput reduction/shutdown or off-spec product) or equipment
protection (pump min flow, vibration, etc) to determine priority – something
Operator can relate to
• Goal is not to reduce alarms – but rationalize them. In doing so, some alarms may
be eliminated
• Tip: Keep the console operator happy –if they feel strongly about a particular alarm,
give in

16. COMMON ALARM TYPES
• Common alarm types - maximize use of this section of the APD to standardize
best-practice settings
– Create and document guidelines (not rules)
– Common alarms (how to handle Bad PV)
– Common equipment (pumps, furnaces, etc)
– Common functions (ESDs – how to alarm 2oo3 voting)
• Most common alarm-type guidelines (“typicals”) developed in first few weeks of
rationalization
• Update APD with this information
• Use this info to cut-and-paste info for similar alarm types in the A R database
between A R weeks
• PAR: Defined 22 common alarm types (so far)
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17. The Art of Alarm Rationalization
COMMON ALARM TYPES
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• BADPV
• Controller Deviation (DEVHI and
DEVLO)
• OPNTHR, UNREAS, CNFERR
• Transmitter Discrepancy/Deviation
• Re-Alarming
• OFFNORMAL, CHGOFST,
DEVCTL
• Deadband and Time Delays (on and
off)
• Controller (or AUTOMAN) OUTPUT
• Rate-of-Change (ROC)
• PV Significant Change
• Advisory Deviation
• Safety Interlock
• SYSTEM (miscellaneous)
• Gas Detection (H2, Combustibles,
O2)
• FIN-FAN Vibration
• PUMP/ MOTOR Running Status
• APC
• SIS
• Common Trouble
• CL and CAB (runtime errors)
• Environmental Alarms
• Duplicate Alarm Points on same
Variable
Honeywell Internal

18. EXAMPLE: DUPLICATE ALARM POINTS ON SAME VARIABLE
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ISA 18.2 (2016) – LIFECYCLE

20. PROCESS ALARM LIFECYCLE – EVERGREEN PROCESS
• Prevent ‘alarm creep’ – the return of nuisance alarms
• Rationalize new alarms as they are created (project HAZOPs)
• Maintain existing alarms (mechanical, settings)
• Create a simplified MOC process
• Train stakeholders as required
• Generate and issue alarm KPIs
• Perform audits
• In summary: Build in alarm-review stewardship into the existing work culture
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A M SITE LIFECYCLE TEAM
• Alarm Champion/ Coordinator
- Stewards the AM program/ lifecycle
- Preferably from operations (operations ‘owns’ AM)
• Unit Operators
- Interact with unit alarm system (responding)
- Report nuisance alarms
- Use advanced techniques (shelving, etc.)
• Unit Process Engineers
- Monitor alarm KPIs for their units
- Help select alarm settings
• Control Engineers
- Interact with control system
- Maintain AM software

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FINAL THOUGHTS
• Management must match its A R ambition to the number and quality of
people and resources it is willing to dedicate
• A R process should be owned by the board operator – the personnel
expected to respond to the alarms
• Operator belief in the system and site cultural acceptance will
maximize the chances for A M success

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