(57bn) Alarm Management Meets SIS

The detrimental impact of alarm floods on plant operations has been well known for over 15 years, yet very little progress has been made in industry to eliminate them. One of the worst contributing offenders to this problem is the proliferation of alarms that are typically configured in a SIS.

This presentation will discuss a sane approach to producing SIS alarms. We will begin with alarm requirements as they are dictated by the SIS Standard (ISA-84), requirements from the Alarm Management standard (ISA 18.2), and any potential conflicts between the two. After handling the requirements, the next topics will cover how to conform to the standards and still have an alarming scheme(s) make sense.

The presentation will also cover potential pitfalls and misconceptions that can hinder a successful alarm management implementation when SIS is involved. Actual examples of alarm practices found in industry will be used.