• • • • • •
Even expert engineers continually update their skills and knowledge to stay on top of evolving challenges in engineering, it’s the principle of continuous personal development –the same goes for the plant, systems and other assets deployed in production environments…
P
roduction continuity may directly and quickly equate to business continuity. A pronounced disruption of production can
soon jeopardise an operator’s long-term viability and threaten engineering service provider organisations far sooner – particularly if they are responsible for an area of operation but not responsive with remedies and mitigations.
Key to responsiveness in many production
environments are: the alarm systems that alert engineers and operators to emerging problems, and the control room environments in which operators take appropriate actions to respond to alarms and other inputs.
ALARM SYSTEMS
Industrial systems are increasingly complex and require similarly complex control systems with carefully thought out alarm systems. Alarm systems are an essential part of the fabric for ensuring the safe operation of large modern industrial facilities. As well as warning operators of situations that need attention, alarms systems provide vital support to the operators as they work to prevent, control and mitigate effects of abnormal situations. But not every alarm needs instant attention. Prioritisation for action is not something that operators should be expected to do on the fly when some events cause hundreds of alarms to trigger at once. The alarm system should be designed to present a manageable load to the operators with the priorities for action being obvious or pre-determined. The internationally acknowledged leading source
of guidance for alarm systems is EEMUA Publication 191 Alarm systems - a guide to design, management and procurement. Developed by users of alarm systems with input from the UK Health and Safety Executive, the publication is aligned with both of the international standards for the management of alarm systems for process industries, ISA 18.2 from the International Society of Automation and IEC 62682: 2015.
CONTROL ROOMS
Optimising human performance continues to be a vital ingredient in maintaining the safety of processes and preventing major accident hazards. Industrial processes and activities in facilities such as chemical plant, power stations and oil refineries are overseen by operators via a human-computer interface (HCI) system. The design and implementation of HCI systems has to take account of human strengths and weaknesses to optimise human performance in centralised control room environments. The control room design itself, and the design of the control building should be seen in the context of the tasks to be performed there. The design should consider issues such as physical
aspects of the control room, working environment, control system graphics, console design, screen display format and display hierarchies, security (including cyber-security) and devices used outside of the control room. The objective for control room designers should be
to make the plant operation consistent, efficient and able to avoid abnormal situations, and be able to better manage irregular situations when they occur, such as during start-up and shut-down. EEMUA Publication 201 Control rooms: a guide to their specification, design, commissioning and operation provides the information and practical guidance that engineers and managers in both user and contracting organisations need to accomplish this objective, which directly serves efficient and safe production continuity.
MANAGING AGEING ELECTRICAL ASSETS
State of the art in alarm systems and control rooms may not be lasting. Industries change, practices alter, and standards are refined. It is not usually possible in industry to finance repeated decommissioning of successive alarm systems and control rooms in their entirety, only to replace them with brand new ones of the latest specification. Managers, operators,
engineers and designers need to deliver efficient and safe production continuity by striking the right balance between all
new facilities and keeping existing systems effectively up-to-date and in good condition. The challenge is to keep on top of current good practice as well as managing the rest of the daily workload. Watching industry trends, sorting the wheat from the chaff, to put in place continuous improvements towards the all-round best for your plant is not a minor task. EEMUA 191 and 201 are kept up-to-date with comprehensive guidance to help in evaluating and improving existing systems, and to help development of new facilities as well as modifications or refurbishments. Part of a broader portfolio of industry resources, EEMUA’s electrical engineering and control guidance is supported by timely events with experts sharing the latest good practice. In today’s business climate, extending the life of
existing assets is more and more common. There is an expectation that doing so is feasible and cost- effective – the engineer’s challenge is to ensure that it is both whenever possible. TO READ MORE, GO TO
electricalengineeringmagazine.co.uk.
EEMUA
eemua.org
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