Voith has released details on a system designed to allow hydropower plant operators to recognize, understand and interpret sound anomalies.
Attendees of HydroVision International 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina June 26 to 28 received a hands-on look at Voith’s OnCare.Acoustic intelligent sound analysis system (formerly known as HyGuard).
In a statement Voith said OnCare.Acoustic supports hydropower plant operators in discovering potentially dangerous incidents by detecting sound anomalies, classifying them into warnings and alarms as well as allocating them to specific equipment. This enables the derivation of information for smarter recommendations and decisions for maintenance and operations.
“The risk of major accidents and plant unreliability as well unavailability that urges power plant operators to take action has increased,” stated Uwe Wehnhardt, CEO Voith Hydro. “With OnCare.Acoustic, Voith delivers critical actionable information for intelligent hydropower to overcome the challenges through value-driven intelligence as well as to optimize availability and the use of resources.”
OnCare.Acoustic is based on Voith’s Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) platform OnCumulus and can be extended with more functionality by adding OnCumulus.Suite to the package.
The modular OnCare.Acoustic offering is equipped with an acoustic sensor and a BlueBox for connecting data to the cloud.
Plant operators are informed about suspicious, detected sounds which are already pre-classified in warnings and alarms. This supports customers in deciding whether or not they need to take action. By classifying the events and allocating them to specific equipment, plant operators gain further insights into their hydropower plant which increases the chance of identifying possible dangerous conditions ahead of other alarms.
Additionally, Voith experts offer consulting services which include the analysis of inspection and maintenance reports in combination with operation and condition monitoring data. As a result, customers receive recommendations on how to improve their maintenance and operations.
Landsvirkjun, the National Power Company of Iceland, and Voith have launched a joint pilot project on intelligent noise analysis in hydropower plants. Voith is installing the OnCare.Acoustic monitoring system in the Budarhals hydropower plant in Iceland that detects sound anomalies which deviate from normal conditions to prevent potential shutdowns. In addition, the continuous analysis of machine data is designed to facilitate an optimized mode of operation and the intelligent scheduling of maintenance work. The system is set to go into operation by the end of 2018.
