Using the ISA-18.2 standard helps process engineers understand, simplify, and implement a sustainable alarm management plan.
If you are responsible for establishing an alarm management plan for your device, where do you start and how do you start? This article will provide four practical recommendations for an effective start-up, sustainable alarm management plan that conforms to the principles of the industry standard for alarm management processes established by ISA.
Recommendation 1: Understanding Alarm Management Terms, Concepts You can find many useful information about alarm management by searching the Internet for the terms "alarm management" and "alarm rationalization." In general, the large amount of information generated when searching for these terms can easily be overwhelming and confusing. Therefore, we need to be familiar with the best engineering practices for alarm management.
Until recently, process equipment owners, process control system manufacturers, and alarm experts were still creating their own unique terminology and advocating the use of their own alarm management concepts. This practice even led to inconsistent basic concepts. Such examples include alarms and Differences between warnings, and differences between alarm adjustments, disables, holds, and deactivates.
In 2009, ANSI/ISA-18.2-2009: "Process Industry Alarm System Management" was released, it is also known as ISA-18.2 standard. By providing a clear definition of common terms and assisting in creating a common alarm management language, the ISA-18.2 standard helps eliminate this confusion. It also defines the alarm management life cycle model that establishes the recommended workflow. This life cycle provides a central framework for understanding the design requirements of the alarm management plan. Compare any product, service, or internal process that has been implemented with this model to find differences and assess compliance. Since the release of the ISA-18.2 standard, most alarm solution providers and industrial alarm consultants have started or completed work related to bringing their products and solutions into compliance.
First, understand the alarm management terms and concepts in the ISA-18.2 standard, and then continue to look at the other information provided by the Internet.
Recommendation 2: Find out the main target and plan scope The poor performance of the alarm system leads to costly process interruptions or significant maintenance costs, which is likely to be the root cause of new tasks. New and emerging business factors are also driving the creation of an alarm management plan. ISA-18.2 is the first normative standard suitable for defining good engineering practices for process industry alarm management and should be given sufficient attention by management and insurance risk rating agencies. Some companies hope that by implementing the concepts in the ISA-18.2 standard, maintenance costs can be reduced and higher operating performance can be achieved. For some companies, the impact of uncontrolled anomalous events on the business is so severe that it is necessary to create and maintain a standardized alarm management plan from the point of view of achieving and maintaining alarm control.
Establishing program goals is important, because for a successful alarm management plan, there should be a natural hierarchy and it must match top-level goals. In accordance with the scope from small to large, this level includes:
Restriction procedures to eliminate interference alarms Redesign basic alarms as needed to achieve alarm rationalization Advanced alarm technology and operator interface optimization.
Eliminating Interference Alarms: Operators often encounter excessive or unnecessary interference alarms or do not return to normal status (eg, intermittent, momentary, or out-of-date alarms) after a correct response. Frequent receipt of interfering alarms for a long period of time can reduce the operator's sensitivity to alarms and can be ignored. In addition, routine changes in process status (start, shut down, and deactivation) can often result in unimportant alarms. Not only that, they also make the alarm list clutter. Often only a dozen or even fewer sources generate up to 80% alarms. Therefore, the process of identifying and eliminating false alarms can make the control room significantly quieter with minimal cost and avoid unnecessary work interruptions for the operator.
This is just one of the activities of a valid alarm management plan. Limiting the scope of the plan to eliminating only distracting alarms is extremely risky. When the actual process is interrupted or an equipment failure occurs, it often causes flooding of alarms of different importance and usefulness, and the priority of the alarm does not truly reflect their importance.
If only disturbing alarms are rationalized, such a plan will help the operator to deal with actual process interruptions, but only reduces the baseline level of background noise. Most alarm management experts warn that although the elimination of interference alarms has a role, it cannot substitute for a true alarm management plan.
Rationalization of alarms, basic alarm technology: The ISA-18.2 standard states that alarms should be saved in order to notify the operator when equipment failures, process deviations or abnormal conditions that require a response occur. This means that operator actions have been defined for each alarm to mitigate or prevent possible consequences and the operator has enough time to take the prescribed actions.
The rationalization of alarms is the process of reviewing potential and existing alarms using the guidelines defined in the alarm principle (documents you will create) in order to select alarms for the design and record the basic principles of each alarm. In this way, the alarm rationalization can identify the alarm to be implemented or the alarm with insufficient reason and its specifications, such as priority, limit value and any adjustment method (such as on/off delay or hysteresis). Obviously, careful review of all potential alarm sources, alarm design specifications, and subsequent implementation in the control system is a major measure. However, if during the actual process interruption or equipment failure, if one of the main goals is to ensure that the operator can make decisions and continue to respond, this is a necessary investment.
A good start for building a sustainable, effective alarm management plan begins with a clear understanding of the basic principles of the goals and alarm management life cycle.
Advanced alarm technology, new human interface design: Advanced alarms are a series of technologies that help people manage alarm rates in specific situations (such as state-based alarms and static/dynamic disables). An example of this is the programmatic consolidation of multiple alarms when the compressor or other large process equipment is offline to prevent alarm flooding and figure out what happened.
Special control displays may also be required to manage such events. In order to increase the visibility of the alarm and allow the operator to better understand the situation, it may be necessary to upgrade the operator's process display. The application of advanced alarm technology and new design of the human-machine interface means a lot of work and expensive expenses, so it can be put into DCS upgrade or performance optimization projects in order to achieve its potential benefits.
Explain your management expectations in advance based on cost and expected benefits, and adjust the size of the alarm management plan accordingly.
Figure 2: This figure depicts the ISA-18.2 alarm lifecycle model. The alarm management principle document is the set point for the process.
Recommendation 3: To achieve and maintain good results by building a closed-loop process, the basic concepts and benefits of the closed-loop process should be fully understood. Careful examination of the alarm lifecycle model based on the ISA-18.2 standard revealed similarities with closed-loop processes that included setpoints and feedback mechanisms (see Figure 2).
Creating an alarm policy document is a good start. This document will serve as a setpoint for the alarm management process. This document establishes the principles, procedures, and expected performance of the design, implementation, and maintenance of the alarm system. Incomplete or inadequate alarm principles (or setpoints) can lead to confusion, unsustainable results, and alarm management system failures.
For example, if the alarm rationalization activity is entrapped in a long-term discussion about the priority or necessity of each alarm, it is determined that almost every alarm has a critical priority, or it drifts over time as it approaches a set limit or uses an adjustment method. , it is very likely that there is no alarm principle. Good alarm principles, for example, should specify methods for alarm prioritization, promote consistency, and include guidelines for determining all alarm settings.
The alarm principle defines the expected results and is usually measured using key performance indicators (KPIs). Typical KPIs include:
Alarm rate goals (for example, the average number of alarms per operator per day, and the percentage of time the incoming alarm rate is greater than 10 alarms per 10 minutes.
The distribution targets for the maximum number of alarm priority levels for alarms that have been activated for more than 24 hours, such as the number of low, medium, and high priority alarms, are 80%:15%:5%.
For the closed-loop alarm management process, the alarm system performance should be measured periodically, converted to KPIs and evaluated. However, it is often more difficult to include organizational processes that support effective management:
Systematic review of feedback to identify problems Maintain effective management of the change process, detect and prevent inconsistencies between approved settings and actual (unauthorized) alarm settings in production.
Continual improvement of the promotion plan, including deletion or modification of invalid alarm design.
It is important to invest as much effort as possible to create an alarm statement. It is important to unite and secure the full support of all major stakeholders (operational, control engineering, and process engineering). Expert advisory services are usually very helpful for the creation of descriptions and the training of alarm management practices and principles (to assist in the consensus within the company), and at the same time facilitate the provision of reasonable assistance to some sponsors.
Recommendation 4: Use the right tools to complete the work Finally, you need to use the right tools to complete the work. Building and maintaining an alarm management plan means large, ongoing investments. The ISA-18.2 standard does not specify a compliance method; it only defines what must be done. Fortunately, there are many high-quality products and services on the market that can simplify the standard compliance of the alarm management program and ultimately bring benefits.
A basic tool is the main alarm database, which is an authorization list for rationalizing alarms and associated attributes. Just a simple spreadsheet or database can achieve its function. However, there are a wealth of specialized tools on the market, including powerful aids to assist in the rationalization of alarms, such as change management mechanisms, instructional workflows for increased efficiency, automatic setting of alarm settings and operator guidance information to the control system. (or vice versa), Audit function, and a set of rationalization rules that can be populated with the options and KPI targets in the alarm description.
Alarm analysis software is also important for automating KPI collection and reporting. If the primary goal is to eliminate interference alarms (hopefully not), this may be the only tool you need. The alarm analysis software usually provides KPI reporting functions based on the ISA-18.2 standard recommended performance matrix, some common alarm investigation tools for investigating extensive alarms or specific alarm history, and some problem list functions.
For example, if the scope of the alarm management plan includes advanced alarm technology, additional tools may be required to display the alarm response program to the operator or automate the multiple alarm disablement scheme.
Some of the alarm management tools are provided as a combination or layered software suite and are suitable for layered applications on various suppliers' various control systems. Some tools can be provided as a single point solution to meet specific elements of the alarm life cycle model. In addition, there are some alarm management solutions from control system vendors that focus on optimizing local integration. Functional, integration considerations, life-cycle costs, and initial prices may be very different. When comparing, it is necessary to associate the main function of each product with the life cycle model in the ISA-18.2 standard to ensure effective comparison and coverage of all major parts. In general, using the right tools not only improves efficiency, but also helps ensure the long-term consistency of the alarm management plan. The ISA-18.2 standard actively promotes the development of these software tools.
In addition, the services provided by alarm management companies and individual consultants are also improved by the ISA-18.2 standard. Comparing professional service plans with life cycle models also helps to evaluate the scope of these professional service plans.
KimVanCamp is an alarm management marketing manager for Emerson Process Management and has 37 years of work experience. He is a member of the ISA-18.2 Committee and the EEMUA-191 Committee.
ToddStauffer is Director of Alarm Management at exida, Inc., and editor and voter at the ISA-18.2 Standards Committee on Alarm Management.
If you are responsible for establishing an alarm management plan for your device, where do you start and how do you start? This article will provide four practical recommendations for an effective start-up, sustainable alarm management plan that conforms to the principles of the industry standard for alarm management processes established by ISA.
Recommendation 1: Understanding Alarm Management Terms, Concepts You can find many useful information about alarm management by searching the Internet for the terms "alarm management" and "alarm rationalization." In general, the large amount of information generated when searching for these terms can easily be overwhelming and confusing. Therefore, we need to be familiar with the best engineering practices for alarm management.
Until recently, process equipment owners, process control system manufacturers, and alarm experts were still creating their own unique terminology and advocating the use of their own alarm management concepts. This practice even led to inconsistent basic concepts. Such examples include alarms and Differences between warnings, and differences between alarm adjustments, disables, holds, and deactivates.
In 2009, ANSI/ISA-18.2-2009: "Process Industry Alarm System Management" was released, it is also known as ISA-18.2 standard. By providing a clear definition of common terms and assisting in creating a common alarm management language, the ISA-18.2 standard helps eliminate this confusion. It also defines the alarm management life cycle model that establishes the recommended workflow. This life cycle provides a central framework for understanding the design requirements of the alarm management plan. Compare any product, service, or internal process that has been implemented with this model to find differences and assess compliance. Since the release of the ISA-18.2 standard, most alarm solution providers and industrial alarm consultants have started or completed work related to bringing their products and solutions into compliance.
First, understand the alarm management terms and concepts in the ISA-18.2 standard, and then continue to look at the other information provided by the Internet.
Recommendation 2: Find out the main target and plan scope The poor performance of the alarm system leads to costly process interruptions or significant maintenance costs, which is likely to be the root cause of new tasks. New and emerging business factors are also driving the creation of an alarm management plan. ISA-18.2 is the first normative standard suitable for defining good engineering practices for process industry alarm management and should be given sufficient attention by management and insurance risk rating agencies. Some companies hope that by implementing the concepts in the ISA-18.2 standard, maintenance costs can be reduced and higher operating performance can be achieved. For some companies, the impact of uncontrolled anomalous events on the business is so severe that it is necessary to create and maintain a standardized alarm management plan from the point of view of achieving and maintaining alarm control.
Establishing program goals is important, because for a successful alarm management plan, there should be a natural hierarchy and it must match top-level goals. In accordance with the scope from small to large, this level includes:
Restriction procedures to eliminate interference alarms Redesign basic alarms as needed to achieve alarm rationalization Advanced alarm technology and operator interface optimization.
Eliminating Interference Alarms: Operators often encounter excessive or unnecessary interference alarms or do not return to normal status (eg, intermittent, momentary, or out-of-date alarms) after a correct response. Frequent receipt of interfering alarms for a long period of time can reduce the operator's sensitivity to alarms and can be ignored. In addition, routine changes in process status (start, shut down, and deactivation) can often result in unimportant alarms. Not only that, they also make the alarm list clutter. Often only a dozen or even fewer sources generate up to 80% alarms. Therefore, the process of identifying and eliminating false alarms can make the control room significantly quieter with minimal cost and avoid unnecessary work interruptions for the operator.
This is just one of the activities of a valid alarm management plan. Limiting the scope of the plan to eliminating only distracting alarms is extremely risky. When the actual process is interrupted or an equipment failure occurs, it often causes flooding of alarms of different importance and usefulness, and the priority of the alarm does not truly reflect their importance.
If only disturbing alarms are rationalized, such a plan will help the operator to deal with actual process interruptions, but only reduces the baseline level of background noise. Most alarm management experts warn that although the elimination of interference alarms has a role, it cannot substitute for a true alarm management plan.
Rationalization of alarms, basic alarm technology: The ISA-18.2 standard states that alarms should be saved in order to notify the operator when equipment failures, process deviations or abnormal conditions that require a response occur. This means that operator actions have been defined for each alarm to mitigate or prevent possible consequences and the operator has enough time to take the prescribed actions.
The rationalization of alarms is the process of reviewing potential and existing alarms using the guidelines defined in the alarm principle (documents you will create) in order to select alarms for the design and record the basic principles of each alarm. In this way, the alarm rationalization can identify the alarm to be implemented or the alarm with insufficient reason and its specifications, such as priority, limit value and any adjustment method (such as on/off delay or hysteresis). Obviously, careful review of all potential alarm sources, alarm design specifications, and subsequent implementation in the control system is a major measure. However, if during the actual process interruption or equipment failure, if one of the main goals is to ensure that the operator can make decisions and continue to respond, this is a necessary investment.
A good start for building a sustainable, effective alarm management plan begins with a clear understanding of the basic principles of the goals and alarm management life cycle.
Advanced alarm technology, new human interface design: Advanced alarms are a series of technologies that help people manage alarm rates in specific situations (such as state-based alarms and static/dynamic disables). An example of this is the programmatic consolidation of multiple alarms when the compressor or other large process equipment is offline to prevent alarm flooding and figure out what happened.
Special control displays may also be required to manage such events. In order to increase the visibility of the alarm and allow the operator to better understand the situation, it may be necessary to upgrade the operator's process display. The application of advanced alarm technology and new design of the human-machine interface means a lot of work and expensive expenses, so it can be put into DCS upgrade or performance optimization projects in order to achieve its potential benefits.
Explain your management expectations in advance based on cost and expected benefits, and adjust the size of the alarm management plan accordingly.
Figure 2: This figure depicts the ISA-18.2 alarm lifecycle model. The alarm management principle document is the set point for the process.
Recommendation 3: To achieve and maintain good results by building a closed-loop process, the basic concepts and benefits of the closed-loop process should be fully understood. Careful examination of the alarm lifecycle model based on the ISA-18.2 standard revealed similarities with closed-loop processes that included setpoints and feedback mechanisms (see Figure 2).
Creating an alarm policy document is a good start. This document will serve as a setpoint for the alarm management process. This document establishes the principles, procedures, and expected performance of the design, implementation, and maintenance of the alarm system. Incomplete or inadequate alarm principles (or setpoints) can lead to confusion, unsustainable results, and alarm management system failures.
For example, if the alarm rationalization activity is entrapped in a long-term discussion about the priority or necessity of each alarm, it is determined that almost every alarm has a critical priority, or it drifts over time as it approaches a set limit or uses an adjustment method. , it is very likely that there is no alarm principle. Good alarm principles, for example, should specify methods for alarm prioritization, promote consistency, and include guidelines for determining all alarm settings.
The alarm principle defines the expected results and is usually measured using key performance indicators (KPIs). Typical KPIs include:
Alarm rate goals (for example, the average number of alarms per operator per day, and the percentage of time the incoming alarm rate is greater than 10 alarms per 10 minutes.
The distribution targets for the maximum number of alarm priority levels for alarms that have been activated for more than 24 hours, such as the number of low, medium, and high priority alarms, are 80%:15%:5%.
For the closed-loop alarm management process, the alarm system performance should be measured periodically, converted to KPIs and evaluated. However, it is often more difficult to include organizational processes that support effective management:
Systematic review of feedback to identify problems Maintain effective management of the change process, detect and prevent inconsistencies between approved settings and actual (unauthorized) alarm settings in production.
Continual improvement of the promotion plan, including deletion or modification of invalid alarm design.
It is important to invest as much effort as possible to create an alarm statement. It is important to unite and secure the full support of all major stakeholders (operational, control engineering, and process engineering). Expert advisory services are usually very helpful for the creation of descriptions and the training of alarm management practices and principles (to assist in the consensus within the company), and at the same time facilitate the provision of reasonable assistance to some sponsors.
Recommendation 4: Use the right tools to complete the work Finally, you need to use the right tools to complete the work. Building and maintaining an alarm management plan means large, ongoing investments. The ISA-18.2 standard does not specify a compliance method; it only defines what must be done. Fortunately, there are many high-quality products and services on the market that can simplify the standard compliance of the alarm management program and ultimately bring benefits.
A basic tool is the main alarm database, which is an authorization list for rationalizing alarms and associated attributes. Just a simple spreadsheet or database can achieve its function. However, there are a wealth of specialized tools on the market, including powerful aids to assist in the rationalization of alarms, such as change management mechanisms, instructional workflows for increased efficiency, automatic setting of alarm settings and operator guidance information to the control system. (or vice versa), Audit function, and a set of rationalization rules that can be populated with the options and KPI targets in the alarm description.
Alarm analysis software is also important for automating KPI collection and reporting. If the primary goal is to eliminate interference alarms (hopefully not), this may be the only tool you need. The alarm analysis software usually provides KPI reporting functions based on the ISA-18.2 standard recommended performance matrix, some common alarm investigation tools for investigating extensive alarms or specific alarm history, and some problem list functions.
For example, if the scope of the alarm management plan includes advanced alarm technology, additional tools may be required to display the alarm response program to the operator or automate the multiple alarm disablement scheme.
Some of the alarm management tools are provided as a combination or layered software suite and are suitable for layered applications on various suppliers' various control systems. Some tools can be provided as a single point solution to meet specific elements of the alarm life cycle model. In addition, there are some alarm management solutions from control system vendors that focus on optimizing local integration. Functional, integration considerations, life-cycle costs, and initial prices may be very different. When comparing, it is necessary to associate the main function of each product with the life cycle model in the ISA-18.2 standard to ensure effective comparison and coverage of all major parts. In general, using the right tools not only improves efficiency, but also helps ensure the long-term consistency of the alarm management plan. The ISA-18.2 standard actively promotes the development of these software tools.
In addition, the services provided by alarm management companies and individual consultants are also improved by the ISA-18.2 standard. Comparing professional service plans with life cycle models also helps to evaluate the scope of these professional service plans.
KimVanCamp is an alarm management marketing manager for Emerson Process Management and has 37 years of work experience. He is a member of the ISA-18.2 Committee and the EEMUA-191 Committee.
ToddStauffer is Director of Alarm Management at exida, Inc., and editor and voter at the ISA-18.2 Standards Committee on Alarm Management.
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