Smart Alarm Hiding Makes Plant Smarter

Restricted © Siemens Industry, Inc. 2014 All rights reserved. usa.siemens.com/summit

Automation SummitA User Conference Orlando, FL, June 23 – 26, 2014

Smart Alarm Hiding Makes Plant Smarter

Harry Pigler Pigler Automation, LLC

Restricted © Siemens Industry, Inc. 2014 All rights reserved.

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2014 Automation Summit

Title: Smart Alarm Hiding makes Plant smarter

Track: Novel approaches to problem resolution, including

tips and tricks

Topic: Smart Alarm Hiding

Presenter: Harry Pigler

Company: Pigler Automation, LLC

Connect Event badge ID (use this # to connect with me):


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• Pigler Automation, LLC was founded in 2005

• We are a Siemens Solution Provider for PCS7 with currently 3

Siemens PCS7 certified Engineers (2 more to come this

summer).

• Located in Longmont, Colorado -- 30 miles north of Denver

• 8 Employees and Growing

• Industries Served: Chemical, Power and Mining

For more information please visit:

www.piglerautomation.com

Or call : (866) 871-1456

Pigler Automation, LLC

Providing Excellence in Process Automation


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Harry Pigler

Education and Employment

• Born and raised in Germany

• Electrical Engineering Degree from Universität Erlangen-

Nürnberg, Germany

• 20+ years employment with Siemens in Germany and the US

• Chief Operating Officer with Pigler Automation, LLC since 2005

• PCS7 Certified Process Control Engineer

PCS7 Experience

• Developing add-ons for PCS7 to be applied in the Power

Industry (PCS7 V3 -1996)

• Lead System Engineer in the TVA Hydro Automation Project

• Chief Operating Officer with Pigler Automation


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Challenge: Improve Alarm System

• Migrate Hydrogen Plant from PCS7 V6.1. SP1 to PCS7 V8.0

SP1 Upd 1.

• Plant commissioned in 2006, 24/7 operation and staffed

• Utilizing PCS7 features to improve Operations:

APL-Interlock and

Smart Alarm Hiding.

Issue:• Alarm Flooding: Too many alarms in critical situation.

• The alarm system design pre ISA 18.02

• No process triggered alarm suppression in place.


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Alarm System Management: ISA 18.02-2009

Alarm System Management

per ISA 18.02-2009

The life cycle of an alarm system

in a perfect world


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Retrofit of the Alarm System

Automatic Smart Alarm Hiding:

• Add to existing system without impacting the control logic:

New CFC chart per Area to trigger Smart Alarm Hiding.

• Process Object View offers easy interface to configure which

plant state will hide what alarm.

• List of hidden alarms and alarms that will be hidden is available

to the Operator.

• ‘Fine tuning’ available with Download Changes to the OS.


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Automatic Smart Alarm Hiding Overview


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Automatic Smart Alarm Hiding: Step by StepStep 1

Define Alarm Groups (Block Groups):• Compressor_1

• Compressor_2

• Reformer Shutdown: Step 8 in BMS sequence

Define the Plant States as Operating State:


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Assign Blocks to Block Group:• Use same name as Alarm Groups (i.e. STEP8)

• Process Object View allows for bulk engineering


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Build Trigger for Alarm Hiding:• Function Block “STRep” controls which Filter of the Alarm

Hiding becomes active.

• Input activates/de-activates Alarm Hiding Filter

1 – STOP

2 – STEP8

• Trigger will impact Alarms from multiple Controllers and Areas

(i.e. DSC and SIS)


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Configure Alarms to be controlled by Alarm Hiding:• Process Object View – Message Tab

• One column per Plant State

• Check box checked: Filter is applied, Alarm will be hidden


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Alarm Hiding in Action

• Alarm Hiding does not suppress Alarms. All alarms are logged

in the Event Journal but hidden from all other lists.

• Hidden Alarms will be auto-acknowledge when they clear while

hidden.

• Incoming Alarm while Alarm Hiding is active becomes visible to

the operator when Alarm Hiding is deactivated.

• Information in runtime on Alarm Hiding:

• List of active alarms that are hidden

• List of alarms that potentially will be hidden.


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Alarm Lists for Smart Alarm Hiding

• Hidden Alarm List

• List of Messages to be hidden


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Alarm Lists for “Dummies”

• Test Chart with just one MEAS_MON

• Separate Block Group USERCONFERENCE

• Hide Warnings when Smart Alarm Hiding is active

• Activate Smart Alarm Hiding and trigger High Alarm

• This alarm is actually in


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Real Life Example:Compressor Shutdown

• Screen to mark boundary for Alarm Hiding and used Plant Hierarch

• Export list of alarms off the Process Object view

• Operation marks alarms that should be hidden

• Update in project via Process Object view


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• Export alarm journal of a plant event: here Reformer Trip

• Mark alarms that can be hidden

• Utilize the Process Object View to:

• Set Block Group for Blocks that are impacted

• Ensure the messages to be hidden are checked for the state

Real Life Example:Reformer Shutdown (Step 8)


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Customer Feedback

“For the compressors, we have noticed that we received

considerably less alarms now, and it has helped somewhat;

however, I will be honest, if I had to do it over again, I probably

would have only applied the alarm hiding to the reformer

shutdown. “


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Thank you!

For more information please visit:

www.PiglerAutomation.com

Or call : (866) 871-1456

Email: [email protected]

Thank You!

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Smart Alarm Hiding Makes Plant Smarter