Electricity and Control June 2020

ENERGY MANAGEMENT + THE INDUSTRIAL ENVIRONMENT : PRODUCTS + SERVICES

Using AI to optimise energy management “The energy industry is rapidly expanding its use of mathematical optimisation across a range of business areas, from supply chain management to clean energy production,” says Mark Collingwood, FICO Vice President for Decision Management Solutions in Europe, Middle East and Africa. “The adoption of FICO Xpress Optimisation at enterprise level will streamline and improve energy providers’ existing decision-making processes, while building on the success of previous projects.” With ongoing concerns regarding its national energy supply, South Africa’s national energy supply utility, Eskom, as well as other energy supply companies and the country as a whole, could benefit from the Xpress Optimisation technology. Energy providers around the globe are looking for ways to optimise energy efficiency in a world that faces the challenges of optimising power supplies to an ever- expanding global economy. FICO ® Xpress Optimisation has the ability to move computing of even the largest energy providers to the cloud, develop new business opportunities and power up global decision-making processes. With Xpress’s flexible licensing model, global energy providers, such as Uniper, can now upscale cloud infrastructure as needed, delivering faster results and creating new business opportunities. Based in Germany and with operations in other European countries and the UK, Uniper has used FICO ® Xpress Optimisation on seven previous projects to maximise value from volatile energy markets over the past 20 years. “Uniper needs the smartest technology available to inform its energy production decisions, which is why Xpress models run at the core of a number of our decision processes,” said Colin Silvester, Senior Modelling Expert at Uniper. “The first-class service we’ve received from the FICO team for the past 20 years supported our recent decision to upgrade our Xpress solution to enterprise-level. FICO has earned its reputation as a leader in optimisation technology.” With this enterprise-level upgrade, Uniper will be able to expand its existing projects. - Energy storage modelling: Uniper can now base its energy storage valuations on a combination of multiple income streams. This ability to identify both complementary and mutually exclusive income streams is helping it develop more robust business cases. - Energy asset management: Uniper is now able to offer its expertise on predictive maintenance in power plants to other energy providers worldwide, which opens up new revenue streams. - Commercial optimisation of heat and power assets: The FICO ® Xpress Mosel modelling language allows Uniper to include heat constraints and assets into its power optimisation model, to maximise electricity production while meeting heat requirements.

Keeping diesel gensets in good working order

Owners of diesel gensets should have the systems checked regularly and maintained correctly, especially when there are long periods of inactivity such as the recent lockdown. According to Reef Fuel Injection Services, this pertains especially to diesel fuel injection systems. With load shedding expected to return as South Africa gradually moves out of the Covid-19 lockdown, standby diesel generators need to be checked. “Diesel generators that have been standing idle – or have low working hours – can often experience fuel injection problems,” says Reef Fuel Injection Services Manager Warren Hauser. “This can lead to the generator not starting at that critical time when mains power goes down. “Faulty diesel fuel systems can also lead to more serious engine damage, even failure, when they are not running optimally while power is being drawn,” he says. “The subsequent engine repair costs – not to mention the associated business disruption – far outweigh the costs of professional maintenance.” Hauser also highlights the danger of diesel becoming contaminated by water and dust when it stands for a long time without being used. Another risk is that the containers employed to bring diesel to the genset tanks can bring contaminants. This will undermine the performance of the fuel injection systems, which in turn affects the genset’s reliability. For genset owners experiencing problems, Reef Fuel Injection Services offers specialised expertise to pinpoint the fault on diesel fuel injection systems, and to provide a quick and cost-effective solution. With state- of-the-art workshop facilities and mobile equipment, the company remanufactures CAT diesel fuel injection systems and is an authorised service agent for all leading manufacturers of diesel fuel injection systems – including Bosch, Delphi, Denso and Stanadyne. Reef Fuel Injection Services provides OEM- approved testing as well as quality remanufacture and calibration of all these fuel injection systems – with experience spanning a wide range of sizes of power generation units, from single-cylinder engines up to large 20-cylinder units.

For more information contact Reef Fuel Injection Services. Visit: www.reeffuel.co.za

Specialist repairs in progress on a generator diesel injection system at Reef Fuel Injection Services.

For more information contact FICO. Visit: www.fico.com

Electricity + Control JUNE 2020

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