Addressing the Alarm Analysis Barrier - A Tool for Improving Alarm Systems

Abstract

This paper describes a software application tool for the initial specification and maintenance of the thousands of alarms in nuclear and other process control plants. The software program is used by system designers and maintainers to analyze, characterize, record and maintain the alarm information and configuration decisions for an alarm system. The tool provides a comprehensive design and information handling environment for: the existing alarm functions in current CANDU plants, the new alarm processing and presentation concepts developed under CANDU Owners Group (COG) sponsorship that are available to be applied to existing CANDU plants on a retrofit basis, and the alarm functions to be implemented in new CANDU plants.