Enel Green Power’s data driven predictive platform Dam Behavior was validated at the 16th International Benchmark Workshop on Numerical Analysis of Dams, which was organized in Slovenia by ICOLD, the company has announced.
Dam Behavior includes algorithms that have been successfully developed by EGP engineers, researchers, and operators since 2019, and it is already available for all hydroelectric technology.
“The error analysis inserted in this process of ‘predictive maintenance’ enables us to identify any incipient anomalous behavior early on,” explained Alessandro Benanti, Head of Maintenance & Plant Risk Analysis at Hydro EGP. “If these anomalous behaviors are duly dealt with in time, they can be managed and solved with an even more efficient use of resources while also minimizing the risk of them reoccurring in the future.”
The models for the Dam Behavior platform were conceived to help EGP spot signs of possible anomalies in dams. Colleagues in the field monitor the dams, recording all the data and measurements; thanks to the algorithm, EGP can assist civil engineers in understanding the “health status” of each one.
The 16th International Benchmark Workshop on Numerical Analysis of Dams was an opportunity for engineers and researchers to present their numerical modeling experience; in this edition, the Benchmark evaluated eighteen methodologies presented by some of the most important government agencies, research centers, and companies in Europe, the United States, China, Canada, Iran, and other countries.
The case study that the EGP team dealt with was a double-curvature arch dam with a set of behavioral data provided by ICOLD. This information was processed in a “blind prediction” analysis to prove the effectiveness of the predictive models in forecasting the dam’s future behavior. The data-driven models to evaluate hydraulic systems were particularly accurate and effective for the one-year timeframe said EGP, which is the period required for carrying out technical analyses and making decisions regarding maintenance and operation.
The validation received by ICOLD turns Dam Behavior into a tool that is now accessible to everyone as part of the approach of sharing the best available techniques, said EGP.