Alarm Solutions for Optimizing Oil & Gas Operations Systems
Alarm Overview Alarms are an essential part of modern systems and the primary means of alerting operators of abnormal situations in their facilities. Even the best designed systems can become ineffective in the absence of alarms, resulting in potential human and financial setbacks. Research has shown that many process plants have improperly configured alarms that do not follow international guidelines and add to operators confusion. For an effective alarm system and smooth unobstructed plant operations, alarms need to be relevant, unique, timely, prioritized and understandable. Nearly all facilities with ineffective alarm systems show distinct symptoms of poor alarm system design. Symptoms of Poor Alarm System Design: A significant number of alarms are raised by minor issues Alarms remain active for very long periods of time There are no guidelines for alarm implementation Operators are unsure of how to respond to some alarms Processes run normally despite some alarms constantly going off Some alarms do not require an operator s response or attention Numerous alarms go off during routine operation but have no purpose A Need for Good Alarm Safety Poorly configured alarms risk the safety of: Plant, Personnel, Equipment Good alarms increase safety of all three by: Reducing unnecessary alarms Prioritizing important alarms Profitability Alarms not configured properly result in: Reduced production revenue Losses from damaged assets Properly configured alarms increase profitability by: Increasing uptime Decreasing incidental losses Human Factor Over 40% of incidents are caused by human factors Poorly configured alarms add to these risks Good alarms reduce errors from the human factor by facilitating operators
Alarm Lifecycle Philosophy A comprehensive document of work processes, sites and control systems along with best practices for alarm management. INTECH provides a unique customer-tailored Alarm Philosophy Document. Identification Data is collected for a baseline assessment of current alarm systems against standards, Bad Actor alarms are identified. INTECH analyzes data for 6-8 weeks and helps customers understand the cause of bad actors Rationalization of Change Areas of trouble in the alarm systems are identified and compared to the alarm philosophy document to evaluate a course of action. INTECH helps the site team understand, classify and prioritize alarms. Audit Design Alarms are re-engineered according to the alarm principles defined in the philosophy document. INTECH makes the Master Alarms Database (MADB) for the site. Implementation The re-engineered alarms are implemented and documented; relevant operators are trained how to respond to alarms. INTECH installs the MADB and performance management tools; also trains operators. A complete description of processes to update, change or remove alarms in order to meet changing requirements or optimize systems. Operation The site is run with the new alarm systems. Operator- supporting tools are installed; further trainings are given. INTECH trains operators how to handle alarms and provides alarm management tools. Maintenance Alarms are periodically calibrated and tested for accuracy, repairs and replacement activities are performed. INTECH follows standard maintenance procedures and performs fidelity tests. Monitoring & Assessment Data is monitored and benchmarked against performance standards defined in the alarm philosophy. Part of the continuous improvement effort, with periodic alarm and system audits
Performance and Financial Benefits INTECH s Alarm Solutions ensure that incidents occurring from bad alarm configuration are minimized. INTECH achieves this by classifying, prioritizing and optimizing alarms to generate useful information for operators. This ensures that operators are immediately alerted to issues that can potentially cause serious damage to the plant and environment, and offset a large portion of the plant s past profitability. Plant Profitability Maximum Profitability Region Normal Operating Region Profitable Region Break Even Point Net Loss Due to Minor Process Upset Optimum Profitability APC & Optimization Substantial Net Loss Due to Unscheduled Plant Shutdown Time Reduction in Overall Alarms: Most modern alarm systems are implemented at the software level and require no physical hardware installation, this has led to a significant increase in the number of available alarms at any site - a growth fueled by international standards that require periodic monitoring for process assessment. The major drawback to all this however is an overwhelming amount of alarm notifications being constantly generated during operation in the absence of alarm management. Before Rationalization After Rationalization Daily Alarm Count: > 16,000 Daily Alarm Count: < 5,000 Hourly Average for Week: 742 Hourly Average for Week: 390 High Priority Alarms Contribution: 65% High Priority Alarms Contribution: 43% 15000 13500 12000 10500 9000 # of Daily Alarms Alarms Optimization Implemented 7500 6000 All Alarms Enabled Alarms 4500 3000 1500 0 INTECH s Alarm reduces overall alarms going off to manageable numbers through continuous improvement. INTECH identifies bad actor alarms - alarms that cause nearly half of all alarms - and optimizes them. Additionally nuisance alarms - which don t serve any real purpose - are identified and reconfigured to reduce overall alarms. This results in up to 90% reduction in average daily alarms. INTECH s Alarm Suite Reporting and Metrics INTECH provides a standardized Metrics and Reporting interface, allowing seamless collection and arrangement of alarms, events and all associated data remotely from any source. Additionally this data can be generated into standards-compliant reports for a precise snapshot of system performance. Master Alarm Database INTECH s Master Alarm Database is a comprehensive database containing all alarms & a management of change framework, allowing for quick documentation and monitoring of changes made to the alarm system. It retains rationalization settings realized in the alarm philosophy, and manages deviations. Alarm Summary INTECH provides tools to summarize alarms by taking measurements over specified periods and performing analytics to generate relevant alarm data. The summary data includes alarms per time period analysis, priority distribution, flood periods, chattering alarms, and operator changes.
INTECH s Advanced Solutions Deployment - Software Architecture Alarm & Loop Analysis Client DCS REPORTS 3. Alarm Alarms & Events AE I/F 4. Control Loop Performance Loop Tuning DA I/F 1. Data Acquisition OPC Server Hand Held Terminal PDC-Windows CE Alarms Analysis, Rationalization Module Control Loop Performance Module Process DATA OPC DA I/F Manual Logging 8. PDC/Historian Interface Production Data Manual Logging / Hand Held Terminal Client 6. Condition based Maint. 2. Advanced Process Historian ACE (Advanced Calculation Engine) Tank Mass/Vol KPI. Run Hours total Starts, Efficiency Calculations RAW DATA Manual Data Advanced Process Historian to SAP PM Interface RESULTS Process Historian Historic Process Data Equipment Run Hours, Starts and KPIs Efficiencies Historic Process Data SAP PM 5. Reporting LEGEND: Already Deployed Systems within IT / CCR Landscape Sometimes Already Deployed or To Be Offered by INTECH Visual Interfaces (GUI) - To be deployed by INTECH 7. Processing Simulation Process Engr. Process Simulation Server MS-Excel Reports Ontology Framework Excel-Data Link Thin Client WEB-APPS (Browser) Data Analysis/ Extract KPIs R E P O R T S
What Our Customers Say... [We] commend INTECH s knowledge of alarm management, dedication, commitment and effort. Most importantly, works have been completed safely and INTECH has been able to work successfully in our diverse environment PPL INTECH s team worked with extraordinary zeal & efforts at the Adhi Electronic Flow Metering Project which included on-line trends and alarms of sales gas parameters limits. The competency level and performance of their deputed team is satisfactory and commendable. I commend you on your efforts in customizing the business analysis software for trial deployment for a Web Based Alarm Dashboard. It meets our objectives and has produced the desired results. Central Maintenance Coordinator End User Deputy Chief Engineer EPC Control & Automation Leader OEM Americas Middle East Asia Pacific Africa World HQ INTECH Process Automation Inc. 4903 W. Sam Houston Parkway N. Suite A-100 Houston, TX 77041, USA Tel: +1 713 849 1000 Fax: +1 713 856 0785 INTECH Process Automation Perú S.A.C. Calle Juan Del Carpio N 195, San Isidro, LIMA-PERU Tel: 511 606 6849, Cel: 51 982117562 Europe Office INTECH Process Automation SARL 168 Avenue Charles de Gaulle, 92 522 Neuilly-sur-seine Cedex, France eusales@intechww.com South Asia INTECH Process Automation (Pvt.) Ltd. 2nd Floor, Commercial Building #2, PCSIR Society Phase II, Lahore Pakistan 54782 Tel: +92 42 111 468 324, 3531 2509/11 Fax: +92 42 3531 4149 International HQ INTECH Process Automation FZCO P.O. Box 61479, Office No. 16618 Lob 16, Jebel Ali, Dubai, United Arab Emirates Tel: +971 4 8808423 Fax: +971 4 8876553 P.O. Box 61479, WT01FD06, Jebel Ali, Dubai United Arab Emirates Tel: +971 4 8810056 Fax: +971 4 8810057 INTECH Process Automation Inc. Br. G-201 Al-Salah Tower, P.O. Box 4270, Al-Khobar - 31952, Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia Tel: +966 13 8966052, +966 13 8966053 INTECH Process Automation FZCO Br. 470, Italian City, Erbil, Iraq Tel: +964 780 131 2198, +964 750 309 3766 Mnawi Basha, Basra, Iraq Tel: +964 780 131 2198, +964 770 831 9073 North Africa Operations Tel: +971 55 607 3230, +971 553768482 INTECH Process Automation Pte. Ltd. 21 Merchant Road #04-01, Royal Merukh S.E.A Building, Singapore 058267 Tel: +65 6828 9128 Fax: +65 6828 9112 PT INTECH Process Automation Rukan Permata Senayan, Blok C Nomor 5, 4th Floor Jalan Tentara Pelajar, Kebayoran Lama, Jakarta Selatan. 12210 Indonesia. Telephone & Fax : +62 21 579 49 444 INTECH Process Automation (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. Room 1605C, 16F Feidiao International Building, No.1065 Zhaojiabang Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai 200030 P.R.C. Tel: +86 21 2426 1951 Fax: +86 21 2426 1877 CIS INTECH Process Automation LLP. 5A Erniyazova Str. Atyrau, Kazakhstan Tel: +7 7122 32 01 16 Fax: +7 7122 32 00 52 INTECH Process Automation Nigeria Ltd. 64B, Abacha Link Road, G.R.A. III, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria Tel: +234 0 84462776 Dream Plaza, 4th Floor, 7, Bishop Aboyade Cole Street, Off Adetokunbo Ademola Street, VI Lagos, Nigeria Tel: +234 805 9330560 ngsales@intechww.com INTECH Process Automation Inc. (Sucursal de Angola) Esc. n. 309/310, 3º Andar - Edíficio Cunene, Belas Business Park, Talatona, Luanda, Republica de Angola Tel: +244 222 720 471 Fax: +1 281 377 3455 aosales@intechww.com africasales@intechww.com Sales Email: sales@intechww.com General E-mail: info@intechww.com www.intechww.com Vendor Expertise Standards & Certifications linkedin.com/company/intech-process-automation facebook.com/intechprocessautomation * Notice: All registered logotypes, trademarks, brands, product and services marks used in this document are acknowledged as properties of their respective companies/owners and such companies/owners have not consented to their use by INTECH (Term INTECH is used for INTECH Process Automation Inc. and its affiliates). INTECH is not affiliated with these logotypes, trademarks, brands, product and services marks and any use by INTECH should not be construed as an endorsement of INTECH or its services. The services described herein are provided solely by INTECH. 2015. All rights reserved by INTECH Process Automation Inc.