Severity Based Alarm Levels in the Qube Platform
By: Andrew Walsh
A basic requirement of a continuous monitoring system is generation of alarm notifications based on emission rates exceeding a defined threshold. Alarm notifications are used by field operations personnel, LDAR technicians, engineers, and air quality professionals to initiate further investigation of the emission event and if necessary, coordinate field inspection and repairs.
Qube Technologies provides alarm configuration options that allow end users to set escalating alarm levels at HI, HI-HI, and CRITICAL thresholds.
Qube’s Configuarble Alarm Levels
HI: HI level alarms are the initial stage of emission notifications, indicating that the emission rate has exceeded the first defined threshold. At this level, field operations personnel may be expected to respond within 24 hours to investigate the emission event. This response allows for a preliminary assessment and potential mitigation of the issue before it escalates.
HI-HI: HI-HI level alarms signify a more serious emission event, surpassing the secondary threshold. These alarms may require an escalated response, not only field operations personnel but may also involve field leadership. The investigation and response can be prioritized to occur on the same day to address the increased severity and potential impact of the emissions promptly.
CRITICAL: CRITICAL level alarms represent the highest severity of emissions, where the emission rates exceed the tertiary threshold. These alarms may trigger immediate escalation to engineers or air quality specialists who are equipped to handle significant emission events. Rapid response and intervention are crucial at this level to minimize environmental impact, regulatory non-compliance, and potential financial penalties.
Alarm Severity Evolves as Emission Events are Detected
Emission events from Oil & Gas sites, RNG facilities, Landfills, or other Industrial Facilities can vary substantially through time. The Qube quantification algorithm relies on localization which can change during an emission event due to changes in wind speed and direction or detected gas concentration. Sometimes what can start as a small emission event can quickly become a more severe event that requires immediate response.
Historically, emission alarms within the Qube system have been configured as a single threshold with a defined alarm threshold (kg/h) and averaging period (hours). Optionally, users now can configure alarms into tiered thresholds that provide primary (HI), secondary (HI-HI) or tertiary (CRITICAL) alarm notifications that can help escalate emission response (Figure 1).
Figure 1. - Aarm Severity Levels Configuration
Key Features of Severity Based Alarm Levels
Increase emissions monitoring precision: Configure your response to varying emission levels, improving operational control.
Enhance alarm response workflows: Different alarm levels can trigger alternative workflows.
For Example:
HI: field response only within 24 hours.
HI-HI: escalation to field leadership, same day investigation.
CRITICAL: escalation to engineers or air quality specialists.
Flexible Notification Timing: In 2024, users will have the option to customize alarm notification timing or which alarm levels they are interested in receiving.
Real-time notification
Daily Summaries
Practical Applications of Alarm Levels
Oil and Gas Sector: In the oil and gas industry, where recent regulatory changes regarding Super Emitters (emission events >100kg/h) can result in substantial financial penalties. Notification and escalation of CRITICAL alarm notifications can prompt more rapid field inspection and repair, minimizing or eliminating Waste Emission Charges.
RNG facilities or landfills: For RNG facilities or landfills, alarm notifications from a continuous monitoring system can be indicative of loss of containment of methane and substantial lost revenue. Escalating alarms based on severity can help improve organizational visibility to the severity of detected emissions and improve response plans.
Alarm Levels in Action
Qube Technologies' continuous emissions monitoring system, when configured with alarms based on severity, offers a comprehensive solution for alarm response workflows. This alarm configuration enhances real-time monitoring capabilities, supports regulatory compliance, and facilitates proactive environmental management. By using severity-based alarm levels, organizations can improve alarm response workflows, reduce nuisance alarm notifications, and drive positive outcomes for both environmental and operational excellence.