Alarm Sorting via Directed Graph Topology
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current alarm sorting methods in process and manufacturing plants are inaccurate due to time-stamping issues, leading to high alarm rates, operator overload, and unnecessary shut-downs, as time stamps can be imprecise and inconsistent across different plant devices and subsystems.
Innovation Solution
A method using a directed graph to sort alarm messages based on flow direction, eliminating the need for time-stamping by associating alarm messages with alarm areas and generating an ordered list that identifies the root cause alarm, thereby reducing operator workload and improving response time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If alarm messages are sorted by time-stamp, then the sorting method is simple to implement, but the sorting accuracy deteriorates due to time-stamp imprecision and inconsistency across different plant devices and subsystems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the time-stamp-based sorting mechanism with a topology-based sorting mechanism using directed graphs. Instead of relying on temporal data (time-stamps), the system uses structural data (alarm-area topology and flow direction) to determine alarm priority, thereby eliminating the precision problems associated with time-stamping while maintaining implementation simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary sorting mechanism that uses alarm-area association and flow direction analysis as a mediator between alarm generation and alarm presentation. This intermediary layer processes alarms through topology-based rules rather than direct time-stamp comparison, resolving the contradiction by providing accurate sorting without requiring precise time-stamps.
2Reliability
If multiple plant devices generate alarms simultaneously, then the alarm rate increases providing comprehensive monitoring, but operator overload increases making it difficult to identify the first-up alarm
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the plant into multiple alarm-areas with defined topologies and flow directions. By dividing the monitoring scope into structured segments, the system can process and prioritize alarms within each segment independently using topology-based sorting, thereby maintaining comprehensive monitoring while reducing operator burden through automated priority assignment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary sorting and prioritization of alarms based on alarm-area topology and flow direction before presenting them to the operator. This preliminary action automatically identifies and ranks the first-up alarm and its propagation path, so when multiple alarms occur simultaneously, the operator receives pre-sorted information rather than having to manually evaluate all alarms.
3Loss of information
If manual evaluation of entire alarm messages is required to identify root cause, then comprehensive analysis is achieved, but response time increases leading to unnecessary shut-downs and production losses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the directed graph topology and flow direction information continuously guide the alarm sorting process. The system uses the predefined alarm-area structures to automatically trace alarm propagation paths and identify root causes, providing continuous feedback that eliminates the need for manual evaluation while maintaining complete analysis through automated topology-based reasoning.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary identification of root cause alarms and propagation paths using topology-based sorting before the operator needs to respond. By pre-processing alarms through the directed graph structure, the system automatically determines the first-up alarm and its relationship to other alarms, providing immediate root cause identification without requiring manual analysis of entire alarm messages.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for sorting alarm-messages of a plant having at least one alarm-area each having at least two plant-devices connected by at least one connection, wherein the at least one alarm-area is defined so that the plant-devices and the respective connection provide a directed graph, involves: providing at least one database containing alarm-data and topology-data; wherein the topology-data describe a directed graph having at least one connection with a related flow direction between the respective plant-devices of the respective assigned alarm-area; generating at least one partly complete first alarm-order of the alarm-messages of the at least one alarm-area by sorting the alarm-messages according to the flow direction of the directed graph.