Large Specialty Chemical Company Reduces Alarm Floods A large specialty chemical company was facing alarm floods in their utility unit. With aeSolutions guidance, the site was able to effectively prioritize and reduce alarms through the rationalization process, which includes reviewing, validating, and justifying alarms needed for avoiding potential process upsets or abnormal deviations from normal operation. Challenge As a result of the alarm floods, the Operators were reluctant or delayed in responding to the current alarm system because they were unable to determine which alarms were important and which were much less urgent or unnecessary. This reduced the time that staff had to respond to urgent or high priority operating conditions and diverted their attention from other important duties. The site had not yet performed alarm rationalization of their utility unit. As a result, the control room Operators were overwhelmed with nuisance alarms, incorrectly prioritized alarms, and alarms with no Operator action. This produced an operating environment susceptible to safety or environmental hazards that could have resulted in an incident. Solution aeSolutions facilitated a rationalization process with site operations and engineering staff to identify and prioritize the most effective alarms to detect a process upset within the utility unit while ensuring alarms met the definition and requirements defined within the client’s existing site Alarm Management Philosophy. By using the aeAlarm™ Rationalization Tool, the team was able to efficiently and functionally perform the following tasks: • Incorporate Process Hazard Analysis (PHA) and Layers of Protection Analysis (LOPA) data, such as required Operator responses used as Independent Protection Layers (IPLs) to reduce scenario risk to a tolerable level • Document alarm attributes based on the International Society of Automation (ISA) 18.2 and the Alarm Philosophy which addresses how alarms will be managed throughout the ISA 18.2 lifecycle • Review alarm parameters and setpoints to ensure they were aligned with the unit’s safe operating limits • Create templates for similar alarms within similar equipment trains Results The client’s control room achieved a two-thirds reduction in alarms configured for the utility unit which increased operator performance and production efficiency. The optimization of the alarm system also returned the client to compliance with Recognized and Generally Acceptable Good Engineering Practices (RAGAGEP) for Alarm Management. Overall, the operating staff became more focused on safe and effective operations because Operators were finally able to trust that the alarms they were addressing were accurate, necessary and important. Learn more about how aeSolutions could help you with a similar Alarm project. Industry: Chemicals Geography: Gulf Coast Unit Operation: Utilities Governing Authority: ISA 18.2 Read more about aeSolutions' comprehensive hydrogen risk management and hazard mitigation services Previous Story Next Story

ANSI/ISA-16511 (IEC 61511) is an industry standard for best practices related to safety instrumented systems (SIS), Covering over the activities involved in the design, operation and maintenance of instrumented systems, from sensor through final element, used to achieve functional safety in the process industries. Note: ISA 84 was a previous edition of the standard. Acronyms & Terms Glossary <- More Definitions ANSI ISA-16511 (IEC 61511) ANSI/ISA-16511 (IEC 61511) is an industry standard for best practices related to safety instrumented systems (SIS), Covering over the activities involved in the design, operation and maintenance of instrumented systems, from sensor through final element, used to achieve functional safety in the process industries. Note: ISA 84 was a previous edition of the standard. Our Services Processing Magazine: The Need for a Control System Migration: Building the Case to Upper Management Check out our article in Processing Magazine where Tom McGreevy discusses tips to earn the support of leadership when proposing a control system migration. Chemical Processing: How They Made It Work: aeSolutions' FGS 1300 Fire and Gas Alarm Controller Check out our coverage in Chemical Processing's "How They Made It Work" series. PHA Revalidations | Beyond Checking Boxes Keep your facility safe and compliant — don’t let your PHA become a “check-the-box” task. Regular, well-executed PHA revalidations identify evolving risks and turn findings into action, ensuring lasting protection for your people, assets, and operations.

Developing Hardware Details Hardware Design Specifications Developing Hardware Details aeSolutions works with clients to establish specific project standards for the detailed hardware design of the system and field I/O. • Input / Output database and signal types • Control system cabinet layout practices • Controller, I/O, and interface modules • HMI operator interface equipment • Control networks, switches, fiber optics, and cabling • Marshalling cabinets and interposing relays • Servers and clients • Engineering workstations • Purging, temperature, smoke and fire detection Automation Services Previous Next

Area classification is the process of determining and designating specific zones within a facility where flammable gases, vapors, or combustible dusts may be present, potentially leading to hazardous conditions. These classified areas help guide safety measures and equipment installation, ensuring compliance with safety standards and reducing the risk of explosions or fires. Acronyms & Terms Glossary <- More Definitions Area Classification Area classification is the process of determining and designating specific zones within a facility where flammable gases, vapors, or combustible dusts may be present, potentially leading to hazardous conditions. These classified areas help guide safety measures and equipment installation, ensuring compliance with safety standards and reducing the risk of explosions or fires. Our Services Processing Magazine: The Need for a Control System Migration: Building the Case to Upper Management Check out our article in Processing Magazine where Tom McGreevy discusses tips to earn the support of leadership when proposing a control system migration. Chemical Processing: How They Made It Work: aeSolutions' FGS 1300 Fire and Gas Alarm Controller Check out our coverage in Chemical Processing's "How They Made It Work" series. PHA Revalidations | Beyond Checking Boxes Keep your facility safe and compliant — don’t let your PHA become a “check-the-box” task. Regular, well-executed PHA revalidations identify evolving risks and turn findings into action, ensuring lasting protection for your people, assets, and operations.

A control valve is a device used to regulate the flow, pressure, or temperature of a fluid within a system by varying the size of the flow passage. Control valves are key components in process control systems, enabling precise control over process variables. Acronyms & Terms Glossary <- More Definitions Control Valve A control valve is a device used to regulate the flow, pressure, or temperature of a fluid within a system by varying the size of the flow passage. Control valves are key components in process control systems, enabling precise control over process variables. Our Services Processing Magazine: The Need for a Control System Migration: Building the Case to Upper Management Check out our article in Processing Magazine where Tom McGreevy discusses tips to earn the support of leadership when proposing a control system migration. Chemical Processing: How They Made It Work: aeSolutions' FGS 1300 Fire and Gas Alarm Controller Check out our coverage in Chemical Processing's "How They Made It Work" series. PHA Revalidations | Beyond Checking Boxes Keep your facility safe and compliant — don’t let your PHA become a “check-the-box” task. Regular, well-executed PHA revalidations identify evolving risks and turn findings into action, ensuring lasting protection for your people, assets, and operations.

Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) is a reliability metric that represents the average time between failures of a system or component. MTBF is used to predict the reliability and performance of equipment over time. Acronyms & Terms Glossary <- More Definitions Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) is a reliability metric that represents the average time between failures of a system or component. MTBF is used to predict the reliability and performance of equipment over time. Our Services Processing Magazine: The Need for a Control System Migration: Building the Case to Upper Management Check out our article in Processing Magazine where Tom McGreevy discusses tips to earn the support of leadership when proposing a control system migration. Chemical Processing: How They Made It Work: aeSolutions' FGS 1300 Fire and Gas Alarm Controller Check out our coverage in Chemical Processing's "How They Made It Work" series. PHA Revalidations | Beyond Checking Boxes Keep your facility safe and compliant — don’t let your PHA become a “check-the-box” task. Regular, well-executed PHA revalidations identify evolving risks and turn findings into action, ensuring lasting protection for your people, assets, and operations.

A fire that spreads by means of a flame front rapidly through a diffuse fuel, such as a dust, gas, or the vapors of an ignitable liquid, without the production of damaging pressure. Flash fires produce relatively short term thermal hazards with negligible overpressure (blast wave) and burn through a pre-mixed vapor cloud largely horizontally as a vertical ""wall of flame"". Flash 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 Flash Fire A fire that spreads by means of a flame front rapidly through a diffuse fuel, such as a dust, gas, or the vapors of an ignitable liquid, without the production of damaging pressure. Flash fires produce relatively short term thermal hazards with negligible overpressure (blast wave) and burn through a pre-mixed vapor cloud largely horizontally as a vertical ""wall of flame"". Flash 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 Processing Magazine: The Need for a Control System Migration: Building the Case to Upper Management Check out our article in Processing Magazine where Tom McGreevy discusses tips to earn the support of leadership when proposing a control system migration. Chemical Processing: How They Made It Work: aeSolutions' FGS 1300 Fire and Gas Alarm Controller Check out our coverage in Chemical Processing's "How They Made It Work" series. PHA Revalidations | Beyond Checking Boxes Keep your facility safe and compliant — don’t let your PHA become a “check-the-box” task. Regular, well-executed PHA revalidations identify evolving risks and turn findings into action, ensuring lasting protection for your people, assets, and operations.

Valve Failure Mode describes how a valve will respond or behave in the event of a failure, such as fail-open, fail-closed, or fail-last position. Understanding failure modes is crucial for designing safe and reliable control systems. Acronyms & Terms Glossary <- More Definitions Valve Failure Mode Valve Failure Mode describes how a valve will respond or behave in the event of a failure, such as fail-open, fail-closed, or fail-last position. Understanding failure modes is crucial for designing safe and reliable control systems. Our Services Processing Magazine: The Need for a Control System Migration: Building the Case to Upper Management Check out our article in Processing Magazine where Tom McGreevy discusses tips to earn the support of leadership when proposing a control system migration. Chemical Processing: How They Made It Work: aeSolutions' FGS 1300 Fire and Gas Alarm Controller Check out our coverage in Chemical Processing's "How They Made It Work" series. PHA Revalidations | Beyond Checking Boxes Keep your facility safe and compliant — don’t let your PHA become a “check-the-box” task. Regular, well-executed PHA revalidations identify evolving risks and turn findings into action, ensuring lasting protection for your people, assets, and operations.

NFPA 87 is the standard from the National Fire Protection Association that provides safety guidance for fluid heaters and related equipment to minimized fire and explosion hazards that can endanger the equipment, building, or personnel. A piece of equipment is considered to be a fluid heater if it includes any of the following features: fluid is flowing under pressure, fluid is indirectly heated, and/or a release of energy from combustion of a fuel or an electrical source occurs within the unit. Acronyms & Terms Glossary <- More Definitions NFPA 87 NFPA 87 is the standard from the National Fire Protection Association that provides safety guidance for fluid heaters and related equipment to minimized fire and explosion hazards that can endanger the equipment, building, or personnel. A piece of equipment is considered to be a fluid heater if it includes any of the following features: fluid is flowing under pressure, fluid is indirectly heated, and/or a release of energy from combustion of a fuel or an electrical source occurs within the unit. Our Services Processing Magazine: The Need for a Control System Migration: Building the Case to Upper Management Check out our article in Processing Magazine where Tom McGreevy discusses tips to earn the support of leadership when proposing a control system migration. Chemical Processing: How They Made It Work: aeSolutions' FGS 1300 Fire and Gas Alarm Controller Check out our coverage in Chemical Processing's "How They Made It Work" series. PHA Revalidations | Beyond Checking Boxes Keep your facility safe and compliant — don’t let your PHA become a “check-the-box” task. Regular, well-executed PHA revalidations identify evolving risks and turn findings into action, ensuring lasting protection for your people, assets, and operations.

A small industrial computer originally designed to perform the logic functions executed by electrical hardware (relays, drum switches, and mechanical timer/counters). PLCs have evolved into controllers capable of controlling very complex processes. aeSolutions satisfies a project's safety interlock Safety Integrity Level (SIL) requirements with independent, SIL-certified safety PLC's that can be integrated with the process automation Distributed Control System (DCS) for monitoring and alarming. Acronyms & Terms Glossary <- More Definitions Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) A small industrial computer originally designed to perform the logic functions executed by electrical hardware (relays, drum switches, and mechanical timer/counters). PLCs have evolved into controllers capable of controlling very complex processes. aeSolutions satisfies a project's safety interlock Safety Integrity Level (SIL) requirements with independent, SIL-certified safety PLC's that can be integrated with the process automation Distributed Control System (DCS) for monitoring and alarming. Our Services Processing Magazine: The Need for a Control System Migration: Building the Case to Upper Management Check out our article in Processing Magazine where Tom McGreevy discusses tips to earn the support of leadership when proposing a control system migration. Chemical Processing: How They Made It Work: aeSolutions' FGS 1300 Fire and Gas Alarm Controller Check out our coverage in Chemical Processing's "How They Made It Work" series. PHA Revalidations | Beyond Checking Boxes Keep your facility safe and compliant — don’t let your PHA become a “check-the-box” task. Regular, well-executed PHA revalidations identify evolving risks and turn findings into action, ensuring lasting protection for your people, assets, and operations.

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 Processing Magazine: The Need for a Control System Migration: Building the Case to Upper Management Check out our article in Processing Magazine where Tom McGreevy discusses tips to earn the support of leadership when proposing a control system migration. Chemical Processing: How They Made It Work: aeSolutions' FGS 1300 Fire and Gas Alarm Controller Check out our coverage in Chemical Processing's "How They Made It Work" series. PHA Revalidations | Beyond Checking Boxes Keep your facility safe and compliant — don’t let your PHA become a “check-the-box” task. Regular, well-executed PHA revalidations identify evolving risks and turn findings into action, ensuring lasting protection for your people, assets, and operations.

Simplified, Cost-Effective, and Consistent Acidic Compound Detection New acid detector placement philosophy led to reduced maintenance , lowered costs, a reduced the likelihood of confusion during leaks, and helped create a uniform response strategy. Challenge The client has to contend with detecting a multitude of toxic acidic vapors in order to keep their people safe. Initially, their plan involved using 5 to 6 individual toxic gas detectors in each area to detect these acidic vapors separately in each room. This approach would have led to a high number of detectors, increased maintenance, more I/O (input/output) to contend with, and elevated costs for replacing sensor elements. Additionally, the use of multiple detectors could result in confusion if there was a leak, as all the detectors would respond, making it impossible to pinpoint the specific acidic vapor released. Solution Upon closer review, it was realized that the client did not need to differentiate between the specific acidic vapors The single detector would tell them they had an acid leak, no matter which one. When a detector was triggered, the action was the same, evacuate to a safe area. A more efficient solution was devised by using a single acidic vapor detector in each room instead of multiple individual detectors. This philosophy reduced the number of detectors from 5 to 1 in each room, leading to an 80% reduction in the total number of detectors across the entire facility. Results By implementing the revised gas detection philosophy, the client achieved significant benefits. They collected a comprehensive list of all the chemicals of concern and determined the levels at which they wanted to detect these vapors. This allowed them to model the vapor releases and strategically position the gas detectors in a 3D model for optimal coverage. The client no longer needed to be specific as to the type of acidic vapor being detected, focusing solely on the detection of acidic vapors in general. Furthermore, it reduced possible confusion, ensuring the safety of individuals on the premises by enabling timely evacuation in case of any acid leak, regardless of the specific acidic vapor involved. The new approach resulted in simplified maintenance, cost reduction, decreased risk of confusion in case of a leak, and established a consistent action plan for evacuation. See how we can help you with a similar detector placement project. Keywords: formic acid, hydrocoloric acid, detection, detector, evactuation, acid vapor, acidic compounds, gas detection Read more about aeSolutions' comprehensive hydrogen risk management and hazard mitigation services Previous Story Next Story