OPERATION & MAINTENANCE OF POWER PLANTS
AI can bring numerous operational benefits to power plants
THE POWER OF AI
Andrew Normand reveals how plant operators can save a small fortune by deploying a sophisticated AI engine
T
he past months have been rough for the power sector, with the collapse in industrial electricity demand, lower investment and cost pressures that only seem to deepen for a prolonged period. According to IEA (International Energy Agency), post-2020, the drop in global electricity demand was around 2% and GDP was 4.4% down, the largest decline in more than 50 years. Te pressure to optimise plant operations has been like never before for all
players in the power ecosystem. Whether you are a conventional or renewable producer, ensuring business continuity, productivity and safety with an eye on the long-term target of improving operational efficiency and automation are mission- critical today. In such scenarios, it is important that equipment and resources are always performing at their optimum capacity, protecting operators from costly downtimes, extensive repairs and efficiency
losses. Tat is what artificial intelligence (AI) can help to achieve.
Example of system-based approach for condenser performance
HOW CAN AI HELP? AI can help optimise complex power plant networks or small-scale cooling systems. Te efficiency of these systems depends not only on the equipment but also on a range of broader factors, including upstream/downstream environmental conditions such as sudden, unexpected deviations in weather patterns and the impacts of auxiliary systems and operating conditions. Te problem is that it’s often challenging to create predefined rules that will deal with the complexity of these interacting variables. Plant operators, therefore, have to settle for identifying more pronounced symptoms with limited signals to avoid false alarms while still catching an issue before a major failure. However, the damage has already been done, and it doesn’t even identify the upstream/downstream operations that may have caused the issue. Tis can lead to numerous problems, including system failure, loss of efficiency, and reduced availability leading to lost productivity – which could potentially cost plant operators millions of pounds in lost revenue.
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