Overmany alarms of modern chemical process give the operators many difficulties to decision and diag- nosis. In order to ensure safe production and process operating, management and optimization of alarm information are challenge work that must be confronted. A new process alarm management method based on fuzzy clustering- ranking algorithm is proposed. The fuzzy clustering algorithm is used to cluster rationally the process variables, and difference driving decision algorithm ranks different clusters and process parameters in every cluster. The alarm signal of higher rank is handled preferentially to manage effectively alarms and avoid blind operation. The validity of proposed algorithm and solution is verified by the practical application of ethylene cracking furnace system. It is an effective and dependable alarm management method to improve operating safety in industrial process.
