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IMAC Xpert
Sophisticated Alarm Analysis

IMAC Xpert extracts the alarm system’s Key Performance Indicators which are crucial to understanding, refining but most importantly reducing alarms. The system connects to IMAC Sentinel to give detailed reporting and analysis. IMAC Xpert provides numerous condition based monitoring functions which show you exactly what is happening on plant, all in real time.

Key Features

• Real time frequency analysis and alarm rates monitor.
• Dynamic alarm suppression.
• Symptomatic alarm analysis.
• Automatic web based reports.
• Plant equipment run time totalises.
• Critical condition alerts via SMS text, email, voice and SNMP.

• Key Performance Indicators based on EEMUA 191 guidelines:
• Standing alarms.
• Chattering alarms.
• Operator intervention ratios.
• Alarm initiation and rectification rates.
• Alarm frequency monitor.
• Time between events e.g. valve stroke times.
• Pattern recognition.
• Parent/Child alarm association.
 

IMAC Xpert’s client/server architecture allows it to be easily deployed around your network. KPI reports are designed for the web allowing it to be uploaded to your company’s intranet. 

Screenshots

 

IMAC Xpert Functionality

IMAC Xpert provides standard EEMUA compliant reports in addition to multiple custom reports and a vast array of other standard features.

Reports run automatically, daily, weekly, monthly or on a shift basis.
They include:

Standing Alarms

A high level of standing alarms can have a detrimental affect on the performance of the DCS and the operator.

The average and peak number of standing alarms are recorded and presented graphically over any time period.

Operators can be alerted if a particular DCS alarm has been standing for longer than say 10 minutes.

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Alarm Initiation Rate

The rate at which alarms are initiated determines the operator’s ability to take suitable action within an appropriate timeframe.

Average and peak number of alarms raised are recorded and presented graphically.

Again operators can be alerted if the alarm rate exceeds a preset limit of say ten alarms in 10 minutes.

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Individual Alarm Initiation Rate

Individual alarms that are raised on a regular basis can have a significant effect on the alarm management system, by distracting the operator and potentially flooding the system with alarms.

The most frequent alarms, including the number of times they are raised are presented graphically.

 

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Alarm Rectification Rate

An effective alarm management system raises alarms when associated action is required. Under normal circumstances the alarm condition should be rectified within a reasonable timeframe. However, this is less likely to be the case under plant upset conditions.

For alarms that are rectified during the selected time period, the longest and average times between an alarm being raised and it being cleared are recorded and displayed.

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Individual Alarm Rectification Rate

Individual Alarm Rectifications Rates records the alarms which took the longest time to rectify.

A list of alarms and the maximum time they took to change from an alarm state to a clear state are recorded and displayed graphically.

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Additional Standard Features

IMAC Xpert is not just designed to produce key performance indicators, its unique feature packed user interface provides additional functionality including:

• Pattern recognition.
• Parent/Child alarm associations.
• Real time frequency analysis and alarm rates.
• Standing alarm monitors.
• Alarm frequency monitors.
• Critical alarm pages.


Pattern Recognition

Alerts operators when a certain sequence of alarm and events are received. For example, alert if alarms A, B and C are detected within 2 minutes of each other. This can be very useful in informing operators to the likely cause of a plant disturbance as the initial problem is sometimes masked by the associated alarm shower.

Parent/Child Alarm Associations

IMAC Xpert will search back for up-to 50 occurrences of a particular alarm. It will then look at the alarms and events before and after each occurrence and compile a list showing the percentage of common alarms that occurred before and after the selected message. This function allows you to see what alarms and events are associated with each other in an alarm shower.

For example, ‘Gas Turbine’ trips 6 times in 2 months. IMAC Xpert detects that 90% of the time the turbine trips it is immediately preceded by ‘Low Gas Inlet Pressure’.

Graphical Representation

A wide variety of graphs can be produced which represent the frequency of an alarm or event over a specified time range. Graph Trends can also be configured which take automatic snapshots of the frequency of an alarm, say every 10 minutes and displays the history over a set number of points. All graphs can be printed and exported.


IMAC Xpert is designed to provide comprehensive analysis, simply - automatically - with minimal effort for maximum effect.

Contact us at [email protected] to arrange a demonstration.