Elk Valley Resources
Alarm rationalisation at Elkview Operations
- Canada
- Mining
- Software
Mipac partnered with Elkview Operations to deliver a comprehensive alarm rationalisation project that reduced alarm volume by over 70%, improved operator confidence and aligned alarm management with ISA 18.2 standards. Through advanced logic updates, a cascade alarm philosophy and a centralised Master Alarm Database, the project transformed alarm performance and set a benchmark for sustainable operational excellence.
Overview
During a PLC and SCADA modernisation, high alarm volumes emerged as a key operational challenge.
Elkview Operations, part of Elk Valley Resources (Glencore), is a major metallurgical coal site in British Columbia, Canada. During a PLC and SCADA modernisation phase, the site faced a critical challenge: operators were inundated with more than 15,000 alarms each week. This alarm overload eroded confidence in the system and increased the risk of missing critical alerts. Mipac partnered with Elkview to rationalise alarms, improve clarity and align alarm management with ISA 18.2 standards.
Challenge
Managing alarm noise across 27 PLCs was a key legacy systems challenge.
Legacy alarm configurations were inconsistent and non-standard, generating noise rather than actionable insights. For example, the original motor control logic triggered alarms even when motors were stopped, creating alerts that required no operator action. With 27 PLCs across the site, standardising alarm logic and reducing alarm floods without disrupting production was a significant hurdle. The team also needed to maintain operator engagement throughout the process.
Solution
Mipac standardised and rationalised alarms, deploying changes gradually to improve clarity and maintain production.
Mipac led a comprehensive alarm rationalisation program built around HAZOP workshops with operators and engineers. The project introduced a Master Alarm Database through MPA – Alarm Manager to centralise and standardise alarm information, ensuring consistency and maintainability. Motor control logic was converted from ladder logic to PlantPAx, so alarms only triggered on genuine interlock trips. A cascade alarm philosophy was implemented to display a single root-cause alarm per event, masking downstream alarms and preventing banner floods.
Changes were deployed strategically. Control logic updates were rolled out gradually through weekly reviews and approvals, while configuration-based changes – such as priority adjustments and description updates – were scheduled during planned shutdowns using controlled bulk imports. This approach safeguarded production while delivering improvements quickly.
Outcome
Alarm volumes dropped by 75%, giving operators clarity, reducing fatigue and setting a new standard for site-wide alarm management.
The results were transformative. Weekly alarm counts dropped from 15,000–20,000 to fewer than 5,000, enabling operators to focus on critical process and safety alarms. Alarm fatigue was reduced, situational awareness improved and compliance with ISA 18.2 was achieved. Operators became proactive in monitoring alarm behaviour, reporting nuisance alarms and maintaining system integrity. The rationalised alarm philosophy now serves as a reference model for ongoing PLC and SCADA upgrades, embedding long-term alarm discipline and operational excellence across the site.
What made this project unique
Technical precision and practical design created a scalable alarm framework that solved today’s challenges and set the stage for future improvements.
What set this project apart was its combination of technical precision and operational practicality. The introduction of PlantPAx logic eliminated redundant alarms at their source, while the cascade alarm philosophy tackled alarm floods by focusing on root causes. The Master Alarm Database, housed on MPA’s Alarm Manager, provided a single source of truth for alarm management, enabling structured reviews and seamless integration with modernisation efforts. These innovations not only solved the immediate problem but created a scalable framework for future improvements.
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