When operation stops, the cause must be demonstrable
A protective trip, alarm or stopped machine shows what happened last, but not necessarily why. We place electrical data, event logs and the process sequence on the same timeline to distinguish the trigger from the underlying cause.
The protective trip is not always the answer
The device that trips correctly may only be reporting a problem elsewhere. Without a shared timeline, a final alarm can easily be mistaken for the root cause.
The investigation must preserve the sequence: what changed first, which protections and controls reacted, and how the process responded.
Visible event
The trip, alarm, restart or production stop observed by the organisation.
Technical fault chain
The order in which electrical, control and process conditions changed.
Underlying root cause
The condition that must change to reduce the risk of recurrence.
From the electrical system to the process sequence
The investigation boundary follows the event across systems rather than stopping at the first alarm.
Electrical events
Voltage, current, dips, transients and load changes are placed on the event timeline.
- Electrical quantities
- Trigger conditions
- Pre-event data
Protection and selectivity
Settings, fault levels and the order of operation show whether protection behaved as intended.
- Protection settings
- Operating order
- Selectivity
Automation and control
PLC events, interlocks and control sequences are correlated with electrical data.
- Event logs
- Interlocks
- Control sequence
Motors and drive systems
Starting, loading, converter alarms and thermal conditions are assessed in actual duty.
- Starting and stopping
- Drive alarms
- Mechanical load
Process and load
Production state and process changes show what the equipment was being asked to do.
- Operating state
- Production sequence
- Load transition
Recurring patterns
Several events are compared to distinguish a repeated mechanism from coincidence.
- Common conditions
- Time correlation
- Trend and recurrence
Downtime must be understood in the correct order
Clock differences, incomplete logs and missing pre-event measurements can reverse the apparent order of events. We align the available sources and state where the evidence is strong, uncertain or missing.
This prevents a downstream reaction from being treated as the initial cause.
Operating state, load and gradual changes before the event.
Electrical event, protection, control response and process reaction.
Alarms, restart sequence, damage and conditions for recurrence.
From event log to verified action
The assignment can begin after an event or before recurrence, by preparing the right logging and measurements.
Investigation and analysis
We preserve evidence, align clocks and build a technically coherent sequence.
- Collect: Logs, settings, diagrams, measurements and process information.
- Correlate: Place the sources on a common timeline.
- Test: Compare competing explanations with the evidence.
Action and verification
The response is proportionate to the verified cause and operational risk.
- Specify: Protection, control, equipment or operating changes.
- Implement: CLEPS performs or coordinates agreed work in Sweden.
- Verify: Confirm function and monitor for recurrence under relevant conditions.
Evidence for reducing the risk of the next stop
The report separates facts, interpretations and remaining uncertainty so that corrective work is directed at the supported fault chain.
Depending on scope, it may include:
- Time-aligned event sequence
- Relevant electrical and process data
- Protection and control assessment
- Tested root-cause hypotheses
- Documented uncertainty and missing evidence
- Prioritised corrective measures
- Verification and monitoring plan
The visible trip is separated from the mechanism that produced it.
Observed facts, supported conclusions and open questions are reported separately.
Reliability is built before the next stop
Verification confirms that the agreed function has changed. Where recurrence is infrequent, suitable monitoring remains in place so that the next event is captured with better evidence.
From trip indication to root cause
A measurement value does not explain why protection trips
This article is available in Swedish.
Read in Swedish →
When a short voltage dip stops an entire process
This article is available in Swedish.
Read in Swedish →
The same value, three places to investigate
This article is available in Swedish.
Read in Swedish →A recurring stop should not remain unexplained
Tell us what stopped, which evidence exists and what has already been tried. CLEPS works in Sweden; scope and availability are confirmed for each assignment.
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