The DynAMo alarm management technology from Honeywell Process Solutions is
improving safety, efficiency and productivity at more than 100 process plants
and pipelines around the world. Launched in November 2013, Honeywell’s DynAMo
Alarm Suite is helping operators better and more quickly evaluate alarm
situations in control rooms.
Plants and pipelines rely on numerous automation systems, which can produce
more than 1,000 system alarms in a given day and can often overwhelm operators,
impacting production and safety that could cost the process industry billions
of dollars every year, according to the Abnormal Situation Management (ASM) Consortium,
an industry group dedicated to advancing process technology.
Ali Raza, vice president and general manager, Honeywell Process
Solutions explains that the DynAMo solution allows plant operators to tune out
noise and focus on critical situations by more efficiently managing and
evaluating alarms. Operators can more easily detect and prevent problems, as
well as develop and implement effective alarm management strategies aligned
with industry-recognised guidelines and standards.
Leveraging Honeywell’s more than 20 years of alarm management experience
in process industries, DynAMo Alarm Suite reduces control room alarms by up to
80 percent by allowing operators to create customisable dashboards on computers
or mobile devices that allow them to view the alarm system health at a glance.
This allows operators to better and more quickly diagnose alarms and their causes
and consequence on one console.
Honeywell has licensed DynAMo technology at plants in Australia, Canada,
Japan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Kingdom, among others, as companies work to
increase the efficiencies of their control rooms.
Richard Wawrzon, process engineering and control team leader for Qenos
Pty Ltd., Australia’s leading supplier of polyethylene and polymers, observes
that high quality tools to manage and maintain process alarm systems are
critical to running petrochemical plants. Honeywell’s DynAMo Alarm Suite has
sensibly integrated analysis, documentation and notification tools to provide
support engineers with an efficient way to stay in control of process alarm
systems, enabling key resources to focus on production efficiency.
Having recognised the severity of alarm problems at industrial sites, Honeywell
delivered the DynAMo Alarm Suite to optimise alarm management programs, preventing
alarm floods and reducing pressure on the operator. DynAMo Alarm Suite’s
customisable, role-based dashboard enables operators, engineers and managers to
view the health of their alarm system at a glance based on their specific roles.
The new software is compatible with many mobile devices, enabling personnel to
view alarm metrics at any time, from almost any location.
According to Chris Lucas, gas control team leader for Alliance Pipeline
in Canada, they chose Honeywell’s alarm management solution, DynAMo Alarm Suite
to help them meet their alarm philosophy and control room management plan
objectives. Honeywell’s involvement with the ASM Consortium and the American
Petroleum Institute, and the solution’s integration with a control system of
choice were the other deciding factors.
DynAMo Alarm Suite works with any control system in addition to complementing
Honeywell’s Experion PKS system. The alarm software provides a single window
into alarm system performance and regulatory compliance, helping companies
adhere to industry standards such as ISA 18.2, EEMUA 191, API 1167, and PHMSA.
Honeywell also provides a variety of services including alarm
rationalisation, alarm philosophy and strategy, workshops, best practices
training and other services to enable customers to focus on alarm management
priorities and help them get the most out of their alarm management strategy.