The DeltaV System provides both audible and visible indications when a module (or fieldbus device) goes into an alarm condition. Depending upon the severity of the problem, you might hear an alarm horn (audible indication) or see visual alarm information on the Alarm Banner or on graphical displays such as the module faceplate, detail display, and the alarm list picture. These audible and visual cues persist until you respond to them.
To respond to a single alarm parameter:
To acknowledge all alarm parameters on the picture in the main window, click the Acknowledge Alarm button in the Alarm Banner.
Note If a fieldbus device has an active alarm and you must delete or decommission the device, download the device port before deleting or decommissioning the device. If you do not download the port first, the alarm remains after the device has been deleted or decommissioned.
DeltaV Operate includes the following standard buttons related to alarms. These buttons may appear on more than one type of display and in the DeltaV Operate standard toolbar.
Acknowledge
Alarm - This button is displayed in the Alarm Banner. It also appears in the
faceplate and detail displays for the standard modules. If you select this icon
in the Alarm Banner, the system acknowledges all the unacknowledged alarms in
the main process graphic. Only those alarm parameters that are part of the
graphic are acknowledged.
For example, module LIC-XYZ has two active alarms, HI and LO, but only HI is included in the primary control display for the module. If LO is one of the highest priority alarms in the Alarm Banner, clicking the button for the LO alarm in the banner brings up the primary control display for LIC-XYZ. However, note that when you click the Acknowledge Alarm button in the Alarm Banner, LO is not acknowledged because it is not part of the primary graphic for the module.
When you select this icon in a faceplate or detail display for a standard module, the system acknowledges all of the unacknowledged alarms for the module even if they are not included in the display.
Alarm
Filter - This button appears in the DeltaV Operate standard toolbar.
Clicking the Alarm Filter button opens the Alarm Filter picture, which filters
alarms in up to 250 areas in the DeltaV system. See Filtering Alarms by
Area, later in this topic, for more information.
Alarm
List - This button appears in the toolbar window at the top of the Operate
desktop. Clicking this button displays a list of all the active alarms the
current workstation is monitoring for the current user.
Alarm
Suppress - This button is displayed in the Alarm Filter picture, when an
alarm has been suppressed and in the DeltaV Operate standard toolbar. Clicking
the Alarm Suppress button opens the Operator Suppressed Alarm picture, which
lists all of the suppressed alarms.
You can un-suppress alarms from the Operator Suppressed Alarm picture as needed. However, when you un-suppress an alarm, that alarm is no longer accessible from the Operator Suppressed Alarm picture. If you want to suppress that alarm again, you must return either to the display or to wherever you originally suppressed that alarm.
Diagnostics
- This button is displayed in the Alarm Banner and shows the Communications
Integrity status. The two indicators in the top row indicate the primary
network integrity. The two indicators in the second row indicate the secondary
network integrity. The indicator color means:
Overall Communication Link Integrity (OLInteg) is Bad when all connections to this node are Bad. Overall Communication Connections Integrity is Bad if any connection is Bad. Clicking the Diagnostics button launches diagnostics, which provides more detailed information.
Disable
Horn/Enable Horn - When disabled, new alarms do not cause the horn to sound.
This setting is a parameter of the current user's session. When a new user logs
on, the horn is enabled.
Node
Status Horn Disabled - This icon is visible when the Node Status horn sound
is set to No Sound (that is, the horn is disabled). The Node Status horn sound
can be enabled/disabled from the Node Status Picture.
Node
Status - This button is displayed in the Alarm Banner. This button is
not displayed if Batch Operator Interface is running. Clicking the Node
Status button launches the Node Status picture, which provides information on
your node (for example, current status and time of last status change or
download as well as whether or not its alarms have been acknowledged).
Silence
Horn - Clicking this button stops the horn but does not acknowledge the
alarm. If new alarms become active, the horn sounds again.
There are two different types of alarms for analog values: absolute and deviation alarms.
Absolute Alarms
An absolute alarm monitors a particular parameter (typically the PV) to
determine if it exceeds a specific value known as the "trip point."
The trip point is the monitored value at which the alarm becomes active. In
DeltaV, absolute alarms can be configured as low low, low, high, and high high.
For low low and low alarms, the alarm trips or becomes active when the monitored
value is less than the alarm trip point. Similarly, for high and high high
alarms, the alarm becomes active when the monitored value is greater than the
alarm trip point.
Deviation Alarms
A deviation alarm becomes active (is tripped) when the value of the difference
between the monitored value and the setpoint or reference value exceeds the
value of the deviation alarm trip point. When the difference is greater than the
trip point, the alarm is a deviation high alarm. When the difference is less
than the trip point, the alarm is a deviation low alarm.
Each alarm has a priority assigned to it. There are three alarm priorities (CRITICAL, WARNING, and ADVISORY) and a special LOG event that is recorded in the Event Chronicle but does not show up on the Alarm Banner, Alarm List, or the graphical displays. The priority determines the color of the alarm on the Alarm Banner, faceplate and detail display, and the Alarm List picture. Note that the default alarm colors may have been changed by the configuration engineers.
Alarm Priority |
Alarm Color (Default Setting) |
| CRITICAL | Red |
| WARNING | Yellow |
| ADVISORY | Purple |
| LOG | Blue |
The engineer who configures the alarm determines if a horn sound is associated with a CRITICAL, WARNING, and ADVISORY alarm and the type of sound. For example, a beep and a buzz-type sound are typical horn sounds. There is no horn sound for a LOG event.
Alarms are most visible on the Alarm Banner that appears at the bottom of the Operate desktop. Here is an example of an Alarm Banner.
Alarms are shown in the alarm banner in priority order, with the most recent, highest priority alarm on the left. The Alarm Banner is reserved for the five highest priority alarms. The importance of an alarm is determined by the following criteria:
The horn is not sounded if a low priority alarm is not eligible to be shown on the alarm banner. The eligibility is determined by defining the alarm threshold initialization (gn_ProcessAlarmThreshold) in the UserSettings picture. For more information, refer to The User_Ref and UserSettings Pictures.
Highest Priority Alarm Buttons
The five large buttons notify you of the five highest priority alarms that have
been activated. The name of the control module whose associated alarm has been
tripped appears on the button. Click the alarm button to open the associated
faceplate and primary control display for that alarm. (It is possible that the
engineer did not configure a primary control display for the alarm and you will
receive a message indicating that no primary control picture has been
configured.) The two buttons on the Alarm Banner tell you if the faceplate or
primary control graphic has been disabled for the alarm. Both of these displays
cannot be disabled at the same time.
Extended Information Button
Click the i button to the right of each alarm to see more
detailed information about that alarm. Information such as the time the alarm
occurred, the module description, the alarm parameter, and the alarm priority
appear in this extended information line that runs across the bottom of the
screen.
Acknowledge All Button
The Acknowledge All button on the Alarm Banner acknowledges all the alarms in
the Main window. There is an Acknowledge All button on the faceplate that
acknowledges all the alarms for that point only.
Graphical displays such as faceplates and detail displays are customizable and can differ from one plant to another. However, the alarm colors described in Alarm Priorities hold true for most graphical displays and, typically, alarm values blink when they are not acknowledged. The following sections describe the alarm information on module faceplates and detail displays.
There are several ways to open graphical displays such as faceplate and detail displays for a module.
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Select the data link and click the Faceplate button on the five-button toolbar that appears on pictures created with the main template. (You can also click the Faceplate button on the main toolbar and enter the name of the module.) |
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Click the module alarm button on the Alarm Banner to open the faceplate and, if configured, the primary control picture for the module. |
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There are three ways to open a detail display:
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There are some clear differences in how alarms are presented on analog module faceplates and discrete module faceplates.
Here is a sample analog module faceplate:
Alarm indications
This is a scrollable list of the current alarms that functions like the first two columns of an alarm summary. The first column shows the state of the alarm represented by one of the following symbols:
The second column is the alarm name or parameter. The text and colors are as configured for the alarm's current state.
Acknowledge This Point Only Button
Click the rightmost button on the faceplate to acknowledge all the alarms for
this point only. (Remember that on the Alarm Banner this button acknowledges all
alarms in the Main display.) The alarm stops blinking when it is acknowledged.
Alarm Trip Value
The alarm trip value or point appears as a small arrowhead in the color of the
alarm priority. The arrowhead points to the alarm trip value on the PV (Process
Variable) bar graph. For high alarms, a PV above the trip value activates the
alarm; for low alarms, a PV below the trip value activates the alarm.
Here is a sample discrete module faceplate.
A discrete module faceplate can have only one alarm indicator, labeled DA for discrete alarm. Discrete modules have no associated detail display; the parameters typically found on a detail display are included on the module.
Fieldbus devices that support PlantWeb alerts have a faceplate that enables the user to suppress the alarms for the device and set the priority for each alarm. Suppressing Device Alarms later in this topic, provides more information.
External mechanical assets and optimization assets that support PlantWeb alerts have a faceplate that enables the user to suppress the alarms for the asset. Suppressing External Asset Optimization Alarms later in this topic, provides more information.
Here is a sample detail display for an analog module.
The detail display for an analog module shows the actual alarm trip values as well as their priority assignment. Operators with proper privileges can modify the trip value and adjust the priorities.
The Alarm
List Picture displays up to 250 active alarms in areas within the operator's
span of control. Use this picture to view and acknowledge active alarms.
You can open the Alarm List picture from the DeltaV Operate toolbar and from
the Alarm Filter picture.
To open the Alarm List picture from the DeltaV Operate toolbar, click
or click 
and then select the Alarm List picture (AlarmList).
Open the Area Select picture (click the Browse button 
)
to select the area for which you want to see active alarms.
You can acknowledge an alarm by clicking the Ack column for the alarm. You can open the Direct Access picture by clicking on the Description column. For other alarm operations, select an alarm from the list and then use the buttons and context menu on the Alarm List picture to work with the selected alarm. The Alarm List picture uses the Alarm Summary Object to display the alarms. The functions available on the Alarm List picture are described in the DeltaV Operate online help.
This picture shows the total number of active alarms, the number of unacknowledged and suppressed alarms for the current area, and lists active alarms by:
If an alarm is active, unacknowledged or suppressed when a controller switchover occurs, the alarm is regenerated with a new Time Last value. The value of Time In is maintained.
Note If an alarm is active, unacknowledged or suppressed when a controller switchover occurs, the alarm is regenerated with a new Time Last value. The value of Time In is maintained.
Generally you respond immediately to alarms. However, occasionally you might find that you are distracted by an unimportant alarm to which you cannot immediately respond. The procedure for suppressing alarms depends on whether the alarm is a process alarm, a device alarm, or an external asset optimization alarm.
Use the module's detail picture to temporarily suppress the alarm. Suppressing a process alarm removes it from the Alarm Banner and Alarm List pictures. Then when you are ready to respond to it, unsuppress the alarm. In the default DeltaV configuration, the user must have the Restricted Control key (assigned in the DeltaV User Manager) to suppress process alarms.
To suppress an alarm:
to open the Detail Display picture for the module.In the following image, a Hi alarm with a priority of WARNING is suppressed.
The suppressed alarm is removed from the Alarm Banner and Alarm List pictures and appears on the Alarm Suppress (AlmSupp) picture.
To unsuppress an alarm, clear the check mark on the detail display, or open the Alarm Suppress picture and clear the suppressed alarm.
For devices that support PlantWeb alerts, each alarm (COMM_ALM, FAILED_ALM, MAINT_ALM, and ADVISE_ALM) may be activated by more than one condition, depending on the device. The DeltaV system enables you to suppress device alarms in two ways:
Note The suppression of alarm conditions is a device-level setting which you select from the Status/Conditions dialog. This type of suppression prevents the device from reporting the associated alarm condition to the DeltaV system. Suppression of alarms from the faceplate is a user-interface setting that prevents reported alarm conditions from appearing in the alarm banner and alarm list.
Because alarms contain multiple conditions, suppressions at the alarm level will always override suppressions at the condition level.
The following is an example of how alarm or condition suppression might be used.
A fieldbus device reports that it is due to be calibrated. The calibration due condition appears as a Maintenance alarm in the Conditions dialog, and also in the DeltaV alarm banner and Event Chronicle. Because regular service is scheduled for the following week, the user might choose to suppress all Maintenance alarms from that device using the device faceplate. The alarm clears from the alarm banner and the Event Chronicle records that the alarm was suppressed. The device does not generate a maintenance alarm until the alarm is unsuppressed.
Alternatively, the user could choose to suppress only the calibration due condition by checking the box above the condition in the Conditions dialog for that device. If this was the only condition that caused the maintenance alarm, the alarm will clear from the alarm banner and the Event Chronicle. However, if another condition in the maintenance alarm activates, a new maintenance alarm is generated. The device will not generate a maintenance alarm because of the calibration due condition until the condition is unsuppressed.
In both cases, the Status/Conditions dialog continues to display the condition as active.
The following image is a typical device alarm faceplate. The faceplate enables you to suppress and unsuppress each alarm for the device individually. In the default DeltaV configuration, the user must have the Restricted Control key to suppress device alarms.
Device Alarms
Lists the device alarms. Each alarm may be caused by several device conditions. A check mark indicates that the alarm has been acknowledged. Note that the engineers who configured the system may have configured some alarms as automatically acknowledged.
Suppressed Alarms
Lists the suppressed alarms. Suppressing an alarm prevents activation of the alarm for all related device conditions. You can suppress acknowledged alarms as long as they are active. When you unsuppress an alarm, it is automatically acknowledged.
You can view and suppress individual conditions at the device level for devices that support PlantWeb alerts. To view and suppress these conditions, click the detail button on the faceplate. Or, select the device in DeltaV Explorer and right-click Status/Conditions. In the default DeltaV configuration, the user must have the Can Calibrate key (assigned in the DeltaV User Manager application) to suppress device conditions.
External Asset Optimization alarms can be suppressed through the Asset Alarm faceplate. The following image is a typical Asset Alarm Faceplate. With the exception of two items (DeltaV description and Asset name on server) this faceplate is identical to the Device Alarm Faceplate. The faceplate enables you to suppress and unsuppress each alarm. In the default DeltaV configuration, the user must have the Restricted Control key to suppress device alarms.
The Alarm Suppress picture displays up to 250 suppressed alarms in areas within the current user's span of control. Use this picture to view suppressed alarms and to unsuppress alarms.
Note Downloading a controller will clear from the Alarm Suppress picture any alarms that were generated from that controller. Those alarms will reappear in the Alarm List as Active/Unacknowledged Alarms with a newer time stamp.
Open the Alarm Suppress picture using either of the following ways:
or click
and then select AlmSupp.
from the top of the picture when suppressed alarms exist.Suppressed alarms are listed by Module, Parameter, Description, Area, Unit and Time In. To unsuppress an alarm, select the alarm and click the unsuppress button from the details toolbar.
Note You cannot use this picture to suppress an alarm.
Use the Detail picture for the module that is in alarm to suppress the alarm.
For more information on suppressing alarms, refer to Suppressing Alarms, earlier
in this topic
From the Alarm Suppress picture, click 
to open the Area Select picture. Use the Area Select picture to select the
area(s) from which you want to see suppressed alarms.
Use the
Alarm Filter button (displayed on the Alarm List picture and the Alarm Suppress
picture) to open the Alarm Filter picture. The Area Alarm Filtering (AlarmFilter)
picture enables you to turn on the areas from which you want to see alarms and
to turn off the areas from which you do not want to see alarms. An area that has
been turned off is filtered.
Use the Alarm Filter picture to filter alarms in up to 100 areas in your DeltaV system by the following steps:
The total count of unacknowledged alarms, active alarms, and suppressed alarms for an area that is checked is displayed next to the plant area name. The total number of alarms, the number of unacknowledged alarms, and the number of suppressed alarms are shown across the top of the area alarm details section.
Whenever an area is being filtered or an alarm is being suppressed, an indicator appears on the Alarm Acknowledge button on the Alarm Banner, as shown in the following table.
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Indicates that one or more areas are being filtered out. |
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Indicates that one or more alarms are being suppressed. |
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Indicates that an alarm is being suppressed and an area is being filtered. |
Alarm filtering only affects what is seen through DeltaV Operate. It does not affect the Event Chronicle or the association between workstations, users, and alarms that is defined in the DeltaV Explorer or the area keys assigned in User Manager.
Note Alarm filtering affects only the machine on which the filter settings were made and is independent of the user. If you filter alarms and then log off the machine, the next user to log on will not see alarms from the areas that you filtered.