Safety and efficiency in the control room starts with good alarm management

When following up on malfunctions or incidents, we often notice that problems are caused by alarms that are not followed up optimally. This arises because users in the control room and in the field are often confronted with an abundance of messages and alarms. As a result, the user lacks an overview of the status of the process and the installation, and he or she cannot optimally manage the process. Safety and quality risks can arise if messages and alarms are not followed up correctly. Agidens has developed a method for the optimization of alarm systems based on NEN-EN-IEC 6282 and ISA-18.2.

By applying alarm management, all users, such as operations, maintenance, QHSE and IT, are involved only the information that is relevant to them. The alarm system will then have the function for which it is intended: the (early) detection of problems in the process, the installation or the system itself. When these signals are optimally tailored to both the process and the organization, all users can respond within the desired response time.

By using a tailor-made alarm philosophy, all alarms are optimally tailored to the process and organization, making it clear to users what action is required, making follow-up of problems a lot easier. In addition, the philosophy can serve as a basis for expansions and changes to the installation in the future.

But also to asset management and preventive maintenance A well-founded alarm management system offers many advantages. The technical service can use the alarms as input for condition-based maintenance. Deviating pressures and temperatures indicate dirty heat exchangers or clogged filters. Longer pump times are an indication that pump impellers are worn and excessive amperage may mean it is time to lubricate.

Good insight into the number of alarms and a clear description of them can prevent many malfunctions. In practice, operators often reset alarms without reporting this to the technical service. This person then has no insight into the actual condition of the assets and does not notice if problems are escalating. This may lead to a complete standstill of the installation, resulting in loss of time and major costs.

A clear overview of the number and type of alarms is also necessary when making decisions for replacement investments. Many technical managers know that an older installation has more and more downtimes and then choose to replace it in its entirety. With good alarm management, engineers can pinpoint the problem much better and it may be sufficient, for example, to replace only part of the installation.

Alarms that do not require immediate action as well as warnings that are not relevant to the operator, such as maintenance and IT-related notifications, are classified and sent to the relevant department. Furthermore, these reports are stored in a logbook which provides historical data to support the maintenance team.

If you choose an efficient, safe and future-proof alarm management system, you can focus on the other aspects of your business.

More info: www.agidens.nl/alarmmanagement