Operation & Maintenance of Power Plants
when a road closure can cause gridlock in the surrounding area for hours, the fragility of the UK infrastructure becomes very clear. How will the emergency services respond to problems caused by a power outage when the roads are gridlocked because the traffi c lights are not working? When innovative technology enables
controllers to turn all the lights green on a key route to support rapid emergency response, failing to protect the traffi c lights against mains failure would appear somewhat shortsighted.
Full power outage Furthermore this is not just about protecting against a full power outage; in reality just a small percentage of power problems are associated with complete failure. It is far more likely that individual components will be damaged as a result of a power spike, surge or dip. Protecting against these problems is also critical to keep the infrastructure working eff ectively and to minimise the additional costs associated with costly repair. Of course, these are not standard
environments. In addition to being typically unmanned, from traffi c lights to water treatment plants, these are harsh environments subject to extremes of temperature, vibration, water ingress, dust and dirt.
Put these UPSs into the power plant and the life span will shrink from 10 years plus to perhaps just months as a result of dust or shorting out due to water ingress. Place them in any environment subject to
A loss of power may not just come from grid overload: there is a signifi cant risk of terrorist activity compromising the power network.
T ey are certainly not suitable for the standard Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS) that are deployed in clean, temperature controlled offi ces and data centres across the world in order to provide clean, reliable power supplies.
3D data – changing the way electric utilities work V
irtual reality is a computer generated, 3D environment that people can interact with and
explore. Because nearly any environment, factual or fantastic, can be generated, virtual reality offers many ways to change the nature of work. In the utility sector, i t promises to help workers resolve issues faster and more safely with less expense. In dangerous environments, virtual reality
provides unprecedented safe access to inspect conditions systems. By pairing virtual reality with robotics, remote operators can inspect and repair locations and equipment without jeopardising workers. One environment that can be modelled in virtual reality is an electrical substation. That model can display IT, operational and external data related to
the substation. When an operator receives notice of a malfunction, he could perform a virtual walk-through of the substation. This allows easy, contextual inspection of the problem without the expense of rolling a service truck to the site just to identify the problem. Using a virtual walkthrough, operators can either identify how to remedy the malfunction without sending a crew, or fully diagnosis the problem so that crews can repair the malfunction with a single trip. This technology allows for the real- time analysis of the Internet of Things. An explosion of static and mobile devices are becoming connected to the internet and generating data: thermostats, appliances, lights and more. Having an immersive environment that replicates the physical one makes it easier to place all that data in
a familiar context, making troubleshooting and issue resolution much more intuitive. Space-Time Insight transforms vast quantities of disparate information into intuitive visual displays that businesses can use to make informed real-time decisions. From traditional transmission, communications and transportation networks to Smart Grids and Cities, the company’s situational intelligence solution is making critical infrastructure smarter, safer and more reliable. With Space-Time Insight, enterprises can visualise and analyse their resources across location and time, rapidly respond to disruptions in service and lower risk while increasing profitability. ●
For more information, visit
www.spacetimeinsight.com
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