Achieving Effective Alarm System Performance : Results of ASM Consortium Benchmarking against the EEMUA Guide for Alarm Systems

The Abnormal Situation Management 1 Consortium has recently completed a series of studies related to effective alarm management practices for the refining and petrochemicals industry. These studies related directly to the alarm system performance guidelines published in the Engineering Equipment and Materials User Association's (EEMUA) Publication No. 191. Results from 37 unique operator consoles indicate that the EEMUA recommendation for average alarm rate during normal operations (i.e., less than one alarm per 10 minutes), while not universally demonstrated, is achievable today. Our study found that about one-third of the consoles surveyed were able to achieve this recommended alarm rate guideline for normal operations and about one-quarter more consoles were achieving the EEMUA "manageable" level of 1 to 2 alarms per 10 minute period. However, the EEMUA recommendation for peak alarm rates following a major plant upset (i.e., not more than 10 alarms in the first 10 minutes) appears to be a challenge, given today's practices and technology. Only 2 of the 37 consoles came close to achieving the alarm rate guideline for upset conditions. This suggests that to achieve alarm system guidelines for upset conditions, more advanced site practices and alarm-handling technology (e.g., dynamic or mode-based alarming) are required. In studying the relationships between the observed alarm rate performance and other metrics collected, along with anecdotal information gathered (a subset of which is included here), we conclude that there is no "silver bullet" for achieving the EEMUA alarm system performance recommendations. Rather, a metrics-focused continuous improvement program that addresses key lifecycle management issues is most appropriate. 1 ASM and Abnormal Situation Management are U.S. registered trademarks of Honeywell, Inc. Paper to appear in the proceedings of the 20 th Annual CCPS International Conference, Atlanta, GA, 11-13 April 2005. Page 2 of 12