Continuous Improvement with Six-Sigma Alarm Rationalization
The Practical Solutions
Improve
Armed with the right tools, you will be able to uncover a number of different root issues that are causing recurrent alarm flooding. At this stage, there are two mutually reinforcing paths that lead to safer and more stable plant operation. One is the path that utilizes advanced functionalities of process control systems to eliminate spurious alarms. The other is the path that remedies the root causes through fundamental re-engineering. The best approach is to mix the two, introducing immediate relief measures while planning and investing in long-term improvement initiatives. While the re-engineering path brings longer-lasting improvements, a parallel approach of taking practical alarm suppression measures can be beneficial and is recommended when planning, financing, and other considerations necessitate long lead times in the re-engineering process.
| Problem areas and root causes |
Practical and immediate solutions |
Fundamental re-engineering solutions |
| 1. Field instrumentation and machinery | ||
| Device malfunctions, unsuitable control valve, suboptimal range setting |
Alarm repetition suppression (AAASuite) |
Maintenance, modification, or replacement (consultation) |
| Machinery malfunctions, insufficient capacity, insufficient capability |
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| 2. Alarm settings and controllability | ||
| Unnecessary alarms |
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Alarm setting elimination (engineering) |
| Suboptimal alarm settings |
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Static alarm suppression (AAASuite) Dynamic alarm optimization (AAASuite) |
| Suboptimal PID tuning | Alarm repetition suppression (AAASuite) |
PID retuning (MDPro) |
| Suboptimal control sequence |
Sequence modification (engineering) |
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| Insufficient controllability | APC implementation (Exasmoc) |
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| 3. Operator skills | ||
| Incorrect procedure |
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Operation navigation (Exapilot) |
| 4. Production process design | ||
| Clogging, adhesion, composition fluctuations, unstable reactions |
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Maintenance or modification (consultation) |
AAASuite
AAASuite is an innovative alarm administration package which automatically analyzes alarms using embedded diagnostic logic that is the product of Yokogawa's long experience in this field. It then optimizes and manages the alarms by using existing DCS functions, in lieu of making fundamental long-term improvements. Through this optimization and management of alarms, only the most essential alarms are announced to operators at the optimum point in time. This is beneficial by facilitating safer, more stable, and more efficient operations with limited human resources.
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Learn more about AAASuite |
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AAASuite functions
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AAASuite benefits
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| Optimize alarm settings dynamically to match the granularity of the plant operations |
Spurious alarms are drastically reduced and help your operators see more clearly |
| Suppress nuisance alarms automatically |
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| Re-notify longstanding true alarms automatically |
Value-added alarms are increased to help your operators know in advance and act with agility |
| Predict critical alarms |
