Omniflex has successfully upgraded Guernsey Electricity’s MPAS90 alarm annunciator systems, which were first installed decades ago and are obsolete. The site’s common control panel (CCP) was replaced with a 60-point Maxilarm unit and the local control panel (LCP) was updated with a 112-way Maxilarm system. By retaining the original system’s fascias, operational disruption associated with installation and testing was dramatically reduced.
Highland Electronics MPAS90 alarm annunciators were commonly used in industrial facilities throughout the 1970s and 1980s. But with the manufacturer long since closed, many sites that still rely on these systems are now facing obsolescence challenges as the MPAS90 units reach the end of their service life. This meant that when Guernsey Electricity looked to upgrade its on-site CCP and LCP, which are essential for monitoring critical electrical operations, it had to find a new partner to deliver a reliable, future-proof replacement.
Omniflex stepped in to provide a solution in the form of two Maxilarm rack-based alarm annunciator systems – a 60-way unit for the CCP and a 112-way unit for the LCP. Maxilarm alarm annunciator systems offer a complete distributed modular alarm management system for critical plants, incorporating features such as sub one mllisecond time stamping at source and integrated analogue logging.
The sub one millisecond time-stamping resolution, which is the fastest on the market, is ideal in facilities where the potential for multiple simultaneous alarms is high and it is important for operators to know the chronological order of alarm alerts. This also improves data auditing and event analysis capabilities.
“Alarm systems first installed decades ago by manufacturers like Highland Electronics, Rochester Instruments, Robinsons etc. are becoming increasingly unreliable and obsolete, which is problematic as they generally monitor critical industrial processes,” explained Darren Barratt, sales manager at Omniflex. “Replacing the MPAS90 units with Maxilarm systems gave Guernsey Electricity a modern, reliable and scalable alarm annunciator solution that meets current safety standards and will be supported for years to come.
“The system’s flexibility allowed Guernsey Electricity to meet its current operational needs while providing a future-proof upgrade path as its infrastructure evolves. The seamless installation, along with comprehensive configuration and documentation support, ensured minimal operational disruption and allowed the team to quickly transition to the new system with confidence,” concluded Barratt.
To provide customers with peace of mind and to safeguard against future obsolescence challenges, Omniflex guarantees lifetime technical and service support for all its products that remain in service.
For more information on how Omniflex can help you rise to the challenge of obsolescence management and upgrade legacy and obsolete alarm systems, visit its website.
