Good Alarms and Good Automation Both Help

NEWSLETTER ARTICLE

It has become an article of faith over the past two decades that improving alarm systems and increasing automation is beneficial to operator and plant performance. But is it? That is the question the Center for Operator Performance attempted to answer with the help of researchers from Embry-Riddle University. Plant operators responded to a plant upset for six different scenarios on a high-fidelity simulator. Three levels of alarm management were utilized (non-rationalized, rationalized, and state-based alarms) along with two levels of automation (no "safe-park", with "safe-park"). Not only were operator-centric metrics measured, such as mental workload and time to correct, but plant performance metrics such as of volume of flaring.

Both better alarming and increased automation improved performance independent of each other. Automation reduced flaring volume and mental workload on average by about 50%. State-based alarming reduced flaring volume and mental workload by 25-30%. One goal was to determine the difference between rationalized and non-rationalized alarms, but methodological problems prevented that from happening

For more information on the activities of the Center for Operator Performance, check out OperatorPerformance.org.

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