Controller Setup For Alarm Monitoring: Best Practices Tim Coyle
Alarm Management Roles & Responsibilities Store Personnel Store Personnel Can Perform Easy Problem Solving (e.g. Door Closed, Case Stocked Properly) Refrigeration Technician Assigned To Service One Or More Stores Primarily Responsible For The Management Of All Refrigeration Alarms Refrigeration Supervisor Oversees Refrigeration Technicians Oversees Regional System Alarms
E2 Alarm Types & States Alarm Types FAIL: Hardware Failure Related Alarm (e.g. Board Offline) ALARM: Subsystem Alarm ( High Temperature Alarm) FAIL & ALARM Typically Initiate External Alarm Notification NOTICE: Subsystem Notification ( High Temperature Notice) Usually Does NOT Initiate External Alarm Notification Alarm States ACTIVE: Alarm Condition Is Present RESET: Alarm Condition Still Present, But Has Delay Been Reset Alarm Delay Resets & Will Alarm Again If Condition Exists After The Delay RETURN TO NORMAL: Alarm Condition Was Present, But Control Value Have Returned To Non-Alarm Range ACKNOWLEDGE: Alarm Condition Is Present & E2 Will NOT Notify Until Control Value Return To Non-Alarm Range (Or Reset)
ProAct Alarm Monitoring Center 6,070 Total Sites Serviced 5,550,000 Alarms Received Annually 1,100,000 Calls Handled
ProAct Alarms Received 1.9% 2.1% 2.6% 3.5% 3.5% 1.4% 1.1% 1.6% 27.3% Device Offline 45.7% Case High Temp 73% Of Alarms Are 2 Types Of Alarms
High Temperature Alarm Causes Reason For Alarm Case Being Stocked With New Product Door Propped Open (Reach In or Walk-In Box) Air Flow Blocked Case Taking Too Long To Pull-Down After Defrost Mechanical Failure (Compressor, Case) Clogged Drain Store Personnel Store Personnel Store Personnel Who Can Resolve? Possibly Store Personnel, or Escalated To Refrigeration Technician Refrigeration Technician Refrigeration Technician High Temperature Alarms Are Not Always Mechanical Issues
Typical Case Temp Alarm Set Points Circuit Type High Alarm Set Point Low Alarm Set Point Alarm Delay Low Temperature Case Set Point Plus 5 to 10 deg F Set Point Minus 10 deg F (or None) 60-90 Minutes Medium Temperature Case Set Point Plus 5 to 10 deg F Set Point Minus 10 deg F (or None) 60-90 Minutes Walk-In Box Set Point Plus 5 to 10 deg F Set Point Minus 10 deg F (or None) 60 180 Minutes High Alarm Set Point To Ensure Food Quality Low Alarm Set Point To Ensure Energy Efficiency
Possible Device Offline Alarm Causes Poor Wiring Hardware Failure Reason For Alarm Circuit Breaker Turned Off/Tripped Network Wiring Crossing EMI (Electro-Magnetic Interference) Who Should Address? Refrigeration Technician Refrigeration Technician Refrigeration Technician Refrigeration Technician Alarms Typically Require Service Technician
Reducing Offline Alarms Through E2 Extra Delay For I/O Network Timeout Extra Delay For MODBUS Network Timeout Extra Delay For Echelon Network Timeout Extra Delay For E2 Box to Box Timeout Extra Delay For 2 nd MODBUS Network Timeout Use With Caution! (Could Mask Communications Issues)
Network Communications Statistics Screen Communications Statistics Screen (Menu-7-3-5-3-6)
Alarm Management Best Practices 1. Determine If In-Store Annunciation Is Required Light & Buzzer? Use E2 As Display Device? Facility Status Display As Display Device? 2. Categorize & Prioritize Alarm Handling Prioritize The Alarms & The Urgency To Respond To Each One Determine Which Personnel Should Respond To Which Alarms 3. Configure Controller To Route Alarms Appropriately Set Alarm Priority In Controller For Proper Notification Route To Appropriate In-Store Annunciation Device 4. Create & Analyze Monthly Alarm Reports Look For Reoccurring Alarms Use Metrics & Set Goals For Reducing Alarms
1. Determine If In-Store Annunciation Is Required Light & Buzzer E2 Annunciator Panel Facility Status Display
2. Categorize & Prioritize Alarm Handling High Temperature Alarms Example: High Case Temperature Alarm Action: Notify Store Personnel & Refrigeration Technician Priority: 5 or Less Critical Alarms Example: Phase Loss, High Discharge Trip, Rack Failure Action: Notify Refrigeration Technician & Supervisor Priority: 10 or Less Less-Critical Alarms Example: Oil Proof, Low Suction, Inverter Fail Action: Notify Refrigeration Technician Only Priority: 20 or Less
E2 Example Circuit Alarm Priority Setup Alarm Priority Set To 5
3. Configure Controller To Manage Alarms Alarm Priorities Most Alarms In The E2 Can Be Given A Priority Priority: 99 = Lowest Priority; 1 = Highest Priority Alarm Routing Suppresses Annunciation Of Alarm Based Upon Priority Anything Above Specified Priority Will Be Suppressed Alarm Filtering Controls Annunciation Of Alarm Based Upon Alarm Attributes Annunciation Can Be Delayed Or Suppressed
E2 Alarm Routing Setup Display Priority Advisory Log Priority Annunciator Priority Annunciator Interface Priority Dial-Out Priority Site #1 (Technician) Dial-Out Priority Site #2 (Supervisor) Dial-Out Priority Site #3 (Not Used) Digital Contact Closure Priority (Store Personnel)
E2 Alarm Filtering Filter Abbreviation Description DSP Display Alarm Notification (Red ALARM in top corner of E2 NET Network Alarm Annuciator (E2 Configured As Annunciator) OUT Digital I/O Plug In Board s Relay Output S1 Dial-Out Number #1 S2 Dial-Out Number #2 S3 Dial-Out Number #3 Controller The E2 Controller Name Type Alarm Type: FAIL/ALARM/NOTICE Advisory Message All Advisory Messages Or Single Specific Advisory Pr Priority Priorities LESS THAN Will Be Filtered Dly Delay In Minutes This Above Sample Filter Will Delay All Case Temp Hi Limit Alarms From Displaying The Red Alarm On The E2 & Closing The Output Relay For 3 Minutes
4. Create & Analyze Alarm Reports Create Metrics For Improving Alarm Management By Type Of Alarms By Total Number Of Alarms Across All Sites By Number Of Alarms Per Site By Alarm State (e.g. Acknowledged Alarms) Periodically Review Reports & Focus On Areas Of Improvement Reduce The Number of Monthly Alarms In 5 Stores Perform E-Commissioning On Chronic Alarm Sites Reduce The Percentage Of Case High Temperature Alarms By 10% You Cannot Manage (Improve) What You Do Not Measure!
Sample Alarm Reports Total Alarm Count by Type Total Alarm Count & Type by Site Alarm Totals per Day Of Month Total Alarm Count by Source
Questions?