The EOS SCADA Event/Alarm Recorder provides recording, classification,
and notification of event and alarm information occurring in plant automation systems.
Recording events and alarms in the database together with timestamps and relevant
additional information helps ensure the safe, efficient, and controlled operation of
the plant, supports the planning of maintenance activities, and enables detailed
analysis of events and conditions at a later time.
Within EOS SCADA, the management of event and alarm information can be configured
based on three fundamental attributes: TYPE, GROUP,
and LEVEL.
Importance of Events and Alarms in Plant Automation
Alarms and events are used to inform plant personnel about important developments
occurring within the plant. In plant automation, this information plays an important
role in operational and plant safety.
Particularly when the process deviates undesirably from normal operating conditions,
timely notification of the relevant operations and maintenance personnel helps ensure
that necessary measures are taken and that the problem is resolved in a controlled manner.
EOS SCADA Approach:
Event and alarm information is not treated solely as an immediate warning. This
information is also recorded together with timestamps, classification information,
and additional data, allowing previous operating conditions of the plant to be examined.
Alarms represent warnings related to operating conditions that may cause significant
problems in the plant. The primary purpose of an alarm is to inform plant personnel
that something has gone wrong or that a particular operating condition has been reached.
Alarm conditions generally require an appropriate response from plant personnel.
This helps keep plant equipment, the process, or operating conditions within safe limits.
Examples of alarms:
- The water level of a tank rises above the safe level.
- Plant equipment exceeds its defined safe temperature limit.
- A process variable moves outside the specified operating limits.
Events represent normal system messages related to operation and generally do not
require direct intervention by an operator. An event can be considered a detectable
condition within the system or an operational action that has occurred.
Examples of events:
- Plant personnel log in to the SCADA system using their own username.
- A setpoint is changed.
- A button or operator command is activated.
When required, an event can be associated with a specific alarm through alarm definitions.
This makes it possible to evaluate event and alarm information together within the same system.
Operational Importance of the Event/Alarm System
Event and alarm systems play an important role in the safe and economical operation
of facilities in modern process control systems.
When undesirable deviations from normal conditions occur in the controlled system,
alerting the relevant operations and maintenance personnel contributes to taking the
necessary measures, identifying the source of the problem, and correcting it through
controlled interventions.
In addition, the ability to review event and alarm records retrospectively provides
valuable information for detailed investigation of accidents, emergencies, or undesirable
conditions, evaluation of plant efficiency and performance, and development of preventive
maintenance programs.
Event and alarm records can be used not only for immediate operational warnings,
but also for monitoring plant health, identifying maintenance requirements,
and analyzing historical operating behavior.
EOS SCADA Event/Alarm Recorder
EOS SCADA software includes an Event/Alarm Recorder feature to address
the requirements described above.
The system can record instantaneous events and alarms occurring in the SCADA application
in a database together with timestamps and relevant additional information. At the same
time, event and alarm conditions can be communicated to plant personnel through visual
and audible notifications on the screen.
This structure ensures that the operating condition at the time an alarm occurs is
recorded while also ensuring that plant personnel are notified of the event or alarm
in a timely manner.
CAUTION:
Appropriate classifications should be established during system design to ensure
that event and alarm information can be managed in a meaningful and organized manner.
Basic Attributes of Events and Alarms
There are three basic attributes that are important for an event or alarm in EOS SCADA.
These attributes are expressed as TYPE, GROUP, and
LEVEL.
Classifying events and alarms according to these attributes during SCADA system design
makes records easier to manage and allows relevant information to be evaluated more
clearly during operation.
Three basic attributes:
- TYPE: Specifies the class to which the event or alarm belongs.
- GROUP: Specifies the source from which the alarm or event originates.
- LEVEL: Specifies the severity of the alarm or condition.
Every event or alarm defined in the system must belong to a TYPE
class determined by the SCADA designer.
For example, event and alarm information can be organized into two separate classes.
In this case, Event and Alarm can be defined as TYPES.
When required in SCADA applications, a third type called Warning can
also be used in addition to alarms and events. Warnings can be used to indicate
conditions that do not create an immediate urgency but are worth monitoring from the
perspective of system health.
Every event or alarm defined in the system must belong to a GROUP
class determined by the SCADA designer.
Alarm groups can be considered classes representing the source or source category
of an alarm.
An alarm may originate from any plant component, process data, EOS hardware, or
communication line. Therefore, creating groups according to the plant structure makes
it easier to identify the source of alarm information.
Example group sources:
plant components, process data, EOS hardware, and communication lines.
The final basic attribute of event or alarm information is the LEVEL
that determines the severity of the alarm condition.
Alarm levels can be defined using different classifications according to plant
requirements. For example, low, medium, and high levels can be used to clearly
communicate the degree of importance of an alarm to plant personnel.
Example level classes:
-
Low: Conditions that should be monitored but do not require
immediate intervention.
-
Medium: Conditions that require evaluation by plant personnel.
-
High: Serious alarm conditions requiring priority evaluation
and intervention.
Classification of Event and Alarm Information
Correctly establishing event types, groups, and levels during system design ensures
that subsequently defined event and alarm information has an organized structure.
This classification makes it possible to evaluate events and alarms of the same type
together, identify the source of an alarm more easily, and quickly understand the
significance of an event or alarm.
- Define the TYPE classes.
- Create GROUP classes according to alarm sources.
- Define LEVEL classes according to alarm severity.
- Associate event and alarm definitions with the appropriate type, group, and level.
-
Ensure that the event and alarm information to be recorded is meaningful and consistent.
Applications of Event and Alarm Records
In addition to alerting plant personnel through alarm mechanisms, recording event and
alarm data is important for the safe and efficient operation of facilities.
Recorded data can be used for detailed investigation of accidents, emergencies, and
other undesirable conditions; evaluation of plant efficiency and performance;
identification of maintenance requirements; and development of preventive maintenance
programs.
Key benefit of recording:
Events and alarms that occur in real time are transformed into permanent operational
information that can be reviewed retrospectively.
The EOS SCADA Event/Alarm Recorder provides timely notification of
events and alarm information occurring in plant automation to operating personnel and
records this information for subsequent review.
Classifying event and alarm information using the TYPE,
GROUP, and LEVEL attributes helps establish a
structured, understandable, and manageable organization of alarms and events within
the SCADA project.
Recorded event and alarm data is not only an important tool for alerting personnel
during operation, but also provides a valuable source of information for evaluating
plant safety, conducting performance analyses, planning maintenance activities, and
investigating historical operating events in detail.
How event types, groups, levels, and system alarms are defined, and how event information
is entered using these classifications, is explained in detail in the following
documentation sections.
