20110204 alarm management seminar ureason v1 3

Bergen op Zoom Seminar February 2011

Alarm ManagementPrinciples & Guidance

Next generation alarm management

Today’s Seminar

Most of you here have a Plant, DCS system, ESD system Improving the effectiveness of the alarm systems improves overall operation and increases safety

Today’s seminar focuses on a good foundation to achieve this


Agenda

Introduction to UReason

Example Cases

Alarm Management Principals & Guidance

How UReason can help You!

Questions & Discussion

(Every attendee will receive the presentation)


UReason is …

Anglo-Dutch Company with offices in Leiden and Maidenhead

Delivers real-time applications and solutions in the area of Operational Excellence

Customers in Europe, North-America and Middle-East. Industries: Oil & Gas, (Petro)chemical, Traffic, Energy and Utilities

“We Combine our Expertise and Technology with that of our

customers to improve Operational Excellence”.


Operational Excellence

Operational Advisories:– Sabic– DSM– Remote Surveillance:

• Siemens Power Generation• Vestolit• Shell Global Solutions/NAM

Alarm Management:– BASF– BP– KPE– Siemens Oil & Gas– LyondellBasell– Total E&P– Anglian Water

Simulation:– WaterSpot: DZH/PWN/Waternet

/ABB/DHV/Vitens/TU-Delft

– DISCONTO: PWN/DHV/TU-Delft/Vitens/Dunea/Brabant Water

Active Participant in:

• ANSI/ISA S18.02 Standard• ISA S18.02 TR Development• EEMUA 191 Guideline


Example: Northsea Gas producer

Scope of Supply:- Alarm Management Survey- Philosophy Development- Support Alarm Rationalization- Performance Auditing- Advanced Alarm Management System for Onshore Centralized Control Room

DCS: Foxboro IAA&E Historian: TiPS LogMateAlarm Reporting: OASYS-AMAdvanced Alarm Management: OASYS-AM

Alarm reduction on 4 platforms, Visionary Approach for Centralized Control Room

Alarm reduction on 4 platforms, Visionary Approach for Centralized Control Room


Overview of the reduction realized, varying between 30% – 65%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

300 Board Reduced 600 Board Reduced 800 Board Reduced All Boards


Example: LyondellBasell

Scope of Supply:- Rule Discovery from Historical Data- Alarm Display Replacement- Alarm Predictions in Control Room

Corporate Agreement – Advanced Dynamic Alarm Management

DCS: Emerson DeltaVData: TiPS LogMateEmerson OPCAdvanced Alarm Management: OASYS-AM


Example: Chemical Plant Germany

Proactive 24x7 information on gas leaks

Vision/Smell & Sound Sensors Combined

Operators don’t have to do a 12 hours plant inspection

Important for keeping licence to operate

Operator Advisories

Interfaces: Emerson, ABB, Siemens


Example: Refinery Netherlands

Scope of Supply:

- Alarm & Event Historization- Alarm & Event Reporting- Alarm Awareness Workshops - Alarm Philosophy Development- Master Alarm Database- Alarm MOC

DCS: Honeywell TDC, Foxboro IA, Yokogawa CSHistorian: SQL Server


Example: Refinery Netherlands

Scope of Supply:

- Consultancy - Alarm Awareness Workshops - Alarm Philosophy Development- Setup Master Alarm Database- Vendor Selection

- A&E Historization- A&E Reporting- Master Alarm Database & MOC

DCS: Honeywell TDC, HIMA/MagLog ESD


Siemens – Process Real-Time Historian PIMAQ

SISOG PIMAQ System Embeds OASYS-AM

PIMAQ Examples:- Maersk Al-Shaheen FDP 2000- Maersk Al-Shaheen FDP 2005- Maersk Halfdan- Petrobas FPSO Piranema- Venture Oil FPSO Hummingbird- Statoil Snorre A, Snorre B- ConocoPhillips EldFiks- Hydro Njord A & B


Siemens - PIMAQ


Alarm ManagementPrinciples & Guidance


Just imagine … you drove to this seminar and every 2/3 minutes an alarm went off

Breaks are overheatingLeft front tire pressure is downOil Temperature drifting to High….

And you were also expected to find your way, drive safe-fully, listen to the radio for traffic jams and decide on alternative routes…


.. our car and our driver


Why Focus on Alarm Management ?

Abnormal conditions cost billions annually:– Loss of equipment and life– Off-spec Product and Lost Production (3-8% per year)– Environmental Excursions and Remediation

Major contributing factors include:– Information Overflow– Poorly Designed Operator Interfaces– Inadequate Alarm Management System

Alarm Management is recognized as a significant plant reliability improvement


The Alarm System - Definition

The primary function of the alarm system is to warn the operator about a situation that is not normal

Operator’s Response to an alarm = action:

Source EEMUA 191


Some Examples …

Source HSE CRR 166

On 13th May 2002, pilot lights on the flare system at a chemical plant were extinguished. This occurred because there were fluctuations in the gas supply to the flare. A large gas cloud formed but, fortunately, did not ignite. The flare gas came from an installation which was being restarted.The restart process produced 3,700 alarms so, not surprisingly, the operators failed to detect the alarm for the flare.

HSE Briefing Note No. 9


Alarm System Contributes to Stress

Alarm annunciation is the biggest stress factor for operators

EquipmentFailure

Human Errors

Control failure

Picture Source: ASM Consortium

Stress is the main cause for human errors

Human errors are the most frequent cause for incidents and upsets

Human errors are caused by ineffective systems



How did we get here ?

Old days – hardwired – ‘optimized’ alarm system

(100 Light Fixtures)

DCS systems – Inflation of number of configured alarms per operator station:

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

1960 1970 1980 1990 2000


What Do you Have?

Seminar Attendees:

Question1: How many configured alarms does your plant have?

Question2: How many Operator stations does your plant have?

Question3: Has an HAZOP ever revealed information overload and led to operability improvements?


Unfortunately incidents (re)focus attention

• Esso LongFord• Total BunceField• BP Refinery Texas City• Texaco Refinery Milford Haven

Increased attention leads to regulation and improvements


An Example - Milford Haven (’94)

On 24th July 1994 there was a major explosion at the oil refinery at Milford Haven jointly owned by Texaco and Gulf. There was plant damage that cost about £48M to repair. There was also two months lost production from the complete plant and four months lost production from the area that was damaged. The plant owners were prosecuted and fined a total of £200,000 plus costs.

Alarm system shortcomings were one major contributor to this incident. There was a lightning strike which caused a significant plant upset. For several hours after the lightning strike the operators were For several hours after the lightning strike the operators were heavily loaded with alarms at a rate estimated to be in excess of 1 heavily loaded with alarms at a rate estimated to be in excess of 1 every 2-3 seconds. During this period several operators failed to every 2-3 seconds. During this period several operators failed to identify the build up of liquid in a knock-out vessel.identify the build up of liquid in a knock-out vessel. This eventually overfilled and resulted in the explosion taking place. A number of instrument faults contributed to the operating confusion. A large number of people (26) sustained minor injuries as a result of the explosion, but fortunately there were no major injuries.

Source HSE CRR 166



Lesson 1 - Alarm System– The control displays and alarms did not aid operatives– A process overview would have helped diagnosis– The alarms appeared faster than they could be responded to

and key alarms were missed in the flood– 87% of the 2040 alarms displayed as "high" priority, despite

many being informative only - safety critical alarms were not distinguishable from the rest

Lesson 2 - Safety Management System (SMS)SMS failures included:

– The plant modification procedure did not prevent removal of the flare knock-out drum emptying facility

– The instrument maintenance system did not prevent 40% of instruments from being defective



Lesson 3 - Training and competenceTraining should include:

– Clear guidance on how to manage unplanned events– Clear guidance on when to initiate emergency plant shutdown– Clear authority to initiate shutdown

Lesson 4– Ultimate plant safety must not depend on operator response


Milford Haven Has Led To ?

Recognition of the Alarm Management Problem

Definition of Alarm MetricsEEMUA 191 (1999/2007)

…. and Many Alarm Improvement Programs based on EEMUA 191 Guidelines Be careful with using this picture .. Statistics and Averaging tend to hide real issues


Some EEMUA Metrics

Source EEMUA 191


Some EEMUA Metrics

Source EEMUA 191

Message: Start Measuring Your Alarm System Performance Compare and Take Action


OKAY …..

We know what to measure and how to compare

We are engineers …

Lets Start !

Using What Framework ?


Don’t start building your house without a good foundation

Foundation:

− Alarm Philosophy (Rules)− Management of Change− Monitoring & Assesment

KPIs + Follow-up


The SP18 – The Alarm Management Lifecycle

The lifecycle model is useful in identifying the requirements and responsibilities for

implementing an alarm management system.

The lifecycle is applicable for the installation of new alarm

systems or managing an existing system.

Source ISA SP18

Philosophy

Identification

Rationalization

Detailed Design

Implementation

Operation

Maintenance

Monitoring & Assessment

Management of Change

Audit

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J


The Alarm Philosophy

Source ISA SP18


The Alarm Philosophy

The Alarm Philosophy Document can be a small document. Keep in mind that the purpose is to get common understanding, metrics and rules for MOC


First Focus On?

When writing an Alarm Philosophy first Focus on:

1. Roles & Responsibilities2. Alarm Prioritization Method3. Key Performance Indicators


Roles & Responsibilities in Alarm Management

Key is to (re)define Roles & Responsibilities related to alarm management activities. An example:


Prevent Information Overflow

Adopt a Single Prioritization Method:

1. Classify the Health, Safety, Environment, Financial & Reputation Consequences

2. Decide what Operator Response Times you use to prioritize• < 3 minutes = Immediate Action• 3 – 10 minutes = Swift Action• 10 minutes > = Take Action

3. Decide levels for Consequences of no Response, f.ex.:• Small - Immediate Action required but Small Consequence = LOW

Priority• Moderate - Immediate Action required but Medium Consequence =

HIGH Priority• High - Immediate Action required but Severe Consequence =

EMERGENCY Priority


Example Matrix


Set Targets

Set Targets for:

• Average Alarm Rate per time period (day/hour/minute) ~ 6 per hour

• Percentage of hours containing more than >= N alarms – 2% = 14 hours per month in flood condition

• Percentage contribution of the top 10 most frequent alarms to the overall alarm load

• Number of standing alarms on any day • Annunciated priority distribution

during alarm flood• Annunciated priority distribution in

steady operation• The top 10 most frequent

disabled/enabled alarms. • The top 10 most frequent inhibited

alarms.

→ ~ 6 per hour

→ 2% = 14 hours per month in flood condition

→ < 5% (otherwise many bad actors)

→ < 5

→ ~5%, 15%, 80% (Emergency, High Low)

→ <1%, 10%, 90% (Emergency, High Low)

→ <1% of total configured alarms

→ < 1% of total configured alarms


Monitor & Take Action

Monitor Weekly/Bi-Weekly/MonthlyFollowed by quick bad-actor mitigation to improve

Actual

Target


Identify & Improve

Bad Actor Mitigation is a quick-win solution (fixes the alarms that are a problem now).

Alarm Performance Monitoring may have identified following Issues:

- Priority Distribution is Off- Too many alarms in stable operation- Too many alarms during and following trips- Large number of disabled alarms

Rationalize: rethink and document your alarms


Document & Rationalize

Choose a fitting Rationalization approach:

1. Unit-by-Unit2. Full-scale

Reduce scope: Only rationalize the alarms that actually triggered during the last 12 months

Document and Rationalize according to your rules in your Alarm Philosophy.


Alarm Rationalization & Documentation

What Alarm Information Should you document:

– Alarm Rationale– Alarm Cause– Alarm Consequences– Alarm Consequential Alarms– Alarm Actions– Alarm Settings– Alarm Priority– Alarm Mode Dependencies

Tools available that help you retrieve current settings and alarm information, store and audit

(and enforce) unrequested changes

ALARM

- Type- Priority- Trip point- Dead band

AlarmConfigurations

CAUSE(S)

CONSEQUENCE(S)

ACTION(S)

AlarmHistorian


What Do you Have?

Seminar Attendees:

Question 1: Does your plant/site have an Alarm Philosophy?

Question 2: Do you have clear metrics whereby you can measure system performance? .. And do you frequently monitor these?

Question 3: Do you have an alarm historian?

Question 4: Do you store and audit changes on your alarm configuration data?


Where to Start?

HELP … I just experienced an Alarm Management Information Overflow … Where to Start:

1. Alarm Philosophy Document

2. Use Current Systems Improve Procedures:

- Document- Measure- Audit- Take Actions (Weekly/Bi-Weekly)

3. Invest in Alarm Systems:

- Alarm & Event Historization- Master Alarm Configuration Database- Alarm MOC (Electronic)- OASYS-AM

- State Based Alarming/Shelving- Operator Advisories: supporting the non routine situations- Reducing the alarm load- Prevent Alarm Storms with Alarm Predictions

- HMI improvements : sounds and presentation!

Foundation

Document/Measure & Improve


Your Goal ?!

Good Alarm Management Practices:

1. Allow your operator to focus on improving the process instead of responding to the system

2. Result in less stress and reduction of human failure

3. Result in less excursions to the safety and integrity limits of your operations and as a result fewer trips and reduction of downtime


UReason can help you in the entire Alarm Management Lifecycle:

- Alarm Awareness Workshops- Alarm Philosophy Development- Alarm Rationalization & Documentation- Alarm MOC- Measuring & Improving Alarm Systems Performance- Alarm Management Systems:

- A&E Historian, A&E Reporting, Master Alarm Database, Alarm MOC

- Advanced Alarm Reduction


Thank You for your Attention !!Questions !??


Contact Details:

UReason LeidenPompoenweg 92321DK Leiden071-5281700www.UReason.com

Presenters:Lieven Dubois: [email protected] Jules Oudmans: [email protected]


Future developments

The average age of control room operators is high – knowledge retention is becoming more and more a hot topic

There is a change in workforce:1. Higher educated control room operators staying short

period of time (2/3 yrs in control room)2. Lower educated control room operators requiring

smarter systems helping them

Improved Operational Information (at the fingertips) and Operator Training !


Future developments

ISA S18 is released this will lead to updated OSHA regulations in turn leading to investments in Improved AM procedures, Reporting and Improved Alarm Management systems

New regulations to follow …


Further reading:

ISA SP18:http://www.isa.org/MSTemplate.cfm?Site=SP18,_Instrument_Signals_and_Alarms

EEMUA 191:

http://www.eemua.co.uk/p_instrumentation.htmHSE CRR 166: ISBN: 0717615154Human Factors & Alarm Management:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/humanfactors/topics/alarm-management.htm

20110204 alarm management seminar ureason v1 3

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