CATCH OF THE WEEK
Alarms data analysis with a practical application in the Lime Calcination field
Mitigation of the impact of alarms stream with Operator online support.
What did our team find?
Last August our X4LIME data scientist Team, properly informed by iDO Industrial Digital Operator, found and deeply analyzed a particular alarm stream in order to support plant operator mitigating its impact on plant performances.
What was the trigger for this analysis?
Within the framework of iDO Operational Competences is to define the TOP ALARM LIST
clearly showing the most occurring alarms within a given period (daily, weekly, monthly or yearly basis). This iDO skill is very effective support to X4LIME Team in order to analyze and perform optimization, in co-ordination with site team, on what really matter first.
This was the case also on the present case of study: thanks to this approach, the team immediately visualize an alarm stream on the discharge system of the PFR lime kiln at Leone La Ferla.
Stated the issue, X4LIME addressed remote operator support in two steps.
- It has been determined the daily incidence for the selected alarm during a defined temporal base, counting the daily number of occurrences.
2. Once the most critical period has been individuated, the second interesting step was then display the occurrences by time slots clearly, showing the hourly distribution of an alarm throughout the day
As results, X4LIME Team was able to conduct an effective online operator support, showing that there were clear cyclic appearances of the top alarm occurring in average every 2–3 hours during the days. As the alarm was related to discharge system, this was a clear evidence that there was a tendency of material accumulation without being discharged smoothly along the day.
What was the value to the customer?
During an alarm stream, the alarm rate is greater than the operator can effectively manage. By applying to alarm sequences and time series analysis methods, X4LIME Team was able to review highlights an help the operators during alarm flood episodes.
“There are many open research topics in the area of industrial alarm systems in the process industries. A common goal is the mitigation of the impact of alarm floods during which the alarm rate is greater than the operator can effectively manage. Various approaches exist in practice, such as improving the alarm design, rationalizing the alarm system or providing online operator support. This is today possible if we look carefully and systematically to the data made available by smart system as MOSAICO PLATFORM and analyzed thanks to IDO Analytical Competences.”
Digitization for Sustainable Development
This new feature aims to ENHANCE RESEARCH AND UPGRADE INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGIES. — This is GOAL 9.5 of Global Goals 2030.
Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries, in particular developing countries, including, by 2030, encouraging innovation and substantially increasing the number of research and development workers per 1 million people and public and private research and development spending.
