What, according to you, is the key differentiator between SmartSignal and the competition?
SmartSignal is backed by a unique modeling technique and protected by 40 patents; builds models for and detects problems for each unique piece of equipment, thus providing earlier and more accurate detection of problems; is based on 100’s of millions of hours of experience; detects the broadest range of equipment problems across the widest variety of assets and failure modes; provides precise, accurate, unambiguous, and operationally relevant notifications of impending problems; and provides diagnostics and prioritizations of the problems. SmartSignal also provides all the services you need to deploy and maintain our solutions quickly and easily—for one plant or across a fleet.
How does this technology differ from that provided by GE and Siemens with their real-time monitoring from their 24/7 sites in Orlando, FL and Schenectady, NY?
SmartSignal provides warning of equipment failure earlier than and more accurately than other alternatives—and, unlike OEMs, it can monitor a wide range of critical equipment across a plant, beyond turbines, across all OEMs.
Mike Rutledge, of SRP, explained in a recent webinar: “The difference is, and I’ve been involved with the Siemens Power Diagnostic Center, that SmartSignal is another level of technology greater than what you get from the other sources (OEMs) in that SmartSignal takes in more sensor data to predict a problem or failures. They’re (OEMs) looking at more individual signals and variances in individual parameters as opposed to looking at a system and the effect of all the outside influences on that system.”
Robert Peltier, Editor-in-Chief of POWER magazine, said in the webinar: “The important difference is that these (SmartSignal) alerts occur much earlier than the plant’s standard supervisory system alarm setting would, giving operators more time to react when a critical event occurs.”
How does SmartSignal complement my OSIsoft data infrastructure?
As Ron Kolz, Vice President of OSI, said:
“We’re happy to have SmartSignal as a partner. They take advantage of our infrastructure. We handle the plumbing….and then they deliver this high-value application. SmartSignal is a great partner because their application saves customers millions of dollars. For us to be successful, we need to have partners in our ecosystem who can add high-value applications. That’s what SmartSignal does.”
SmartSignal and OSIsoft work hand-in-hand as strategic partners; we seamlessly integrate the SmartSignal solution with OSI PI—and increase the value of your PI investment. SmartSignal works on top of PI—in over 300 PI installations worldwide—to add predictive analytics and eliminate equipment failure.
SmartSignal optimizes PI by analyzing, in real-time, your mountains of PI sensor data to detect early signs of equipment problems. We identity the “needles in the haystack” in the PI data--the impending problems--and notify you of these issues only. This saves you untold hours of searching data for problems and reacting to false alarms, and it increases the productivity of your maintenance staff.
SmartSignal creates personalized, empirical models of each piece of equipment across all known loads and ambient conditions.
Then, in real time, for each piece of equipment, SmartSignal captures snapshots of all the signals from PI. It compares the snapshots created for an asset to the asset’s unique fingerprint. In doing so, the results are normalized for operational load and ambient conditions. This means than any normal variation is removed from the analysis and any remaining variation is abnormal. If one or more of the observations does not fit the model signature for an extended period of time, SmartSignal logs it to the SmartSignal WatchList, which is an exception-based list of all developing equipment and process problems. Based upon the persistence and pattern of fingerprint deviations, SmartSignal then provides the intelligence to detect, diagnose, and prioritize developing problems, well before they occur.
SmartSignal introduced SmartConnector at the OSI User Group in Amsterdam in October, 2008. SmartConnector, a product in development, will place SmartSignal’s equipment-performance intelligence capabilities directly into OSI ProcessBook. With SmartConnector, you’ll have no need to learn the SmartSignal software. You’ll get all the standard benefits of SmartSignal’s predictive analytics plus the best of OSI’s data visualization technology and powerful trending functions. Click here to learn more about SmartConnector.
In power, how many pieces of equipment are normally monitored for each plant?
We can monitor any and all pieces of sensored equipment. The amount of equipment monitored in plants varies greatly, depending on the number of units within the plants and the size of the units. A typical steam-fossil plant deployment includes: steam turbines, generators, condensers, boiler feed pumps, fans, air heaters, pulverizers, feed water heaters, and balance-of-plant pumps. We also protect environmental equipment, such as SCRs, wet and dry scrubbers, electrostatic precipitators, baghouses, and ammonia chillers.
What is the time period between engaging SmartSignal and getting its benefits?
SmartSignal customers see quick value, as SmartSignal detects sensor problems, often during the implementation process. Mike Rutledge, of SRP, said in a recent webinar: “We started finding sensor issues right away—immediately, really.” Typically, a plant sees a ROI within 3-9 months, and continued value every day. Please go to customer success stories for case studies that discuss value obtained by Mirant, KCP&L, and TransAlta.
What plant effort is needed when setting up SmartSignal?
Phil Flesch of SmartSignal explained in a recent webinar: “I think we typically will use about three to five man days of the site’s time to ask questions about the equipment, to collect the data, to validate some of the sensors, build the models, and put them online.”
Does SmartSignal also handle data arising from complex machinery, such as aircraft or automobiles?
Yes. SmartSignal can model any equipment that has a real-time connection to operating data. SmartSignal currently monitors equipment for Power Generation (steam-fossil, combined-cycle, nuclear, hydro, alternative energy), Oil & Gas (production, refining, pipelines, oil sands), mining trucks, diesel engines, aircraft engines, and pulp and paper. Please click here for a list of representative customers.
Who updates the system to reflect changes, such as an outage/maintenance?
SmartSignal, through our Availability and Performance Center, can provide complete services for the plant, including deployment and model maintenance. SmartSignal also works with our customers to organize and update information in the SmartSignal SmartTracking system.
How do you differentiate between normal degradation versus a problem?
When SmartSignal’s EPI*Center software detects a problem, PlantAPS diagnoses and prioritizes it and works with plant personnel to investigate and resolve it. The problem may be due to a component problem, a setting change, a sensor showing degradation, or the machine simply being operated in a way that it never was before.
