Digital Optimization Solutions
The Power of Data and Strategic Insight
Our OptiLife™ Platform uses the power of data and strategic insight to help power plants maximize business results.
Around the globe, facilities need smarter ways to make informed decisions that maximize productive time, lower costs, increase output and broaden profit margins.
The OptiLife™ platform ensures the safe and efficient operation of power plants, facilitating our client’s daily work at all levels of the organization. By taking advantage of operational data, equipment condition and inspection and testing results, Tecnatom’s expert engineers leverage the plant data along with proprietary analytics and AI to make predictions and suggestion in real time. This information is then visualized and used to generate actionable insights for application across the plant in the areas noted below.
- SOLCEP – Performance monitoring and optimization system
- ACM – Predictive monitoring solutions for detecting early degradation
- START – Start-up supervision systems
- ALERT – Smart alarms management system
- Remote Monitoring Centers – For online status, performance, asset conditions, alerts
SOLCEP
SOLCEP is an online performance monitoring system which allows plant personnel to diagnose equipment and system malfunctions related to thermal efficiency and optimize the operating strategy; thereby identifying, allocating and monetizing the performance losses.
SOLCEP monitors key equipment and their associated parameters. The tool calculates the deviation between the real and the objective value for every parameter, component and system and quantifies the deviation in terms of production and cost.
Information is shown intelligently, offering quick insight into any possible deviation while facilitating the decision-making process.
Key Features of SOLCEP
Tool calculates the deviation for every parameter, component and system between the real and the objective value and quantifies the deviation in terms of production and cost.
All information is provided to support user’s decision-making on O&M strategies and to maximize the company’s results.
Tecnatom provides services to support the performance monitoring carried out by our operation, maintenance and performance experts from our monitoring center.
SOLCEP quantifies the performance losses of the plant in accordance with plant instrumentation and thermal-hydraulic balances, estimating any non-instrumented variables.
The tool is based on ASME PTC guides and more than 20 years of experience with over 70 implementations worldwide.
ACM
ACM is the OptiLife™ platform solution that applies predictive monitoring of plant equipment to identify events and avoid failures. Early malfunction identification results in improving the assets’ reliability, safety and performance while reducing the maintenance costs.
ACM has a flexible architecture which allows it to be deployed in a manner adaptable to the customer’s needs. Analysis and filtering of alerts is performed by experts thereby avoiding false positives and optimizing the workflow. This also provides for early detection, diagnosis and prediction of deviations. Thanks to this early identification of degradations, the time to act is maximized, mitigating possible damage and reducing emergent work. This also reduces maintenance costs by allowing for earlier planning of actions and replacement of components to avoid unplanned downtime.
START
OptiLife™ START allows for the monitoring of the start-up process (time, fuel consumption and power generation) of combined cycles by using machine-learning and data analytics.
START analyzes and supports optimization of your power plant’s start-up process providing early detection of deviations and measuring fuel consumption deviations; thus reducing fuel and auxiliaries consumption during start-up. START allows you to perform detailed and accurate start-up planning. The user can obtain real estimates for time and cost, supervise critical processes and receive alerts that have been configured for your plant.
Benefits of START
Data Analysis
Improve time, fuel consumption and power generation estimates
Penalty Avoidance
Time and Cost Savings
The solution makes accurate predictions (based on machine learning) of start-up time and cost considering current plant conditions
Consistent start-up process and practices
among operating crews and fleets
Guidance and support
for the variable start-up process
ALERT
OptiLife™ ALERT combines machine learning algorithms with expert knowledge for smart alarm management; so that only alarms that require operator action will be notified. A reduction in the number of alarms reported reduces the risk that said alarms are not correctly addressed by the staff, avoiding incidents and accidents.
ALERT executes on a layer above the Distributed Control System (DCS); therefore, no DCS configuration changes are necessary. ALERT provides a great value with relatively lower costs and short implementation periods compared with traditional approaches (i.e., an engineer analyzing alarm logics).
Key features of ALERT
Definition of alarms and review of alarm logics
- Removes alarms that should not be enabled
- Avoids continuous activations and deactivations of the same alarm: adjusts setpoints
- Assigns to each alarm the required priority level, taking into account severity and proper definition in accordance with consequences
- Generates electronic alarm book
Prioritization and filtering
- Provides information to prevent avalanches of alarms during transient events improving problem diagnosis
- Provides dynamic prioritizations based on operating modes and plant events
Smart alarm management
- Utilizes data science and expert knowledge to reduce the number of alarms reported
- Ensures the information shown on the alarm interface is the only information that must be handled by operators
Remote Monitoring Centers
The Remote Monitoring Centers aims to optimize power plants operation and maintenance. The data and the OptiLife™ platform solutions provide support for our monitoring and diagnosis services.
The Remote Monitoring Centers team is comprised of multidisciplinary professionals including analysts and experts who work collaboratively with plants. The center’s staff is supported by their knowledge on the technologies, processes, and tools to be able to make the most of the available data. Our relationship with our clients is based on transparency. We design communication processes based upon our clients’ specific needs.
The information processed in the Remote Monitoring Centers is shown through smart interfaces that, thanks to pattern recognition and the integration of information, allow the user to identify anomalies at a glance. The use of smart icons, developed by Tecnatom, help to present information in a comprehensive, intuitive way, reducing the cognitive load on the user and favoring situational awareness. Tecnatom’s experience in human factor engineering has given rise to a design aimed at facilitating the work of analysts.
Key Features of the Monitoring Center
Experts Focused on Customers
- Experts in operations, performance, maintenance, processes, and engineering
- Using the cutting-edge OptiLife™ Platform
Data Analysis
- Data analysis applied for early detection, diagnosis, and prediction of anomalies
- Team of data scientists tackles the analysis of complex problems, combining process knowledge with advanced algorithms
Advanced Interfaces
- Application of human factor engineering geared towards minimizing human error, reducing cognitive load, and improving ergonomics
- Smart icons developed by Tecnatom to present the most representative parameters in a visual and comprehensive way
Adaptable and Flexible
- Functional scope that is flexible and adaptable to our clients’ needs and requirements
Key Benefits of the Monitoring Center
Reduction of operation and maintenance costs
- Optimization of O&M costs thanks to the reduction of fuel consumption, the reduction of equipment failures, and the implementation of predictive maintenance
- Economic approach by identifying and monetizing the impact of losses
Early detection of anomalies
- Data analysis aimed at reducing equipment failures
- High-performance interfaces that facilitate early identification of events.
- Real-time data access
Improved decision making
- Analysis, diagnosis, and recommendations based on criteria from expert analysts from different fields
- Identification of best practices and lessons learned