An automated valve is a type of valve that can be operated remotely or automatically via a control system, rather than manually. These valves are commonly used in industrial processes to regulate the flow of fluids, gases, or other materials with high precision. Acronyms & Terms Glossary <- More Definitions Automated Valve An automated valve is a type of valve that can be operated remotely or automatically via a control system, rather than manually. These valves are commonly used in industrial processes to regulate the flow of fluids, gases, or other materials with high precision. Our Services Whitepaper: Six Feet Under | How to Dig Yourself Out of a Recommendations Graveyard Have you felt buried under six feet of safety study recommendations that must be closed? Does it feel impossible to follow Recognized and Generally Accepted Good Engineering Practices (RAGAGEPs) to convert recommendations into engineered design reality? You are not alone. The PHA Recommendation Playbook | Part 3 | Managing Scheduling and Operational Disruptions Scheduling and operational disruptions are among the most common barriers to closing PHA recommendations. When safety improvements require outages or process changes, timing becomes the challenge. This article explores how facilities can plan ahead, manage risk, and turn scheduling constraints into long-term operational resilience. Understanding UL 508A Certified Control Panels | Enabling Safer, More Resilient Industrial Facilities UL 508A certified control panels give industrial facilities a clear path to safer, code-compliant operation. This article explains what the standard covers, how SCCR is established, what changed in 2025, and why working with a certified panel shop helps reduce risk, streamline inspections, and support long-term maintainability.

A fire resulting from the combustion of a fuel continuously released with some significant momentum in a particular direction. A jet fire is distinguished from a flash fire by its sense of direction and continuous duration. Jet fires are considered during facility siting studies or consequence modeling conducted by aeSolutions' experienced modelers. Modeling helps companies identify the flammable and/or toxic consequences and impacts to receptors due to a chemical release. Acronyms & Terms Glossary <- More Definitions Jet Fire A fire resulting from the combustion of a fuel continuously released with some significant momentum in a particular direction. A jet fire is distinguished from a flash fire by its sense of direction and continuous duration. Jet fires are considered during facility siting studies or consequence modeling conducted by aeSolutions' experienced modelers. Modeling helps companies identify the flammable and/or toxic consequences and impacts to receptors due to a chemical release. Our Services Whitepaper: Six Feet Under | How to Dig Yourself Out of a Recommendations Graveyard Have you felt buried under six feet of safety study recommendations that must be closed? Does it feel impossible to follow Recognized and Generally Accepted Good Engineering Practices (RAGAGEPs) to convert recommendations into engineered design reality? You are not alone. The PHA Recommendation Playbook | Part 3 | Managing Scheduling and Operational Disruptions Scheduling and operational disruptions are among the most common barriers to closing PHA recommendations. When safety improvements require outages or process changes, timing becomes the challenge. This article explores how facilities can plan ahead, manage risk, and turn scheduling constraints into long-term operational resilience. Understanding UL 508A Certified Control Panels | Enabling Safer, More Resilient Industrial Facilities UL 508A certified control panels give industrial facilities a clear path to safer, code-compliant operation. This article explains what the standard covers, how SCCR is established, what changed in 2025, and why working with a certified panel shop helps reduce risk, streamline inspections, and support long-term maintainability.

Dispersion modeling is a mathematical simulation used to predict how pollutants, chemicals, or other particles spread and disperse in the air or water. It helps assess the environmental impact of emissions and guides regulatory compliance by predicting concentrations in specific areas. Acronyms & Terms Glossary <- More Definitions Dispersion Modeling Dispersion modeling is a mathematical simulation used to predict how pollutants, chemicals, or other particles spread and disperse in the air or water. It helps assess the environmental impact of emissions and guides regulatory compliance by predicting concentrations in specific areas. Our Services Whitepaper: Six Feet Under | How to Dig Yourself Out of a Recommendations Graveyard Have you felt buried under six feet of safety study recommendations that must be closed? Does it feel impossible to follow Recognized and Generally Accepted Good Engineering Practices (RAGAGEPs) to convert recommendations into engineered design reality? You are not alone. The PHA Recommendation Playbook | Part 3 | Managing Scheduling and Operational Disruptions Scheduling and operational disruptions are among the most common barriers to closing PHA recommendations. When safety improvements require outages or process changes, timing becomes the challenge. This article explores how facilities can plan ahead, manage risk, and turn scheduling constraints into long-term operational resilience. Understanding UL 508A Certified Control Panels | Enabling Safer, More Resilient Industrial Facilities UL 508A certified control panels give industrial facilities a clear path to safer, code-compliant operation. This article explains what the standard covers, how SCCR is established, what changed in 2025, and why working with a certified panel shop helps reduce risk, streamline inspections, and support long-term maintainability.

Software and hardware that allows human operators to monitor the state of a process under control, modify control settings to change the control objective, and manually override automatic control operations in the event of an emergency. The HMI also allows a control engineer or operator to configure set points or control algorithms and parameters in the controller. The HMI also displays process status information, historical information, reports, and other information to operators, administrators, managers, business partners, and other authorized users. Operators and engineers use HMIs to monitor and configure set points, control algorithms, send commands, and adjust and establish parameters in the controller. aeSolutions designs and configures human machine interfaces for control and safety systems. HMI varieties range from DCS vendors' hefty client-server systems to small touch screens engineered with special purpose panels. aeSolutions also develops alarm management philosophies which include HMI design guidance; a facility's various alarms and alert states are properly managed and prioritized to help operators maintain situational awareness. Acronyms & Terms Glossary <- More Definitions Human Machine Interface (HMI) Software and hardware that allows human operators to monitor the state of a process under control, modify control settings to change the control objective, and manually override automatic control operations in the event of an emergency. The HMI also allows a control engineer or operator to configure set points or control algorithms and parameters in the controller. The HMI also displays process status information, historical information, reports, and other information to operators, administrators, managers, business partners, and other authorized users. Operators and engineers use HMIs to monitor and configure set points, control algorithms, send commands, and adjust and establish parameters in the controller. aeSolutions designs and configures human machine interfaces for control and safety systems. HMI varieties range from DCS vendors' hefty client-server systems to small touch screens engineered with special purpose panels. aeSolutions also develops alarm management philosophies which include HMI design guidance; a facility's various alarms and alert states are properly managed and prioritized to help operators maintain situational awareness. Our Services Whitepaper: Six Feet Under | How to Dig Yourself Out of a Recommendations Graveyard Have you felt buried under six feet of safety study recommendations that must be closed? Does it feel impossible to follow Recognized and Generally Accepted Good Engineering Practices (RAGAGEPs) to convert recommendations into engineered design reality? You are not alone. The PHA Recommendation Playbook | Part 3 | Managing Scheduling and Operational Disruptions Scheduling and operational disruptions are among the most common barriers to closing PHA recommendations. When safety improvements require outages or process changes, timing becomes the challenge. This article explores how facilities can plan ahead, manage risk, and turn scheduling constraints into long-term operational resilience. Understanding UL 508A Certified Control Panels | Enabling Safer, More Resilient Industrial Facilities UL 508A certified control panels give industrial facilities a clear path to safer, code-compliant operation. This article explains what the standard covers, how SCCR is established, what changed in 2025, and why working with a certified panel shop helps reduce risk, streamline inspections, and support long-term maintainability.

An Alarm Philosophy establishes how a company addresses alarm management through all phases of its lifecycle. An effective alarm philosophy document defines the alarm system’s design philosophy as well as how it should be managed and maintained with information such as alarm criteria, specifications, and responsibilities. This document is typically the starting point of any alarm management project. Learn more at https://www.aesolutions.com/alarm-management Acronyms & Terms Glossary <- More Definitions Alarm Philosophy An Alarm Philosophy establishes how a company addresses alarm management through all phases of its lifecycle. An effective alarm philosophy document defines the alarm system’s design philosophy as well as how it should be managed and maintained with information such as alarm criteria, specifications, and responsibilities. This document is typically the starting point of any alarm management project. Learn more at https://www.aesolutions.com/alarm-management Our Services Whitepaper: Six Feet Under | How to Dig Yourself Out of a Recommendations Graveyard Have you felt buried under six feet of safety study recommendations that must be closed? Does it feel impossible to follow Recognized and Generally Accepted Good Engineering Practices (RAGAGEPs) to convert recommendations into engineered design reality? You are not alone. The PHA Recommendation Playbook | Part 3 | Managing Scheduling and Operational Disruptions Scheduling and operational disruptions are among the most common barriers to closing PHA recommendations. When safety improvements require outages or process changes, timing becomes the challenge. This article explores how facilities can plan ahead, manage risk, and turn scheduling constraints into long-term operational resilience. Understanding UL 508A Certified Control Panels | Enabling Safer, More Resilient Industrial Facilities UL 508A certified control panels give industrial facilities a clear path to safer, code-compliant operation. This article explains what the standard covers, how SCCR is established, what changed in 2025, and why working with a certified panel shop helps reduce risk, streamline inspections, and support long-term maintainability.

A structured and systematic technique for evaluating potential hazards that put employees and/or equipment at risk in a system. There are four basic stages of a HAZOP analysis: Definition, Preparation, Examination, and Documentation. HAZOP Analysis is based on a theory that assumes risk events are caused by deviations from design or operating intentions. Guide words are used to aid HAZOP analysis execution by determining the scope and objective. Some of these include no/none/not, more, less, before, after, part of, higher, lower, etc. Acronyms & Terms Glossary <- More Definitions HAZOP (Hazard and Operability) Analysis A structured and systematic technique for evaluating potential hazards that put employees and/or equipment at risk in a system. There are four basic stages of a HAZOP analysis: Definition, Preparation, Examination, and Documentation. HAZOP Analysis is based on a theory that assumes risk events are caused by deviations from design or operating intentions. Guide words are used to aid HAZOP analysis execution by determining the scope and objective. Some of these include no/none/not, more, less, before, after, part of, higher, lower, etc. Our Services Whitepaper: Six Feet Under | How to Dig Yourself Out of a Recommendations Graveyard Have you felt buried under six feet of safety study recommendations that must be closed? Does it feel impossible to follow Recognized and Generally Accepted Good Engineering Practices (RAGAGEPs) to convert recommendations into engineered design reality? You are not alone. The PHA Recommendation Playbook | Part 3 | Managing Scheduling and Operational Disruptions Scheduling and operational disruptions are among the most common barriers to closing PHA recommendations. When safety improvements require outages or process changes, timing becomes the challenge. This article explores how facilities can plan ahead, manage risk, and turn scheduling constraints into long-term operational resilience. Understanding UL 508A Certified Control Panels | Enabling Safer, More Resilient Industrial Facilities UL 508A certified control panels give industrial facilities a clear path to safer, code-compliant operation. This article explains what the standard covers, how SCCR is established, what changed in 2025, and why working with a certified panel shop helps reduce risk, streamline inspections, and support long-term maintainability.

The integration of diverse control systems (e.g., BPCS, SIS, ESD, F&G, etc.) into a unified system; this includes interfacing hardware, software, and services from multiple vendors and client stakeholders to improve quality and performance and add value (e.g., reducing operational costs and improving response time). aeSolutions' controls experts design complete construction and panel packages which interface the existing facility controls with the new controls systems. aeSolutions orchestrates the system integration model by providing the Automaton Support Matrix and Schedule documents which coordinate resources and personnel throughout the project execution phase. Acronyms & Terms Glossary <- More Definitions Systems Integration The integration of diverse control systems (e.g., BPCS, SIS, ESD, F&G, etc.) into a unified system; this includes interfacing hardware, software, and services from multiple vendors and client stakeholders to improve quality and performance and add value (e.g., reducing operational costs and improving response time). aeSolutions' controls experts design complete construction and panel packages which interface the existing facility controls with the new controls systems. aeSolutions orchestrates the system integration model by providing the Automaton Support Matrix and Schedule documents which coordinate resources and personnel throughout the project execution phase. Our Services Whitepaper: Six Feet Under | How to Dig Yourself Out of a Recommendations Graveyard Have you felt buried under six feet of safety study recommendations that must be closed? Does it feel impossible to follow Recognized and Generally Accepted Good Engineering Practices (RAGAGEPs) to convert recommendations into engineered design reality? You are not alone. The PHA Recommendation Playbook | Part 3 | Managing Scheduling and Operational Disruptions Scheduling and operational disruptions are among the most common barriers to closing PHA recommendations. When safety improvements require outages or process changes, timing becomes the challenge. This article explores how facilities can plan ahead, manage risk, and turn scheduling constraints into long-term operational resilience. Understanding UL 508A Certified Control Panels | Enabling Safer, More Resilient Industrial Facilities UL 508A certified control panels give industrial facilities a clear path to safer, code-compliant operation. This article explains what the standard covers, how SCCR is established, what changed in 2025, and why working with a certified panel shop helps reduce risk, streamline inspections, and support long-term maintainability.

An audible and/or visible means of indicating to the operator an equipment malfunction, process deviation, or abnormal condition requiring a response. aeSolutions can supply expertise at all stages of alarm management including consulting, training, and facilitating rationalization teams, followed by full design and implementation services. Acronyms & Terms Glossary <- More Definitions Alarm An audible and/or visible means of indicating to the operator an equipment malfunction, process deviation, or abnormal condition requiring a response. aeSolutions can supply expertise at all stages of alarm management including consulting, training, and facilitating rationalization teams, followed by full design and implementation services. Our Services Whitepaper: Six Feet Under | How to Dig Yourself Out of a Recommendations Graveyard Have you felt buried under six feet of safety study recommendations that must be closed? Does it feel impossible to follow Recognized and Generally Accepted Good Engineering Practices (RAGAGEPs) to convert recommendations into engineered design reality? You are not alone. The PHA Recommendation Playbook | Part 3 | Managing Scheduling and Operational Disruptions Scheduling and operational disruptions are among the most common barriers to closing PHA recommendations. When safety improvements require outages or process changes, timing becomes the challenge. This article explores how facilities can plan ahead, manage risk, and turn scheduling constraints into long-term operational resilience. Understanding UL 508A Certified Control Panels | Enabling Safer, More Resilient Industrial Facilities UL 508A certified control panels give industrial facilities a clear path to safer, code-compliant operation. This article explains what the standard covers, how SCCR is established, what changed in 2025, and why working with a certified panel shop helps reduce risk, streamline inspections, and support long-term maintainability.

Alarm Management for a Greenfield LNG Facility A Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) facility was being newly constructed (i.e., Greenfield) and the company wanted to conduct an alarm rationalization on the process prior to initial startup. Existing facilities (i.e., Brownfield) have the benefit of historical operating trends and data during a rationalization session to recognize whether setpoints are effective and which alarms might give troubles. Without any operating data for the Greenfield LNG facility, however, the alarm program and rationalization process based alarm setpoints; on cause and effects, the site’s PHA, and RAGAGEP engineering design for the LNG industry. Challenge Setting up an alarm system for a new facility with no real site experience required relying on both the client’s and the aeSolutions team’s experience from other LNG facilities. The alarm rationalization sessions required very proficient engineers, instrumentation personnel, and senior-level operators to ensure a knowledge base strong enough to appropriately identify alarms and the actions to be taken. A heavily experienced and technical team was necessary to understand the process hazards and responses to those hazards. The project timeliness also presented challenges to meet all the schedule deadlines of the multiple vendors involved in the LNG process startup, with consideration that stakeholder activities were contingent on one another. There was a higher sense of urgency than in a Brownfield facility as a result of reduced flexibility in the sense that the alarm system and training needed to be completed prior to startup. Solution aeSolutions organized and facilitated team meetings to capture process knowledge and hazard identification with adherence to industry guidelines and standards. The following tasks were accomplished: • Reviewed the client alarm philosophy and performed a gap assessment with the requirements in the International Society of Automation (ISA) 18.2 standard. An effective alarm philosophy is the foundation of an alarm management program and covers all its elements, including design principles, key performance indicators, roles and responsibilities, alarm presentation standards, alarm priority assignment, alarm system maintenance, management of change, auditing, and escalation policies. • Developed the client’s documentation and rationalization (D&R) site protocol; the D&R site protocol is a guideline created to ensure consistent and effective expectations on future rationalization activities. • Performed a rules of engagement meeting where templates were developed prior to the alarm rationalization activities. Templates were created for similar alarm types (e.g., bad PV) and similar process alarms (e.g., ESD, PSD, and safety showers). • Performed a training on the alarm management lifecycle prior to rationalizing the LNG process systems and utilities. During the rationalization meetings, a checklist of specific questions was analyzed and documented for each unique alarm. The questions generated team discussion on alarm basis (e.g., setpoint, response time, etc.), characteristics (class, attributes, etc.), and whether alarms met the definition of the alarm specified in the alarm philosophy. Results The Greenfield LNG facility was prepared and trained with a well-established alarm system prior to startup. The site had a finalized version of the alarm philosophy, D&R site protocol, and completed master alarm database, which included all ISA 18.2 required information and alarm response requirements for the process. The alarm philosophy is customizable to establish rules for improving and managing the alarm system and should be utilized as a reference to guide a site’s strategy for sustained improvement. With the Greenfield LNG facility alarm philosophy in place, alarm system design and/or improvement can proceed with maximum benefits, including reduced costs, improved safety, and improved reliability. See how we can help you with a similar alarm project. Industry: LNG Geography: Gulf Coast Unit Operation: Alarm Rationalization, Alarm Management Previous Story Next Story

Mechanizing in Real Time Factory Automation Systems Mechanizing in Real Time aeSolutions has delivered automation solutions with Programmable Logic Controllers for nearly two decades. In the 1970's, a PLC was a programmable emulator of relay ladder logic. Today, a PLC is a scaled down controller, often stand alone, but with much of the power and some of the functions of controllers used in DCS process automation. Multiple PLC's are often networked somewhat like a DCS with fewer features. aeSolutions can provide the right PLC automation system when a client needs highly reliable and very fast real time response to events in a manufacturing cell or an electromechanical panel. Ruggedized operator displays and touch screens allow local HMI control. The PLC can also be interfaced to a supervising DCS. • High speed I/O and processing • Ruggedized environment • Basic networking and communications • Ladder logic programming familiar to I&E staff • Scalable in size and cost Automation Services Previous Next

A functional test is used to verify that a system or component operates according to its design specifications. Functional testing ensures that safety and control systems perform correctly, reducing the risk of malfunction during operation. Acronyms & Terms Glossary <- More Definitions Functional Test A functional test is used to verify that a system or component operates according to its design specifications. Functional testing ensures that safety and control systems perform correctly, reducing the risk of malfunction during operation. Our Services Whitepaper: Six Feet Under | How to Dig Yourself Out of a Recommendations Graveyard Have you felt buried under six feet of safety study recommendations that must be closed? Does it feel impossible to follow Recognized and Generally Accepted Good Engineering Practices (RAGAGEPs) to convert recommendations into engineered design reality? You are not alone. The PHA Recommendation Playbook | Part 3 | Managing Scheduling and Operational Disruptions Scheduling and operational disruptions are among the most common barriers to closing PHA recommendations. When safety improvements require outages or process changes, timing becomes the challenge. This article explores how facilities can plan ahead, manage risk, and turn scheduling constraints into long-term operational resilience. Understanding UL 508A Certified Control Panels | Enabling Safer, More Resilient Industrial Facilities UL 508A certified control panels give industrial facilities a clear path to safer, code-compliant operation. This article explains what the standard covers, how SCCR is established, what changed in 2025, and why working with a certified panel shop helps reduce risk, streamline inspections, and support long-term maintainability.

A project management process during early stages of a project designed to minimize risk for investors and other stakeholders by developing adequate project definition & scope. Key Deliverables of FEL: 1. Execution Strategy and Plan 2. Resource Plan 3. Risk Management Plan 4. Change Management Plan FEL can be multiple stages: FEL 1, FEL 2, and FEL 3. Some owners opt to only do a single FEL. However, the key is to consider all factors and engage in a level of FEL that is reasonable. Regardless of the number of FEL phases performed, all business needs should be evaluated, and a complete business case should be identified to minimize cost schedule budget (scope risk). Acronyms & Terms Glossary <- More Definitions Front End Loading (FEL) A project management process during early stages of a project designed to minimize risk for investors and other stakeholders by developing adequate project definition & scope. Key Deliverables of FEL: 1. Execution Strategy and Plan 2. Resource Plan 3. Risk Management Plan 4. Change Management Plan FEL can be multiple stages: FEL 1, FEL 2, and FEL 3. Some owners opt to only do a single FEL. However, the key is to consider all factors and engage in a level of FEL that is reasonable. Regardless of the number of FEL phases performed, all business needs should be evaluated, and a complete business case should be identified to minimize cost schedule budget (scope risk). Our Services Whitepaper: Six Feet Under | How to Dig Yourself Out of a Recommendations Graveyard Have you felt buried under six feet of safety study recommendations that must be closed? Does it feel impossible to follow Recognized and Generally Accepted Good Engineering Practices (RAGAGEPs) to convert recommendations into engineered design reality? You are not alone. The PHA Recommendation Playbook | Part 3 | Managing Scheduling and Operational Disruptions Scheduling and operational disruptions are among the most common barriers to closing PHA recommendations. When safety improvements require outages or process changes, timing becomes the challenge. This article explores how facilities can plan ahead, manage risk, and turn scheduling constraints into long-term operational resilience. Understanding UL 508A Certified Control Panels | Enabling Safer, More Resilient Industrial Facilities UL 508A certified control panels give industrial facilities a clear path to safer, code-compliant operation. This article explains what the standard covers, how SCCR is established, what changed in 2025, and why working with a certified panel shop helps reduce risk, streamline inspections, and support long-term maintainability.