The Power of Collaboration
Working for You
PartnerNetwork™ Solutions from Rockwell Automation
Manage the Alarms in Your
PlantPAx® System with SILAlarm™
exida’s SILAlarm software is an alarm
rationalization tool and master alarm
database. It is capable of integrating
PlantPAx and third party alarm information into a single repository. It helps users
optimize the performance of their alarm
system so that operators can keep the
process running safely and within normal
operating limits.
The Need for Alarm Management
Most process plants want to enhance their productivity and extend their asset life. One of the easiest and most effective
ways to achieve such improvements is to address alarm system problems that undermine the performance of the
operator. Unnecessary alarms, such as ones that just provide information or don’t require an action, reduce productivity,
add stress, and take time away from managing the process. Transforming the alarm system into a useful tool for the
operator can also prevent process safety incidents and help comply with industry regulations and corporate / insurance
risk management mandates.
Signs that you or your customer could benefit from an alarm management program:
• Operators frequently ignore alarms that they consider meaningless (nuisance alarms)
• Operators complain about getting too many alarms
• Operators get flooded with excessive alarms after a plant upset or unit trip causing them to miss critical alarms
• The alarm summary screen is always full of old (standing) alarms
• When multiple alarms occur, the operator does not know which one is higher priority to respond to first
• Alarms are taken as safeguards in your process hazard analysis (PHA)
• Operators don’t know what some alarms mean, or how they should respond
Excellence in Dependable Automation (exida)
Founded by the world’s top reliability and safety experts, exida is a
certification and knowledge company specializing in automation system
safety, security, reliability, and availability.
Companies around the world turn to exida for help and guidance related
to functional safety, alarm management, and ICS cybersecurity training,
tools, and services.
exida’s unique combination of technical depth and hands on experience
enables us to provide practical solutions to address even the most
difficult challenges.
Industries
exida has significant experience delivering successful alarm management programs
to the following process industries:
• Oil & Gas
• Chemical
• Power
• Refining
• Mining
• Pulp & Paper
• Life Sciences
Compliance with Industry Standards and Regulation
• ISA-18.2 / IEC 62682
• EEMUA 191
• API 1167
• OSHA Process Safety Management (PSM) 1910.119
• PHMSA Pipeline Safety: Control Room Management /
Human Factors Regulation 49 CFR Parts 192 and 195
Executing an alarm management program, including alarm rationalization with
SILAlarm, can reduce the number of alarms to the operator by up to 80%, eliminate
nuisance alarms, reduce unplanned downtime, and turn the alarm system into a tool
the operator can rely on.
Todd Stauffer, Director Alarm Management
What Makes an Effective Alarm Management Program?
The most critical elements of an effective alarm management program are the creation of a comprehensive alarm
philosophy and performing a thorough alarm rationalization.
Alarm Philosophy
An alarm philosophy establishes the guidelines for how to address all aspects of alarm management, including the criteria
for determining what should be alarmed, how to prioritize alarms, design, roles and responsibilities, management of
change, and performance measurement. exida’s process for helping users create an alarm philosophy includes training on
industry best practices and the underlying alarm management functionality available in the DCS. Requirements for what
should go into an alarm philosophy are defined in the ISA-18.2 / IEC 62682 standards.
Alarm Rationalization
Alarm rationalization is a process where alarms are reviewed systematically to ensure they meet the criteria established
in the philosophy and to document their design requirements. The SILAlarm tool guides the user through the alarm
rationalization process, helping them to make and document necessary design decisions (alarm priority, limit, deadband,
on/off delay) as well as the basis for an alarm (cause, consequence, corrective action, time to respond, etc.). The results of
rationalization can be imported into PlantPAx so that configuration changes are implemented automatically. Operator
Alarm Help files can be created automatically for each alarm so that they can be displayed to the operator via single click
from a faceplate or alarm summary list. The running configuration can be audited against the master alarm database
(SILAlarm) to identify changes which can be accepted or rejected / reset (Enforcement).
SILAlarm Alarm Rationalization Tool – Documenting the Basis for an Alarm
The PartnerNetwork program is a framework of well-managed relationships formed as a result of customer need. It provides
manufacturers with access to a local, regional and worldwide network of best-in-class suppliers. These specialists offer the
industry experience and technological know-how to help solve business challenges both large and small.
Through the PartnerNetwork program, Rockwell Automation delivers a wide array of solutions, easier access to knowledge
and consistent delivery of solutions to help improve our customer’s business results.
Alarm Rationalization Products & Services
exida provides tools, training, and services to help companies improve their alarm management practices. exida will work
with you to craft a program that is tailored to your requirements, complies with industry standards and guidelines on
alarm management (e.g., EEMUA 191, ISA-18.2, IEC 62682), improves operational performance, and is sustainable over the
long term. A partial list of available products and services is shown below.
Product or Service
Description
Alarm Philosophy Development
Training on Alarm Management Practices & Principles (1 day)
Alarm Philosophy Development Workshop (2 days)
Completion of Alarm Philosophy Document for Review & Approval
SILAlarm (Product)
Tool to support the rationalization process, record results (Master Alarm Database),
and configure settings in PlantPAx
SILAlarm Product Training
Training on how to perform alarm rationalization with the SILAlarm tool, manage /
maintain the master alarm database, and propagate the results into PlantPAx
Rationalization Ready™
Create the initial SILAlarm master alarm database from the PlantPAx system alarm
configuration and setup per the alarm philosophy document
Rationalization / Facilitation Training
Kickoff / lead the alarm rationalization process, document the results in SILAlarm,
and train Client’s team to be able to lead the process
Delivering Results on Your Investment in Alarm Management
An effective alarm management program can deliver quantifiable business benefits in the following areas:
• Reduction in unplanned downtime (lost production)
• Increased operator productivity
• Reduction in avoidable maintenance of process equipment
• Production optimization / debottlenecking / increased throughput
• Capital savings for SIL requirement reductions (improved safety)
• Reduced environmental / regulatory incidents
Rockwell Automation and PartnerNetwork companies collaborate to help
you develop an ongoing approach to plant-wide optimization, improve
your machine performance and achieve your sustainability objectives.
80 North Main Street
Sellersville, PA 18960 USA
Phone: +1-215-453-1720
For more information, to request a demo
or a quote, go to www.exida.com
exida is the choice of leading companies for help implementing and
achieving compliance to the global standards IEC 61508 / 61511 for
functional safety in the process industry; IEC 62443 for industrial control
system cybersecurity; ISA-18.2 for alarm management; ISO 26262 for
functional safety of automotive, and IEC 62061 for machine safety.
Allen-Bradley, LISTEN. THINK. SOLVE., PartnerNetwork, PlantPAx and Rockwell Software are trademarks of Rockwell Automation, Inc.
Trademarks not belonging to Rockwell Automation are property of their respective companies.
Publication ENCOMP-BR0035A-EN-P – February 2017
Copyright © 2017 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Printed in USA.