AM-15-48 Mode Based Alarm Solutions at Syncrude Canada

Description:

Syncrude is one of the largest operators in Canada’s growing oil sands industry, with a 50-year history of innovation. Based in Fort McMurray, Alberta, and with a large research and facility in Edmonton, Syncrude is known for pioneering many of the technologies used today in the industry, including an expanding suite of techniques to improve environmental and economic performance. Syncrude uses Honeywell DCS infrastructure for Process Control. Mode Based Alarm (also called a State-Based Alarm) Solution is an application that enables the Panel Operator to change the configuration (Alarm trip point, priority or suppression status) of a set of alarms to a predetermined configuration. This configuration would be appropriate for the current mode of operation of equipment or process unit / sub-units, at the click of a button. The ultimate objective of these solutions is to keep the unnecessary alarms out of the Alarm summary, when the plant is under normal operation. This paper discusses how Mode Based Alarm Solutions (may be referred to with the acronym MBS henceforth in this paper) are deployed in Syncrude for effective alarm management.