Digitalization is increasingly important as an enabler to more intelligent, productive, energy efficient and interconnected operations. Here, Sherif El-Meshad, Global Digital Lead for ABB Electrification, discusses how to bring together different technologies for maximum benefit and what’s on the horizon for new digitalization developments.
Digitalization is a broad term that applies to a spectrum of transformative technology, from artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to big data and specialized robotics. It’s big business, and research suggests global spending on digital transformation (DX) could top $3.4 trillion by 20261.
For every company embracing new ways of operating, there will be many more that have yet to take that first step. Last year, ABB commissioned a global research study that asked more than 700 key decision-makers from 12 industrial sectors about their digital transformation strategy. Despite almost unanimously agreeing that the pandemic had accelerated their digital plans, just 35 percent of those surveyed were implementing industrial IoT at scale.
That means that only a fraction of the enormous volume of operational data that industry generates is being used to drive decisions. Businesses are missing out on the power to make better decisions using the visibility and understanding that comes with connectivity and analytics.
OT vs IT
If you are just starting out on your digital journey, or you are looking to increase your understanding to capitalize on the potential benefits it offers, knowing your operational technology (OT) from your information technology (IT) is a good place to start. This is integral to understanding how the two can complement one another in your operation.
- Operational technology is everything associated with direct monitoring and control of physical devices; for example, on-premise systems such as SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition), PLCs (programmable logic controllers) and RTUs (remote terminal units). For OT, faster is better. We must be able to send control commands in milliseconds.
- Information technology is more about information processing; like cloud software and web-based applications. In this domain, more is better. The more data we can crunch, the better our processing and analytics will be.
In-between OT and IT sits the Edge, where we bring data processing closer to where the data is originating from to get the best out of both worlds.
Arguably, the key to digitalization (and the challenge at the same time) is to bridge the gap between OT and IT. We want to collect information from OT systems, analyze it in IT systems, then close the loop by driving decisions that are then executed on the physical assets. This is where digitalization comes into its own.
At ABB, for example, our digital solutions are designed specifically to help customers bridge that gap. Our OT-driven tools (protecting, automating, and controlling physical assets) link seamlessly to IT-driven applications that use IoT, cloud, and AI to generate insights. So, what is the business benefit of this approach?
The OT + IT digital advantage
By bringing together OT and IT-driven applications we are effectively enabling better data-driven decisions. Collecting data from physical assets is not new, but what is the value of that data without the context? That’s where analytics come into the picture, to crunch large amounts of information and put the data in the right context. An example of this would be knowing a temperature value versus having a dynamic health index, which takes other factors into consideration, such as load current, to give a much more comprehensive picture of how the asset is performing.
Next, we can maximize up-time and minimize unplanned outages. If you can monitor the health of your equipment at any given moment, you can make informed decisions as to when to plan your maintenance. This makes it possible to maximize the availability of your assets.
Then there is the reduction in the total cost of ownership. One of the main targets of moving from time-based maintenance to condition or predictive-based maintenance is to optimize the lifetime of assets and reduce site interventions, which translates into cost savings for operators.
Finally, by providing remote monitoring capabilities and engaging service engineers only when needed, we can help promote safety and sustainability – reducing the number of onsite visits to a minimum and ensuring the safest conditions for any human interventions required, with the support of digital assistant tools.
What does industrial automation look like in practice?
Here, I’ll explain what a typical digital solution looks like using the advanced monitoring and diagnostics of our ABB Ability™ solutions as an example of cutting-edge functionality and what it can accomplish for substation operators.
As we have established, data collection is key with digitalization, so the first step is to install a variety of sensors (according to your needs) within your electrical system to measure a variety of electrical asset data, from temperature to gas pressure, mechanical characteristics, partial discharge, and even video feeds. The information from these sensors is then collected by local data concentrators and passed securely to the cloud.
Data from multiple sites can be stored securely in the cloud, and advanced analytics can be efficiently applied, resulting in insights that can be accessed remotely through a web application.
Working example
With ABB Ability™ asset management solutions, operators can instantly check on the health of their assets. Let’s take for example a problem with a switchgear installation – how it is identified and how it is resolved using digital tools.
In this instance, an operator spots an anomaly in the calculated thermal health index monitored through their web application. A closer look reveals that one of the sensors is reporting an issue – the temperature of one of the cables is above the nominal value.
More in-depth analysis of the data shows an issue with the cable joints, and the temperature trend information indicates it is above the nominal threshold. A recommendation on how to mitigate the problem is provided– such as verifying the load current balance or checking ambient conditions.
If these don’t rectify the issue, the operator simply schedules a new maintenance task, and assigned users will be automatically requested to plan the activity. In the past, such issues would easily go unnoticed until the damage became visible or until it became a run-to-fault scenario, and the operational consequences became too significant to easily mitigate.
What’s next?
Digitalization is always evolving and there are developments on the horizon that will further open the door for operators to implement it. Advances in AI and ML will move digitalization systems to the next level of functionality, so a system can learn how to monitor its own status and provide actionable insights – for example, alerting operators to turn off an asset if its monitoring system detects lead-to-fault conditions.
The broad roll out of communication technologies such as 5G will also make digitalization faster. It offers better latency and more bandwidth to send and receive information faster, and action it quicker by sending control signals back to take corrective actions.
Advances in edge and cloud computing and new business models will also shift the emphasis from paying for everything upfront to paying for services on subscription. By moving from CAPEX to OPEX, these cutting-edge technologies will become more affordable.
There is no better way to improve the efficiency and production of your business than with digitalization, so whether you are looking to take the first step or to expand your digital capabilities, the question you need to ask is not why, but why not?
1 https://www.statista.com/statistics/870924/worldwide-digital-transformation-market-size/