Alarm Management
Rockwell Automation PlantPAx System Services
Looking for an Economic and Effective Alarm Management solution for your PlantPAx System?
SILAlarm forms a cornerstone of an effective alarm management program for a PlantPAx system.
exida Alarm Management Program (Adapted from the ISA-18.2 Alarm Management Lifecycle)
| Task | Description |
|---|---|
| Alarm System Performance Benchmarking (Initial) | Establish initial baseline for ongoing comparison as part of a comprehensive alarm management program. Identify the most pressing alarm management problems and the biggest opportunities for improvement. |
| Alarm Philosophy Development | Documents the objectives, guidelines and work processes for alarm management at a site. (Prerequisite for Alarm Rationalization) |
| Alarm Rationalization | Process for determining which alarms are valid, establishing their design (priority, limit,) and document their basis (cause, cause consequence, corrective action) in a Master Alarm Database (MADB) |
| Advanced Alarm System Design | Configure alarm system to modify alarm behavior dynamically based on the state of the process or equipment |
| Implementation | Configuration of Alarm Rationalization results (alarm settings and design) in PlantPAx |
| Alarm System Performance Monitoring & Assessment (Ongoing) | Measure alarm system performance on a regular basis (e.g., monthly), compare against KPIs, and Identify problem alarms to be addressed (via rationalization) |
| Audit | Periodic review of alarm management procedures (e.g. MOC) to verify integrity of Alarm System |
Key Alarm Management Tools for use with PlantPAx
- Alarm Philosophy Template - Starting point for creating a site-specific alarm philosophy that maximizes PlantPAx alarm functionality and creates a sustainable alarm management plan.
- SILAlarm™ - Tool for guiding the rationalization process and capturing results in a Master Alarm Database. Also transfers alarm settings to PlantPAX via Import / Export into the PlantPAx Alarms Builder Tool and can be used to perform audit & enforcement. Can be used to design and document alarm suppression requirements
- PlantPAx Alarms Builder Tool - Tool for generating SILAlarm import files containing the Logix alarm configuration. Can import rationalization results from SILAlarm to update the offline Logix tag configuration and AE tag configuration as well as create alarm response procedures that can be launched from FactoryTalk View SE alarm faceplates.
- Alarm Shelving (Manual Suppression) - Standard functionality in PlantPAx Operate allows operators to temporarily suppress an alarm for a fixed period of time and document the reason.
- Condition Gate Delay (P_Gate) - Add-On Instruction provides a method for inhibiting the annunciation of an alarm based on additional conditions (e.g., preventing a pump low outlet flow alarm when the pump is not running) and on-delay and off-delay timing.
- FactoryTalk Vantage Point - Tool for measuring alarm system performance, generating reports, and identifying poorly performing alarms (nuisance alarms, bad actors, alarm floods).
Alarm Management Training for PlantPAx Users
Alarm Rationalization of PlantPAx Systems (2 day, hands on)
In this class, attendees learn how to rationalize alarms for greenfield (new) or brownfield (existing) applications in order to optimize performance of their PlantPAx alarm systems and address common alarm management issues. The class immerses participants in discussion and hands on exercises which have been designed to demonstrate the best practices for rationalization as taken from the ISA-18.2 alarm management standard and EEMUA 191 guideline. It provides an overview of the entire alarm management lifecycle so students can see how rationalization fits into an effective alarm management program. The class also discusses considerations for how to create an alarm philosophy document by reviewing some of the key topics that should be contained in this document.
exida’s SILAlarm™ tool, which is a Rockwell Automation Encompass Partner Program product, will be used to guide the participants through the rationalization process and capture the results.
Introduction to Alarm Management Practices & Principles for PlantPAx Users (1 day)
The seminar focuses on how to create an effective, sustainable alarm management program for PlantPAx systems that delivers quantifiable benefits and complies with the ISA-18.2 alarm management standard. It prepares participants to support a facility alarm management program including tasks such as creating an alarm philosophy document, alarm rationalization, analyzing alarm system performance, alarm system maintenance and resolution of alarm management issues. The seminar includes a discussion of how to leverage the PlantPAx alarm management tools (FactoryTalk Vantage Point, PlantPAx Alarms Builder P_Gate, and SILAlarm™) as part of an alarm management continuous improvement program.
For additional information or to schedule a class contact exida or your local Rockwell sales representative.