PowerFlow Paper Solutions

Alarm Management

On This Page

Overview

The alarm system monitors critical conditions and notifies operators when intervention is required. Understanding alarm severity and categories helps prioritize responses.

Alarm Severity Levels

Critical

Immediate action required. System may be offline or at risk of damage. Production may be stopped.

Action: Immediate intervention

High

Significant issue affecting control quality. May degrade to critical if not addressed.

Action: Investigate within minutes

Medium

Control operating but suboptimally. Issue should be addressed when convenient.

Action: Address during shift

Low / Info

Informational notice or minor issue. Normal operation continues.

Action: Review when time permits

Alarm Categories

Category Description Examples
Communication Network and protocol issues PLC connection lost, QCS timeout
Actuator Valve and zone problems Valve not responding, position limit
Profile Scanner and profile issues Invalid profile, edge detection failed
Control Control algorithm issues High 2-sigma, control disabled
System Application and hardware License expiring, disk space low

Alarm Actions

Acknowledging Alarms

To acknowledge an alarm:

  1. Click on the alarm in the Alarm List
  2. Review the alarm details and timestamp
  3. Click Acknowledge or press Enter

Acknowledging indicates an operator has seen the alarm. The alarm remains visible until the condition clears.

Silencing Alarms

To silence audible alarms temporarily:

  1. Click Silence button in the alarm banner
  2. Silence lasts for configurable period (default: 5 minutes)
  3. New alarms will re-enable sound

Alarm Filtering

Filter the alarm list by:

  • Severity: Show only Critical, High, etc.
  • Category: Show only Communication, Actuator, etc.
  • Status: Active, Acknowledged, or Cleared
  • Time Range: Last hour, shift, day, etc.

Alarm History

The system maintains a complete alarm history:

Viewing History

  1. Navigate to View > Alarm History
  2. Select date range for the report
  3. Optionally filter by category or severity
  4. Click Generate to view history

History Fields

Field Description
Timestamp When the alarm first occurred
Clear Time When the condition cleared
Ack Time When operator acknowledged
Duration How long the alarm was active
Code Unique alarm identifier
Message Descriptive alarm text

Exporting History

Alarm history can be exported for analysis:

  • CSV: For spreadsheet analysis
  • PDF: For reports and documentation
Alarm Analysis

Regularly review alarm history to identify recurring issues. Frequent alarms of the same type often indicate an underlying problem that needs permanent resolution.