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Emerson Helps Romania’s Largest Refinery Reduce Control System Alarms by over 95 Percent

Rompetrol Refinery

The Rompetrol Petromida refinery in Romania used Emerson’s DeltaV™ AgileOps software to reduce control system alarm volumes by more than 95%. Image courtesy of Rompetrol. High resolution image

Rompetrol Refinery Control Room

DeltaV™ AgileOps software has increased operator effectiveness and brought alarm rates within EEMUA 191 guideline recommendations. Image courtesy of Rompetrol. High resolution image

Rompetrol Rafinare uses DeltaV AgileOps software to increase operator effectiveness and ensure compliance with EEMUA industry 191 guidelines
  • Emerson’s DeltaV AgileOps software reduces control system alarm volumes by more than 95%.
  • Emerson alarm management software helps Rompetrol achieve EEMUA 191 recommended alarm performance levels. 
  • DeltaV AgileOps improves operator effectiveness by eliminating nuisance and non-actionable alarms. 

CLUJ-NAPOCA, Romania (July 14, 2026) – Emerson, a global automation leader, has helped Rompetrol Rafinare reduce distributed control system (DCS) alarm volumes by more than 95% using DeltaV™ AgileOps operations management software at its Petromidia refinery in Navodari, Romania. The project improved control system alarm performance, increased operator effectiveness and brought refinery alarm rates within the Engineering Equipment and Materials Users Association (EEMUA) 191 guideline recommendations at Romania’s largest refinery.

With an annual processing capacity of approximately five million tonnes of fuel products, the Petromidia facility operates a broad range of conversion units and maintains a Nelson Complexity Index of 9.32, creating significant volumes of process data and alarms. Over time, control system alarms had evolved beyond recommended best practices, exposing operators to high alarm volumes, particularly during plant disturbances. Chattering alarms also contributed unnecessary noise, making it more difficult for operators to identify and respond to critical process events. Operators routinely experienced alarm flooding, while some alarms remained permanently active under normal operating conditions.

To address these challenges, Rominserv, Rompetrol’s engineering and maintenance services provider, collaborated with Emerson to improve alarm quality and reduce nuisance alarms across the refinery. The team implemented Emerson’s DeltaV AgileOps software to provide continuous visibility into alarm performance, including average and peak alarm rates, recurring alarm sequences and time spent outside recommended operating thresholds.

DeltaV AgileOps software captures alarm and event data directly from the DeltaV Distributed Control System which operates the plant, enabling engineering teams to identify high-frequency alarms, stale alarms and nuisance “bad actor” alarms responsible for disproportionate alarm activity. Using performance dashboards and historical trending tools, refinery personnel evaluated alarm behavior during steady-state operation, startup conditions and process disturbances, while validating proposed changes to alarm limits, priorities and suppression strategies against actual plant data.

As a result of the project, the refinery reduced alarm generation from more than two million alarms per month during normal operation to fewer than 50,000 alarms per month. According to EEMUA 191 guidelines, operators should receive no more than one alarm every ten minutes during steady-state operation.

“Alarm management plays a critical role in maintaining safe, efficient refinery operations,” said Nilca George, process engineering director, Rompetrol Rafinare. “The continuous alarm performance monitoring and analytics provided by DeltaV AgileOps has significantly reduced operator alarm burden while improving overall operational awareness. The resulting system is more stable and better aligned with actual plant conditions, enabling operators to focus on meaningful alarms and respond more effectively to process disturbances.”

The implementation also improved long-term visibility into control system performance through automated alarm and event reporting. Existing historical alarm and event retention was extended—from approximately four to five days to nearly two months—enabling more effective analysis of recurring issues and supporting better-informed maintenance and optimization decisions.

“Modern control systems provide enormous amounts of operational information, but operators need the right context and visibility to act effectively,” explained Guido Wink, vice president of Emerson’s control systems and software business in Europe. “DeltaV AgileOps helps organizations continuously monitor and improve alarm system performance so operators can focus on the events that matter most to safe, efficient operation.”

To learn more about Rompetrol Rafinare’s alarm management project, download the full project summary at Emerson.com.

FAQ
What is DeltaV AgileOps software?
DeltaV AgileOps is Emerson’s operations management software that helps industrial organizations improve alarm management, operational visibility and operator effectiveness through continuous performance monitoring and analytics.

Why is alarm management important in refinery operations?
Effective alarm management helps operators quickly identify critical process conditions, reduce alarm flooding and maintain situational awareness during steady-state and upset operating conditions.


How does DeltaV AgileOps improve operator performance?
The software identifies nuisance alarms, tracks alarm system behavior in real time and provides analytics that help operators focus on actionable process conditions.

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About Emerson
Emerson (NYSE: EMR) is a global automation leader delivering solutions for the most demanding technology challenges. Headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, Emerson is engineering the autonomous future, enabling customers to optimize operations and accelerate innovation. For more information, visit Emerson.com.