In October 2016, the UK government launched the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) aimed at enhancing the country’s ability to deal with cyber threats. The move outlined the growing importance of cybersecurity in both the private
and the public sector.
Here, Nick Boughton, digital lead at systems integrator and industrial cybersecurity expert, Boulting Technology, shares his advice for making critical infrastructure more secure.
The cybersecurity of critical infrastructure and assets has been a growing concern to businesses, consumers and the UK government for a number of years.
Concern is growing alongside the threat of attack to infrastructure systems, which multiplies year on year. As recently as June 2018, software company Symantec discovered Chinese hackers had compromised computer systems operated by satellite operators, defence contractors and telecommunications companies.
The increased threat to infrastructure systems means businesses are becoming warier and many are planning enhanced cybersecurity regimes to counteract the risks.
Arms race
The NSCS complements existing government bodies, including the Centre for Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI), which was launched in 2007 to tackle threats to infrastructure, including cybersecurity.
As a UK Government authority, the CPNI provides security advice to businesses and organisations working in thirteen national infrastructure sectors: chemicals, civil nuclear communications, defence, emergency services, energy, finance, food, government, health, space, transport and water.
Since the CPNI was formed over ten years’ ago, infrastructure, and the cyber threats posed, have changed dramatically. Almost every one of these sectors now relies heavily on the internet, meaning one attack could affect many critical sectors.
The protection and advice from these government bodies is aiding each of the thirteen cybersecurity sectors to protect their assets in the cybersecurity arms race. In this race, ethical hackers known as white hats are constantly evolving their protection techniques and searching for bugs in software, in order to fix any vulnerabilities before the black hats, or potential attackers, exploit the same flaws.
One example of a security issue being discovered and eradicated by a white hat is the Shellshock vulnerability, which had the potential to let a developer issue commands to most internet servers. A flaw in a program called Bash, which is a text-based way to run commands on many operating systems, including Linux and Mac, meant code left by another program running Bash could be automatically executed.
This flaw opened the potential for attacks directed at internet infrastructure. Servers running Bash were at risk of leaking usernames and passwords, having web pages defaced, being enslaved into cybercrime or having their organisations’ private information released publicly.
Luckily, the developer who discovered the Shellshock vulnerability was a white hat, who immediately alerted software vendors that were able to patch the bug from their software. Though, as with all vulnerabilities, infrastructure can only be made safe by regular updates, to patch out any flaws such as this one.
Fight for safety
At Boulting Technology, we recommend an end to end cybersecurity approach, particularly for critical infrastructure, where an undetected or unpatched flaw could have a devastating impact.
A survey of the current equipment and software used in any environment must be the first point of call, whether they are working in the water, transport or food processing sectors. Both operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) systems must be analysed, to ensure the entire plant is as secure as can be. These findings can be broken down into a traffic light system and used to prioritise the steps that must be taken.
These steps can range from finding the most up-to-date security patches for legacy systems that might need manually updating, to reanalysing network permissions. Depending on the findings, these changes might need to be made immediately or could be integrated into the long-term maintenance plan for the plant.
Plant managers are often concerned about the security implications of integrating systems together. While this is one way in which flaws or holes in the cyber protection systems can be created, an experienced and reliable integrator will be able to advise of any potential implications before they arise. That’s why Boulting Technology has formed an alliance with NETbuilder, to ensure its clients receive an end-to-end digitalisation service, assuring plant managers of both the value of the integration and the security of the entire system once it has been completed.
For more information about Boulting Technology’s services, including end-to-end OT and IT integration, visit www.boultingtechnology.co.uk or call 01925 720090.
Friday, 28 September 2018
Wednesday, 29 August 2018
The evolution of the smart grid
Japan faces a unique power delivery challenge because of its two entirely incompatible power grids. The odd system is a legacy from the 19th Century, when local providers In Osaka used 60Hz generators, while German equipment purchased in Tokyo worked on a frequency of 50Hz.
Here, Nick Boughton, sales manager at leading systems integrator, Boulting Technology, explains how the timeline of power grid modernization, including the convergence of disparate systems, has led to the evolution of the smart grid.
By the early 20th century, local grids worldwide were growing, driven by the demands of the industrial revolution. Becoming very large, mature and highly connected by the 1960s, power grids were able to be metered on a per-user basis, allowing appropriate billing according to the varying consumption of different users. However, limited data collection and processing capability meant fixed-tariff arrangements were common.
Alongside the less-than ideal billing options, the growing request for power meant supply sometimes outstripped demand, particularly at peak times and power quality became affected. Between the 1970s and 1990s, events such as blackouts, power cuts and brownouts, where voltage is dropped for minutes or hours, were not uncommon in many developed countries.
Millennium
More recently, from the turn of the century, technology has advanced to a stage where many of these limitations have been overcome. Peak power prices no longer need to be averaged out and passed on to domestic and commercial customers equally.
However, new challenges, including the instability of renewable power, have also become apparent. Concerns over environmental damage from fossil fired power stations and a reluctance to uptake nuclear power has resulted in the use of renewable energy technologies on a large scale.
According to REN21’s Global Status Report, 19.3 per cent of the global final energy consumed was provided by renewable energy, with modern renewables increasing their share to approximately 10.2 per cent. Renewable energy capacity grew through the use of solar photovoltaic cells, while hydropower continued to represent the majority of generation.
Renewable energy is key to fighting climate change, but it does produce highly variable power, which could lead to lower energy margins and potentially even blackouts on cloudy, still days.
These risks, combined with a need for a highly distributed grid with power generated and consumed throughout, has led to the development of smart grids.
Investment
The first step in a smart grid upgrade is to improve infrastructure, to produce what China has coined a Strong Grid. Next is the addition of the digital layer, making the grid smart, followed by business process transformation, which is necessary to capitalize on the investment. Nowadays, much of this work is grouped as smart grid upgrades.
The smart grid is the end goal to take advantage of the full suite of features available for power grids. These include state estimation technology, which improves fault detection and allows self-healing and multiple power routes that improve reliability, resilience and flexibility.
Modern smart grids can also handle two directional energy flow, pushing further toward the goal of distributed generation. This is achieved by allowing power from photovoltaic cells, fuel cells and charge from the batteries of electric cars to reverse flow. Two directional flow increases safety while reducing reliability issues in an intelligent manner.
Algorithms can use data fed back to the system to predict how many standby generators will be needed to cope with rapid increases in grid load. This promotes load reduction that can eliminate stability issues.
Smart grids are a natural evolution of the power grid for most countries and an obvious choice for developing countries investing in power infrastructure or upgrading cities to smart cities. The benefits have brought about results in more stable power quality for commercial properties, manufacturers and other industries alike.
Smart grids effectively eliminate or account for many power quality and reliability issues. Despite the many advantages of a smart grid upgrade, Japan’s separate grids might require more work before becoming compatible.
Here, Nick Boughton, sales manager at leading systems integrator, Boulting Technology, explains how the timeline of power grid modernization, including the convergence of disparate systems, has led to the evolution of the smart grid.
By the early 20th century, local grids worldwide were growing, driven by the demands of the industrial revolution. Becoming very large, mature and highly connected by the 1960s, power grids were able to be metered on a per-user basis, allowing appropriate billing according to the varying consumption of different users. However, limited data collection and processing capability meant fixed-tariff arrangements were common.
Alongside the less-than ideal billing options, the growing request for power meant supply sometimes outstripped demand, particularly at peak times and power quality became affected. Between the 1970s and 1990s, events such as blackouts, power cuts and brownouts, where voltage is dropped for minutes or hours, were not uncommon in many developed countries.
Millennium
More recently, from the turn of the century, technology has advanced to a stage where many of these limitations have been overcome. Peak power prices no longer need to be averaged out and passed on to domestic and commercial customers equally.
However, new challenges, including the instability of renewable power, have also become apparent. Concerns over environmental damage from fossil fired power stations and a reluctance to uptake nuclear power has resulted in the use of renewable energy technologies on a large scale.
According to REN21’s Global Status Report, 19.3 per cent of the global final energy consumed was provided by renewable energy, with modern renewables increasing their share to approximately 10.2 per cent. Renewable energy capacity grew through the use of solar photovoltaic cells, while hydropower continued to represent the majority of generation.
Renewable energy is key to fighting climate change, but it does produce highly variable power, which could lead to lower energy margins and potentially even blackouts on cloudy, still days.
These risks, combined with a need for a highly distributed grid with power generated and consumed throughout, has led to the development of smart grids.
Investment
The first step in a smart grid upgrade is to improve infrastructure, to produce what China has coined a Strong Grid. Next is the addition of the digital layer, making the grid smart, followed by business process transformation, which is necessary to capitalize on the investment. Nowadays, much of this work is grouped as smart grid upgrades.
The smart grid is the end goal to take advantage of the full suite of features available for power grids. These include state estimation technology, which improves fault detection and allows self-healing and multiple power routes that improve reliability, resilience and flexibility.
Modern smart grids can also handle two directional energy flow, pushing further toward the goal of distributed generation. This is achieved by allowing power from photovoltaic cells, fuel cells and charge from the batteries of electric cars to reverse flow. Two directional flow increases safety while reducing reliability issues in an intelligent manner.
Algorithms can use data fed back to the system to predict how many standby generators will be needed to cope with rapid increases in grid load. This promotes load reduction that can eliminate stability issues.
Smart grids are a natural evolution of the power grid for most countries and an obvious choice for developing countries investing in power infrastructure or upgrading cities to smart cities. The benefits have brought about results in more stable power quality for commercial properties, manufacturers and other industries alike.
Smart grids effectively eliminate or account for many power quality and reliability issues. Despite the many advantages of a smart grid upgrade, Japan’s separate grids might require more work before becoming compatible.
Tuesday, 26 June 2018
Plug and play in industrial plants
Contradictory to the common belief that technology necessary for Industry 4.0 is expensive, the Combine and Conquer report by Accenture found that combining technologies such as AR/VR, big data and machine learning can save large businesses an average of £60,000 per employee.
Here, Nick Boughton, sales manager at industrial systems integrator, Boulting Technology, explores the growing trend of plug and play technologies.
Despite Industry 4.0 being far from a new concept, first being coined in 2011 at the Hanover Fair, the long lifespan of industrial machinery and the high perceived costs associated with purchasing smart technologies means manufacturers may still be reluctant to take advantage of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).
A growing trend for many manufacturers looking to ‘smarten’ up their factory and integrate Industry 4.0 technology’s such as remote monitoring and predictive maintenance, is the introduction of plug and play devices. However, with growing concern about vendor lock-in, choosing hardware that is compatible with the existing products within a plant is essential to saving costs in addition to ensuring compatibility.
Plug and play
Plug and play devices are one way of maximising compatibility between new products and existing systems.
A plug and play device or computer bus has a specification that allows for the discovery of a hardware component in a system without physical device configuration or user intervention.
A multitude of IoT functions are now available with plug and play IoT kits. One popular example is the use of sensors that allow for digital condition monitoring for any kind of machinery. A direct physical attachment means they are able to take measurements such as vibration and temperature to facilitate maintenance plans, without any compatibility complications.
Because many manufacturers and developers of industrial automation equipment are producing their own devices to fill this market, it can be difficult for engineers to choose the best solution for their plant and application. As industrial machinery often has a long lifespan, for example, a motor control centre can be expected to last for twenty years with the correct maintenance, many plants will be faced with this dilemma each and every time they choose to purchase new equipment.
Universal systems
True plug and play technologies are able to integrate with equipment from all vendors, eliminating any integration headaches and potential issues. They can also deliver a quality and performance that matches plant requirements exactly.
Although the concept of true, open, plug and play technologies might sound idealistic to many, it is a growing trend for many manufacturers of industrial automation solutions, such as intelligent drives and remote monitoring software.
Experienced and independent systems integrators such as Boulting Technology are experts at recommending the best system for a plant’s unique requirements and capabilities. This includes ensuring the seamless integration of plug and play, out-of-the-box systems while retaining the cybersecurity and tried and tested processes from the existing system.
Integration
As plants are constantly being upgraded and technology is evolving, the choice of products, services, software and hardware is becoming ever more complicated. Retrofitting existing systems with new sensors and communication software is, therefore, becoming more popular each year, as it is often a far cheaper solution. However, even within the retrofitting sector, vendor lock-in can be an issue.
The choice to retrofit plug and play technology, which requires less complex integration and user training, can continue to ensure cybersecurity through consistent protocols and firewalls. This is proving to be the best solution for many plants as a means of lowering costs associated with industry 4.0.
Here, Nick Boughton, sales manager at industrial systems integrator, Boulting Technology, explores the growing trend of plug and play technologies.
Despite Industry 4.0 being far from a new concept, first being coined in 2011 at the Hanover Fair, the long lifespan of industrial machinery and the high perceived costs associated with purchasing smart technologies means manufacturers may still be reluctant to take advantage of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).
A growing trend for many manufacturers looking to ‘smarten’ up their factory and integrate Industry 4.0 technology’s such as remote monitoring and predictive maintenance, is the introduction of plug and play devices. However, with growing concern about vendor lock-in, choosing hardware that is compatible with the existing products within a plant is essential to saving costs in addition to ensuring compatibility.
Plug and play
Plug and play devices are one way of maximising compatibility between new products and existing systems.
A plug and play device or computer bus has a specification that allows for the discovery of a hardware component in a system without physical device configuration or user intervention.
A multitude of IoT functions are now available with plug and play IoT kits. One popular example is the use of sensors that allow for digital condition monitoring for any kind of machinery. A direct physical attachment means they are able to take measurements such as vibration and temperature to facilitate maintenance plans, without any compatibility complications.
Because many manufacturers and developers of industrial automation equipment are producing their own devices to fill this market, it can be difficult for engineers to choose the best solution for their plant and application. As industrial machinery often has a long lifespan, for example, a motor control centre can be expected to last for twenty years with the correct maintenance, many plants will be faced with this dilemma each and every time they choose to purchase new equipment.
Universal systems
True plug and play technologies are able to integrate with equipment from all vendors, eliminating any integration headaches and potential issues. They can also deliver a quality and performance that matches plant requirements exactly.
Although the concept of true, open, plug and play technologies might sound idealistic to many, it is a growing trend for many manufacturers of industrial automation solutions, such as intelligent drives and remote monitoring software.
Experienced and independent systems integrators such as Boulting Technology are experts at recommending the best system for a plant’s unique requirements and capabilities. This includes ensuring the seamless integration of plug and play, out-of-the-box systems while retaining the cybersecurity and tried and tested processes from the existing system.
Integration
As plants are constantly being upgraded and technology is evolving, the choice of products, services, software and hardware is becoming ever more complicated. Retrofitting existing systems with new sensors and communication software is, therefore, becoming more popular each year, as it is often a far cheaper solution. However, even within the retrofitting sector, vendor lock-in can be an issue.
The choice to retrofit plug and play technology, which requires less complex integration and user training, can continue to ensure cybersecurity through consistent protocols and firewalls. This is proving to be the best solution for many plants as a means of lowering costs associated with industry 4.0.
Friday, 15 June 2018
Protecting utilities
Minimising cyber security threats on industrial control systems
In 2017, the UK Government proposed the implementation of the Security of Networking and Information Systems (NIS) Directive, with the aim of improving the security of essential services such as water and energy. Should providers fail to protect their systems, a £17 million penalty could be enforced. Here, Nick Boughton, sales manager at leading industrial systems integrator Boulting Technology, discusses why it is important for utility providers to protect themselves from cyberattacks.
Plant managers within utility companies are now demanding more from their industrial control systems (ICS) to deliver operational improvements through smarter, information-enabled machines. As a result, the domains of IT and OT are converging and becoming increasingly connected as many ICSs are now overlapping with enterprise systems to provide accessible, secure information that is visible across organisations. With these increased benefits, however, comes a rise in additional security risks.
Typically working on closed, proprietary communication protocols, the migration to open protocols can present several issues, including unpatched software and hard-coded passwords. Robust systems, such as PLCs, were built to last before network connectivity was even considered.
When connecting a legacy system to an open protocol, it is essential that it is done safely and securely. Security patches can be vital in reducing potential cyber-attacks, however many manufacturers forgo their roll out as the associated costs can be high. Every missed patch makes it much harder and more expensive to ensure a legacy system is protected.
It is these risks that the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy discussed in late May 2018. If ICSs are not protected properly within the utility sector, then it is not just breaches of the GDPR we should be worried about, but the supply of water and energy.
There is no one size fits all solution to protecting industrial control systems and it shouldn’t just cover the protection of a single system. IT and OT convergence means a holistic approach to industrial security should be taken, extending from a single enterprise system, to the people, processes and technologies within a plant.
In its 2016/17 report, the cyber threat to UK business, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) suggested cyber security is most effective when integrated with risk management procedures.
To give maximum protection against cyber-attacks, a plant must have a robust security framework that encompasses people, processes and technologies. Our alliance with Netbuilder, a leading provider of software and IT consulting services, allows us develop and implement seamless solutions across IT and OT, which have traditionally been managed separately.
While having the latest firewalls, antivirus and intrusion detection software is important, it is redundant if staff are not trained properly. Working with an experienced supplier, such as Boulting Technology, will aid in developing one such framework.
Without a strong commitment to security, manufacturers will fall victim to the many pitfalls faced by open protocols.
In 2017, the UK Government proposed the implementation of the Security of Networking and Information Systems (NIS) Directive, with the aim of improving the security of essential services such as water and energy. Should providers fail to protect their systems, a £17 million penalty could be enforced. Here, Nick Boughton, sales manager at leading industrial systems integrator Boulting Technology, discusses why it is important for utility providers to protect themselves from cyberattacks.
Plant managers within utility companies are now demanding more from their industrial control systems (ICS) to deliver operational improvements through smarter, information-enabled machines. As a result, the domains of IT and OT are converging and becoming increasingly connected as many ICSs are now overlapping with enterprise systems to provide accessible, secure information that is visible across organisations. With these increased benefits, however, comes a rise in additional security risks.
Typically working on closed, proprietary communication protocols, the migration to open protocols can present several issues, including unpatched software and hard-coded passwords. Robust systems, such as PLCs, were built to last before network connectivity was even considered.
When connecting a legacy system to an open protocol, it is essential that it is done safely and securely. Security patches can be vital in reducing potential cyber-attacks, however many manufacturers forgo their roll out as the associated costs can be high. Every missed patch makes it much harder and more expensive to ensure a legacy system is protected.
It is these risks that the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy discussed in late May 2018. If ICSs are not protected properly within the utility sector, then it is not just breaches of the GDPR we should be worried about, but the supply of water and energy.
There is no one size fits all solution to protecting industrial control systems and it shouldn’t just cover the protection of a single system. IT and OT convergence means a holistic approach to industrial security should be taken, extending from a single enterprise system, to the people, processes and technologies within a plant.
In its 2016/17 report, the cyber threat to UK business, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) suggested cyber security is most effective when integrated with risk management procedures.
To give maximum protection against cyber-attacks, a plant must have a robust security framework that encompasses people, processes and technologies. Our alliance with Netbuilder, a leading provider of software and IT consulting services, allows us develop and implement seamless solutions across IT and OT, which have traditionally been managed separately.
While having the latest firewalls, antivirus and intrusion detection software is important, it is redundant if staff are not trained properly. Working with an experienced supplier, such as Boulting Technology, will aid in developing one such framework.
Without a strong commitment to security, manufacturers will fall victim to the many pitfalls faced by open protocols.
Wednesday, 23 May 2018
Retrofitting cybersecurity
In 1982, long before a cybersecurity threat to control system networks was widely recognised, a Trojan horse attack on control system software reportedly caused a huge explosion in a Siberian gas pipeline. Even now, many systems that have been retrofitted for compatibility with the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) are not well protected.
Here, Robin Whitehead, strategic projects director at systems integrator and industrial networks expert Boulting Technology, explains the top considerations to ensure cybersecurity when retrofitting a system.
Connected devices have led to an increased value on data from real-time monitoring, as well as the creation of initiatives, such as the smart grid, digital oilfield and smart asset management in the water industry. However, these new technologies and applications have also led to a rise in potential security risks within a plant’s network.
Because very few companies find themselves able to build a new facility from scratch, many plant managers and engineers are choosing to retrofit existing systems with smart sensors and communication packages to take full advantage of the benefits of IIoT.
Many systems such as motor control centres (MCCs) and programmable logic controllers (PLCs) have an expected lifespan of decades and were originally designed to operate in isolation during a time of low cyber-attack risk. Connected devices can create vulnerabilities if substantial security systems aren’t in place.
Threat
Just one weak spot in a plant, such as an unprotected PLC can leave an entire network vulnerable to cyber-attack, especially as there are currently no regulations or clear rules about how these networks should be protected.
Research agency Gartner estimates that more than 20 per cent of enterprise security attacks will involve the internet of things (IoT) connections by 2020 and it is safe to assume that many of these attacks will use weak points such as improperly secured MCCs and PLCs to gain network access.
The Siberian pipeline attack is just one example of the devastating effects of control system vulnerabilities.
Attack
If a vulnerability is present, an insecure network can allow a threat such as a self-replicating worm to quickly become widespread throughout the facility.
Legacy systems typically worked on closed, proprietary communication protocols and the migration to open protocols including TCP/IP means security flaws are likely to be found quickly and patched before potential attackers discover the risk. When connecting a legacy system to an open protocol security, patches can be vital in reducing potential cyber-attacks, however many manufacturers forgo their roll out due to high costs and concerns about potential downtime.
Just one missed patch can make it impossible to ensure a legacy system is protected.
Preventing vulnerabilities
Retrofitting existing equipment is the ideal way for many plants to take advantage of IIoT, but care must be taken when implementing older technologies into networks. Continual risk assessments are essential to determine potential points of attack and take all connections into account, predicting the worst-case scenario of a security breach.
Boulting Technology has a thorough understanding of industrial cybersecurity and works closely with partners to advise plants on the best way to improve cybersecurity for their unique network.
For a few plants, a complete overhaul of network security may be necessary, for example updating a protocol to one with continued security patches. However, the majority of plants will find that installation of additional software, security patch updates or a top-down study of network connections will be sufficient to bring cybersecurity to the necessary levels.
Cybersecurity is an ongoing concern for any plant as the threat of cyber attack is growing year-on-year and is now significantly higher than during the Siberian pipeline attack in 1982. Additional care must be taken when integrating legacy systems into existing networks.
Here, Robin Whitehead, strategic projects director at systems integrator and industrial networks expert Boulting Technology, explains the top considerations to ensure cybersecurity when retrofitting a system.
Connected devices have led to an increased value on data from real-time monitoring, as well as the creation of initiatives, such as the smart grid, digital oilfield and smart asset management in the water industry. However, these new technologies and applications have also led to a rise in potential security risks within a plant’s network.
Because very few companies find themselves able to build a new facility from scratch, many plant managers and engineers are choosing to retrofit existing systems with smart sensors and communication packages to take full advantage of the benefits of IIoT.
Many systems such as motor control centres (MCCs) and programmable logic controllers (PLCs) have an expected lifespan of decades and were originally designed to operate in isolation during a time of low cyber-attack risk. Connected devices can create vulnerabilities if substantial security systems aren’t in place.
Threat
Just one weak spot in a plant, such as an unprotected PLC can leave an entire network vulnerable to cyber-attack, especially as there are currently no regulations or clear rules about how these networks should be protected.
Research agency Gartner estimates that more than 20 per cent of enterprise security attacks will involve the internet of things (IoT) connections by 2020 and it is safe to assume that many of these attacks will use weak points such as improperly secured MCCs and PLCs to gain network access.
The Siberian pipeline attack is just one example of the devastating effects of control system vulnerabilities.
Attack
If a vulnerability is present, an insecure network can allow a threat such as a self-replicating worm to quickly become widespread throughout the facility.
Legacy systems typically worked on closed, proprietary communication protocols and the migration to open protocols including TCP/IP means security flaws are likely to be found quickly and patched before potential attackers discover the risk. When connecting a legacy system to an open protocol security, patches can be vital in reducing potential cyber-attacks, however many manufacturers forgo their roll out due to high costs and concerns about potential downtime.
Just one missed patch can make it impossible to ensure a legacy system is protected.
Preventing vulnerabilities
Retrofitting existing equipment is the ideal way for many plants to take advantage of IIoT, but care must be taken when implementing older technologies into networks. Continual risk assessments are essential to determine potential points of attack and take all connections into account, predicting the worst-case scenario of a security breach.
Boulting Technology has a thorough understanding of industrial cybersecurity and works closely with partners to advise plants on the best way to improve cybersecurity for their unique network.
For a few plants, a complete overhaul of network security may be necessary, for example updating a protocol to one with continued security patches. However, the majority of plants will find that installation of additional software, security patch updates or a top-down study of network connections will be sufficient to bring cybersecurity to the necessary levels.
Cybersecurity is an ongoing concern for any plant as the threat of cyber attack is growing year-on-year and is now significantly higher than during the Siberian pipeline attack in 1982. Additional care must be taken when integrating legacy systems into existing networks.
Monday, 19 March 2018
Preparing for the future
Exploring the World Economic Forum’s Readiness for the Future of Production report
In January, the World Economic Forum (WEF) launched its first Readiness for the Future of Production report, which revealed Britain to be one of just 25 countries in a positive position to benefit from the fourth industrial revolution. Here, Nick Boughton, sales manager at leading systems integrator Boulting Technology, explains the key findings of the report and what it means for UK manufacturers.
Some of the world’s richest and most powerful people, including Donald Trump, Justin Trudeau, Theresa May and Emmanuel Macron took to the snowy Swiss town of Davos in January for the WEF’s annual meeting. Since its humble beginnings in 1971 as a management forum, the event now sees over 3,000 of the world’s leading business, financial and political figures discuss a variety of topics that can aid in improving the state of the world.
As part of this year’s meeting, the WEF launched its Readiness for the Future of Production report, which details a new framework assessing how well positioned global economies are to benefit from Industry 4.0.
The framework is made up of two key components: structure of production, which measures a country’s scale of production and drivers of production, which looks at the key enablers that allow the country to capitalise on Industry 4.0.
Japan was identified as leading the way in current baseline production, while the US is best positioned to capitalise on Industry 4.0 in order to transform manufacturing production systems.
How ready is the UK?
While the UK has a long history of manufacturing, in recent years the industry share in its economy has declined from 25 per cent in the 1970s to less than 10 per cent in 2017. This decline in market share has had a significant impact on jobs and indeed the number of manufacturing facilities around, with many shutting down due to production being cheaper abroad.
Despite the fall in market share, the UK has a strong ability to innovate and is leading the way in high-tech manufacturing industries such as aerospace and pharmaceuticals. This has led to the creation of the smart factory, where machinery and equipment are able to improve processes through automation. Between January and October 2017, the UK aerospace industry grew by a rate of 9.8 per cent, making it the fastest growing aerospace market among G7 countries.
The pharmaceutical sector is also set to strengthen its position following a period of decline. The recent investment by Accord Healthcare, which opened a state-of-the-art factory in Fawdon earlier this year, creating between 350 and 500 new jobs, is one of many examples of growth in the market.
The rise of the smart factory has resulted in a definite skills gap, however, with many manufacturers not having appropriately trained staff to capitalise on the benefits of technologies such as robotics. The UK Government has put plans in motion to tackle this issue with the launch of the Made Smarter review, which looks at three of the industry’s key challenges: leadership, adoption and innovation.
Drivers of production
In order to support the development of the global manufacturing industry, the WEF’s report identified six drivers of production that represent the factors and conditions that need to be met to capitalise on Industry 4.0 technologies. These drivers are technology and innovation, human capital, global trade and investment, institution framework, sustainable resources and demand environment.
Drivers of particular importance for system integrators are technology and innovation and human capital.
Technology and innovation
Emerging technologies such as edge computing, digital twinning and virtual reality are reliant on a strong technology infrastructure. While the UK is a leader in innovative technologies, many manufacturers fall at the first infrastructure hurdle due to a lack of connected devices and the ability to effectively analyse and make use of the data produced by their equipment.
With many systems, such as motor control centres (MCCs) and programmable logic controllers (PLCs) having a long-expected lifespan, older devices do not have the capability of connecting to a wider network unless retro-fitted with the appropriate sensors and communication packages.
Once connected, digital security and data privacy can become an issue. To counter this, manufacturers must have a strong cybersecurity policy in place when adopting new technology.
Human capital
People are often critical of transforming production facilities. If the workforce doesn’t evolve, a business has no hope of changing its operations. The introduction of new technologies has led to a change in the skills required by manufacturers, with many struggling to adapt and therefore missing out on the benefits of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).
In the coming years, there will be a further shift in production from labour-intensive roles to those that are more knowledge and skills based. With this shift, fears of job losses have risen once again. According to a YouGov survey, 13 per cent of employers think that more than 30 per cent of jobs will become automated in the next 10 years. While some jobs will be managed by industrial digitalisation technologies (IDT) such as robots, many new roles will be created that are more skills based.
With this in mind, the UK Government’s Made Smarter review will be key to ensuring the manufacturing industry is fully equipped to benefit from Industry 4.0. As new roles are created, the training of new staff and re-training of existing employees will be vital in addressing the skills gap created by the evolution of technologies.
Boulting Technology is tackling the skills gap head on with ongoing training and development for all staff and a robust apprenticeship programme. As new technologies are introduced, it’s important that staff undergo relevant training to effectively incorporate new technology into their work. All Boulting Technology employees are encouraged to undertake continuing professional development (CPD) and are supported by the business to do so.
The Readiness for the Future of Production report and the Made Smarter review will play significant roles for those looking to drive innovation through Industry 4.0. For manufacturers to truly benefit from IIoT technologies, they must transform their internal infrastructure, which includes staff capabilities. By not doing so, the UK’s position in the WEF report will no doubt slip in years to come.
In January, the World Economic Forum (WEF) launched its first Readiness for the Future of Production report, which revealed Britain to be one of just 25 countries in a positive position to benefit from the fourth industrial revolution. Here, Nick Boughton, sales manager at leading systems integrator Boulting Technology, explains the key findings of the report and what it means for UK manufacturers.
Some of the world’s richest and most powerful people, including Donald Trump, Justin Trudeau, Theresa May and Emmanuel Macron took to the snowy Swiss town of Davos in January for the WEF’s annual meeting. Since its humble beginnings in 1971 as a management forum, the event now sees over 3,000 of the world’s leading business, financial and political figures discuss a variety of topics that can aid in improving the state of the world.
As part of this year’s meeting, the WEF launched its Readiness for the Future of Production report, which details a new framework assessing how well positioned global economies are to benefit from Industry 4.0.
The framework is made up of two key components: structure of production, which measures a country’s scale of production and drivers of production, which looks at the key enablers that allow the country to capitalise on Industry 4.0.
Japan was identified as leading the way in current baseline production, while the US is best positioned to capitalise on Industry 4.0 in order to transform manufacturing production systems.
How ready is the UK?
While the UK has a long history of manufacturing, in recent years the industry share in its economy has declined from 25 per cent in the 1970s to less than 10 per cent in 2017. This decline in market share has had a significant impact on jobs and indeed the number of manufacturing facilities around, with many shutting down due to production being cheaper abroad.
Despite the fall in market share, the UK has a strong ability to innovate and is leading the way in high-tech manufacturing industries such as aerospace and pharmaceuticals. This has led to the creation of the smart factory, where machinery and equipment are able to improve processes through automation. Between January and October 2017, the UK aerospace industry grew by a rate of 9.8 per cent, making it the fastest growing aerospace market among G7 countries.
The pharmaceutical sector is also set to strengthen its position following a period of decline. The recent investment by Accord Healthcare, which opened a state-of-the-art factory in Fawdon earlier this year, creating between 350 and 500 new jobs, is one of many examples of growth in the market.
The rise of the smart factory has resulted in a definite skills gap, however, with many manufacturers not having appropriately trained staff to capitalise on the benefits of technologies such as robotics. The UK Government has put plans in motion to tackle this issue with the launch of the Made Smarter review, which looks at three of the industry’s key challenges: leadership, adoption and innovation.
Drivers of production
In order to support the development of the global manufacturing industry, the WEF’s report identified six drivers of production that represent the factors and conditions that need to be met to capitalise on Industry 4.0 technologies. These drivers are technology and innovation, human capital, global trade and investment, institution framework, sustainable resources and demand environment.
Drivers of particular importance for system integrators are technology and innovation and human capital.
Technology and innovation
Emerging technologies such as edge computing, digital twinning and virtual reality are reliant on a strong technology infrastructure. While the UK is a leader in innovative technologies, many manufacturers fall at the first infrastructure hurdle due to a lack of connected devices and the ability to effectively analyse and make use of the data produced by their equipment.
With many systems, such as motor control centres (MCCs) and programmable logic controllers (PLCs) having a long-expected lifespan, older devices do not have the capability of connecting to a wider network unless retro-fitted with the appropriate sensors and communication packages.
Once connected, digital security and data privacy can become an issue. To counter this, manufacturers must have a strong cybersecurity policy in place when adopting new technology.
Human capital
People are often critical of transforming production facilities. If the workforce doesn’t evolve, a business has no hope of changing its operations. The introduction of new technologies has led to a change in the skills required by manufacturers, with many struggling to adapt and therefore missing out on the benefits of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).
In the coming years, there will be a further shift in production from labour-intensive roles to those that are more knowledge and skills based. With this shift, fears of job losses have risen once again. According to a YouGov survey, 13 per cent of employers think that more than 30 per cent of jobs will become automated in the next 10 years. While some jobs will be managed by industrial digitalisation technologies (IDT) such as robots, many new roles will be created that are more skills based.
With this in mind, the UK Government’s Made Smarter review will be key to ensuring the manufacturing industry is fully equipped to benefit from Industry 4.0. As new roles are created, the training of new staff and re-training of existing employees will be vital in addressing the skills gap created by the evolution of technologies.
Boulting Technology is tackling the skills gap head on with ongoing training and development for all staff and a robust apprenticeship programme. As new technologies are introduced, it’s important that staff undergo relevant training to effectively incorporate new technology into their work. All Boulting Technology employees are encouraged to undertake continuing professional development (CPD) and are supported by the business to do so.
The Readiness for the Future of Production report and the Made Smarter review will play significant roles for those looking to drive innovation through Industry 4.0. For manufacturers to truly benefit from IIoT technologies, they must transform their internal infrastructure, which includes staff capabilities. By not doing so, the UK’s position in the WEF report will no doubt slip in years to come.
Monday, 19 February 2018
Energy efficiency expectations
According to the Data for the Public Good report by the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) in December 2017, a digital twin of UK infrastructure is necessary to identify inefficiencies in national energy use. Here, Nick Boughton, sales manager at systems integrator Boulting Technology explains how to manage energy efficiency across sectors.
Inefficient machinery, which increases wasteful energy use, is a key area of improvement for many businesses, as a way of complying with the Carbon Trust’s Industrial Energy Efficiency Accelerator (IEEA). You can’t manage what you can’t measure, so the first step towards the efficient management of energy is an analysis of unique energy requirements.
Energy demand
With a few exceptions, such as Liberty Steel in Newport, which renewed its entire production process as part of its green steel strategy, ahead of reopening in 2015, a complete process remodel and brand-new methods are often unrealistic or impossible. It could also be that the result is even less efficient than the process being replaced; because new doesn’t necessarily mean better. Instead, gradual improvements to machinery, maintenance and operating processes are the focus for many engineering and manufacturing directors, with incremental improvement the focus.
Data centres, which traditionally operate using a hot aisle/cold aisle cooling method, have become the infamous energy inefficiency example. In this scenario, server racks are lined up in alternating rows, with cold air intakes facing one way and hot air exhausts facing the other. Typically, cold aisles face air conditioner output duct and hot aisles face air conditioner return ducts.
Optimum server operating temperatures range between 20 and 24 degrees Celsius, but with Moore’s Law stating that processing power for computers will double every two years, the heat produced by the state-of-the-art machinery within data centres will only increase.
For data centres, investing in more efficient cooling methods such as on-rack cooling is necessary to provide energy efficiency, while avoiding equipment damage from overheating. On-rack cooling replaces the back doors of an enclosure with a heat exchanger, bringing the cooling equipment much closer to the heat source. This can eliminate the hot aisle/cold aisle row arrangement as there’s no need to worry about hot and cold air mixing because hot air never enters an ambient space.
A similar scenario is playing out in manufacturing plants, particularly those embracing industry 4.0 and choosing to use local edge computing rather than making use of the cloud.
Monitoring
Surveys, which provide a top-down approach to ensure no part of a plant is overlooked and no piece of machinery is missed due to oversight, should be carried out regularly by facilities managers to meet energy efficiency requirements.
However, a more specific approach must be taken by energy managers, when a specialist piece of equipment, such as a pump centre is assessed. Boulting has many years’ of experience working with pump centres, including the award-winning upgrade to the Thames Water raw water pumping station at Littleton. The solution implemented increased the site’s performance while making it more flexible, reliable and energy efficient. A complete redesign and manufacture of pump impellers improved pump efficiency, resulting in an improvement from 80 to 87 per cent.
Using their experience, Boulting’s engineers suggest innovative solutions that reduce energy waste. A holistic process, which analyses each plant’s unique requirements, ensures the engineers deliver the best energy efficiency improvements possible, increasing return on investment.
The measures Boulting’s experts apply range from replacing cables or executing a maintenance plan to replacing an essential piece of equipment such as a motor control centre with a smarter model equipped with monitoring abilities
The future
Smart sensors will be installed on much new machinery, as more process plants, data centres and even offices begin taking advantage of the industrial internet of things to deliver a variety of benefits, including remote monitoring and digital twin enabled design. The data captured by these sensors will build on the surveys currently employed, allowing for efficiency decreases to be recognised and counteracted immediately.
Because sensors will be built directly into components, such as motors, inverters, gears and bearings, manufacturing and engineering directors can sleep soundly, without worrying that inefficiencies are creeping into the application.
Whether the facility in question is a data centre, office or processing plant, the most powerful way to reduce energy loss is through a holistic and overarching process, which can be supplemented by correct use of data from in-built sensors alongside other methods such as surveys and digital twins. In the future, we won’t just see the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC)’s predictions for a digital twin of the UK becoming a reality, we will also see a data-driven approach to maintenance being introduced across the board.
Inefficient machinery, which increases wasteful energy use, is a key area of improvement for many businesses, as a way of complying with the Carbon Trust’s Industrial Energy Efficiency Accelerator (IEEA). You can’t manage what you can’t measure, so the first step towards the efficient management of energy is an analysis of unique energy requirements.
Energy demand
With a few exceptions, such as Liberty Steel in Newport, which renewed its entire production process as part of its green steel strategy, ahead of reopening in 2015, a complete process remodel and brand-new methods are often unrealistic or impossible. It could also be that the result is even less efficient than the process being replaced; because new doesn’t necessarily mean better. Instead, gradual improvements to machinery, maintenance and operating processes are the focus for many engineering and manufacturing directors, with incremental improvement the focus.
Data centres, which traditionally operate using a hot aisle/cold aisle cooling method, have become the infamous energy inefficiency example. In this scenario, server racks are lined up in alternating rows, with cold air intakes facing one way and hot air exhausts facing the other. Typically, cold aisles face air conditioner output duct and hot aisles face air conditioner return ducts.
Optimum server operating temperatures range between 20 and 24 degrees Celsius, but with Moore’s Law stating that processing power for computers will double every two years, the heat produced by the state-of-the-art machinery within data centres will only increase.
For data centres, investing in more efficient cooling methods such as on-rack cooling is necessary to provide energy efficiency, while avoiding equipment damage from overheating. On-rack cooling replaces the back doors of an enclosure with a heat exchanger, bringing the cooling equipment much closer to the heat source. This can eliminate the hot aisle/cold aisle row arrangement as there’s no need to worry about hot and cold air mixing because hot air never enters an ambient space.
A similar scenario is playing out in manufacturing plants, particularly those embracing industry 4.0 and choosing to use local edge computing rather than making use of the cloud.
Monitoring
Surveys, which provide a top-down approach to ensure no part of a plant is overlooked and no piece of machinery is missed due to oversight, should be carried out regularly by facilities managers to meet energy efficiency requirements.
However, a more specific approach must be taken by energy managers, when a specialist piece of equipment, such as a pump centre is assessed. Boulting has many years’ of experience working with pump centres, including the award-winning upgrade to the Thames Water raw water pumping station at Littleton. The solution implemented increased the site’s performance while making it more flexible, reliable and energy efficient. A complete redesign and manufacture of pump impellers improved pump efficiency, resulting in an improvement from 80 to 87 per cent.
Using their experience, Boulting’s engineers suggest innovative solutions that reduce energy waste. A holistic process, which analyses each plant’s unique requirements, ensures the engineers deliver the best energy efficiency improvements possible, increasing return on investment.
The measures Boulting’s experts apply range from replacing cables or executing a maintenance plan to replacing an essential piece of equipment such as a motor control centre with a smarter model equipped with monitoring abilities
The future
Smart sensors will be installed on much new machinery, as more process plants, data centres and even offices begin taking advantage of the industrial internet of things to deliver a variety of benefits, including remote monitoring and digital twin enabled design. The data captured by these sensors will build on the surveys currently employed, allowing for efficiency decreases to be recognised and counteracted immediately.
Because sensors will be built directly into components, such as motors, inverters, gears and bearings, manufacturing and engineering directors can sleep soundly, without worrying that inefficiencies are creeping into the application.
Whether the facility in question is a data centre, office or processing plant, the most powerful way to reduce energy loss is through a holistic and overarching process, which can be supplemented by correct use of data from in-built sensors alongside other methods such as surveys and digital twins. In the future, we won’t just see the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC)’s predictions for a digital twin of the UK becoming a reality, we will also see a data-driven approach to maintenance being introduced across the board.
Wednesday, 31 January 2018
Predicting the future
The fourth industrial revolution is well underway and as state-of-the-art technology drops in price, many more industries are benefiting from smart factories. As a recent PwC survey found 72 per cent of companies expects to achieve advanced levels of digitisation by 2020, the reach of these technologies is only set to increase in 2018.
Here, Nick Boughton, sales manager at leading systems integrator, Boulting Technology shares his predictions for 2018.
In November, the UK Government announced that 2018 would be the Year of Engineering. This coupled with the launch of the Government’s Industrial Strategy and Made Smarter Review has signalled a major vote of confidence in the sector as it pledges to help make the UK a world leader in the Fourth Industrial Revolution by 2030.
With Industrial Digital Technology’s playing such a significant role in the transformation of the sector, what should manufacturers be investing in?
Real applications of virtual reality
Virtual reality (VR), which digitally simulates a product or environment and augmented reality (AR), where the digital product or information is projected on to a real-world background, have traditionally been consumer-focused applications, aimed mostly at gamers.
However, with equipment such as the Microsoft HoloLens now being aimed purely at business applications, this is changing.
Boulting Environmental Services uses virtual reality to provide its clients with a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in their projects, develop designs more clearly prior to beginning construction work and reduce mistakes.
Virtual reality will become prominent during the design of a facility and it could even have applications for building information modelling (BIM). Inputting computer-aided design (CAD) files into a VR application can allow the designer, engineer and client move around the product and facility, viewing it under a different light without the need to produce expensive prototypes. VR also has the potential to revolutionise training, particularly when working in hazardous environments. Engineers can explore and manage a range of scenarios without any risk to themselves or equipment.
Maintenance is where augmented reality comes into its own. AR can instantly provide important information to maintenance engineers wearing AR headsets while allowing them to keep their hands free.
For example, when combined with remote monitoring and dashboard user interfaces, the status of a drive or motor control centre can be visualised next to the system in question. This type of technology is already being employed by companies with multiple sites, allowing for the comparison of key performance indicators (KPIs) between plants, learning from one another to improve process efficiency and asset lifespan.
Similarly, when combined with a risk-based maintenance schedule such as Boulting’s BRISK, each piece of machinery can be colour coded according to the risk it poses to the plant.
The rise of artificial intelligence
Machine learning is a concept that has been around for decades, where the computer doesn’t rely on rule-based programming but instead operates using algorithms that can adapt and learn from data.
Closely related to this is artificial intelligence (AI), a branch of computer science aiming to build machines capable of intelligent behaviour.
One of the major benefits of AI is advanced data analysis, where data is collected, stored and analysed automatically.
Dependant on the results of the analysis, processes can be automatically altered, increasing productivity, reducing costs or even preventing production downtime. Combined with trend prediction and predictive maintenance schemes, efficiency and yield rates can be greatly increased across a manufacturing plant.
Smarten up your factory
Legacy systems were traditionally designed to operate in isolation and are often unable to connect to the wider network and the internet. However, since the advent of Industry 4.0, many plant managers are keen to connect systems and take advantage of the benefits of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), including enhanced data collection, interpretation and use. The answer for many is to retrofit their systems to enable IIoT capabilities.
Smart sensors, data analysis systems and connectivity to the IIoT are just some of the benefits promised by the range of retrofitting options on the market.
The popularity of retrofitting existing equipment with these technologies using a maintenance budget is only going to increase. As equipment wears and requires replacement, the best choice for many will be a smart sensing motor or motor control centre which can connect to IIoT.
The introduction of Industry 4.0 technologies has left no stone or industry untouched over the past few years, particularly given recent price drops. 2018 is shaping up to be the year where new and exciting technologies such as VR and AI make their way onto the plant floor, making it truly a factory of the future.
Here, Nick Boughton, sales manager at leading systems integrator, Boulting Technology shares his predictions for 2018.
In November, the UK Government announced that 2018 would be the Year of Engineering. This coupled with the launch of the Government’s Industrial Strategy and Made Smarter Review has signalled a major vote of confidence in the sector as it pledges to help make the UK a world leader in the Fourth Industrial Revolution by 2030.
With Industrial Digital Technology’s playing such a significant role in the transformation of the sector, what should manufacturers be investing in?
Real applications of virtual reality
Virtual reality (VR), which digitally simulates a product or environment and augmented reality (AR), where the digital product or information is projected on to a real-world background, have traditionally been consumer-focused applications, aimed mostly at gamers.
However, with equipment such as the Microsoft HoloLens now being aimed purely at business applications, this is changing.
Boulting Environmental Services uses virtual reality to provide its clients with a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in their projects, develop designs more clearly prior to beginning construction work and reduce mistakes.
Virtual reality will become prominent during the design of a facility and it could even have applications for building information modelling (BIM). Inputting computer-aided design (CAD) files into a VR application can allow the designer, engineer and client move around the product and facility, viewing it under a different light without the need to produce expensive prototypes. VR also has the potential to revolutionise training, particularly when working in hazardous environments. Engineers can explore and manage a range of scenarios without any risk to themselves or equipment.
Maintenance is where augmented reality comes into its own. AR can instantly provide important information to maintenance engineers wearing AR headsets while allowing them to keep their hands free.
For example, when combined with remote monitoring and dashboard user interfaces, the status of a drive or motor control centre can be visualised next to the system in question. This type of technology is already being employed by companies with multiple sites, allowing for the comparison of key performance indicators (KPIs) between plants, learning from one another to improve process efficiency and asset lifespan.
Similarly, when combined with a risk-based maintenance schedule such as Boulting’s BRISK, each piece of machinery can be colour coded according to the risk it poses to the plant.
The rise of artificial intelligence
Machine learning is a concept that has been around for decades, where the computer doesn’t rely on rule-based programming but instead operates using algorithms that can adapt and learn from data.
Closely related to this is artificial intelligence (AI), a branch of computer science aiming to build machines capable of intelligent behaviour.
One of the major benefits of AI is advanced data analysis, where data is collected, stored and analysed automatically.
Dependant on the results of the analysis, processes can be automatically altered, increasing productivity, reducing costs or even preventing production downtime. Combined with trend prediction and predictive maintenance schemes, efficiency and yield rates can be greatly increased across a manufacturing plant.
Smarten up your factory
Legacy systems were traditionally designed to operate in isolation and are often unable to connect to the wider network and the internet. However, since the advent of Industry 4.0, many plant managers are keen to connect systems and take advantage of the benefits of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), including enhanced data collection, interpretation and use. The answer for many is to retrofit their systems to enable IIoT capabilities.
Smart sensors, data analysis systems and connectivity to the IIoT are just some of the benefits promised by the range of retrofitting options on the market.
The popularity of retrofitting existing equipment with these technologies using a maintenance budget is only going to increase. As equipment wears and requires replacement, the best choice for many will be a smart sensing motor or motor control centre which can connect to IIoT.
The introduction of Industry 4.0 technologies has left no stone or industry untouched over the past few years, particularly given recent price drops. 2018 is shaping up to be the year where new and exciting technologies such as VR and AI make their way onto the plant floor, making it truly a factory of the future.
Tuesday, 24 October 2017
Challenging designs
Sir Sean Connery, most famous for his award-winning portrayal of James Bond, once said “there is nothing like a challenge to bring out the best in man.” These are wise words as we all continually face our own challenges, throughout every aspect of life.
Here, Ian McWha, key account manager at industrial systems integrator Boulting Technology, explores the importance of recognising and overcoming challenges when designing a switchboard.
When plant managers look to install a new switchboard in their facility, they are often presented with a range of challenges that they must address. Identifying these challenges as soon as possible is imperative to the success of the installation and the functionality of the switchboard. If not addressed, these issues can have drastic consequences, causing production downtime or even damage to other systems and employees.
Design challenges
Each facility is unique and as such will have its own design requirements, dependant on the function of the plant.
Many plants have limited space that they are keen to maximise, so the footprint of the switchboard needs to be as small as possible, while ensuring its integrity is not compromised.
Boulting Technology’s designers are experienced in creating bespoke systems that meet client specifications, particularly in space-short environments. Bespoke MCC designs include, integrated back to back systems with shared riser and main distribution bars, custom made U shape centres, L shape units that fit round corners and bridges that extend above equipment and wall partitions.
The specific needs of each job may also present additional challenges that the design engineer must be aware of. When working with pumping stations for example, a switchboard may be required to be near water. In these cases, the ingress protection (IP) rating, which classifies the degrees of protection provided against solid objects, dust, and water must be adhered to.
As challenges are often individual to a facility, a unique switchboard may be the answer. Bespoke solutions such as Boulting Technology’s can make the most of limited space or other restrictions, while meeting client specifications exactly.
Maintenance
Forward planning is essential when installing new equipment, especially when establishing a regular maintenance programme. Planned and predictive maintenance is crucial to keep machinery working efficiently for as long as possible, avoiding production downtime. To solve this, plant managers should work closely with the switchboard manufacturer to develop a robust maintenance programme.
Boulting Technology offers an all-encompassing maintenance solution, which includes a comprehensive survey that assesses control systems across a facility. An initial online survey assesses areas, such as obsolete parts, equipment life cycle and efficiency.
From the survey, a series of multi stage recommendations provide a hierarchy of risk, allowing plat managers to focus on high risk critical systems in the first instance and implement an appropriate plan of action.
Safety
Not properly addressing design challenges can cause safety issues. For example, it is essential that the switchboard has the correct rated short time withstand rating. This is the rating of current that the assembly can withstand for a set period of time without the aid of a short circuit protective device (SCPD). The short time withstand rating, used by engineers to determine the ability of the assembly to protect itself and other devices, is made up of two parts: the fault current rating in kiloampere (kA) and the duration time.
Manufacturers also need to be aware of the prospective short circuit current (PSCC) or fault current. The PSCC is the highest electric current which can exist in a system under short-circuit conditions.
While engineers should always be aware of the PSCC, specific applications such as when operating transformers in parallel, can present dangerous situations if not managed correctly.
Legislation, such as BS EN 61439 is the first step to ensuring switchboard safety. BS EN 61439 is a mandatory standard for all low voltage switchboard assemblies (LVSAs) and helps the manufacturer and plant manager ensure the board achieves acceptable levels of performance, safety and reliability.
It is important to choose a manufacturer and integrator which understands the relevant legislation, how to meet them and how to ensure the product is safe, while also meeting customer requests and requirements.
While meeting legislation standards is important, it does not automatically mean the switchboard is fit for the desired purpose. Safety requirements can easily be met without the equipment meeting client specifications or even working correctly. Legislation should be one of many considerations when installing new equipment.
Thinking outside of the box means design challenges can not only be overcome, but can become useful, resulting in bespoke ideas and revolutionary products. This is just as true for engineers designing industrial products such as low voltage switchboards, as it has been throughout the brilliant Sean Connery’s life.
Here, Ian McWha, key account manager at industrial systems integrator Boulting Technology, explores the importance of recognising and overcoming challenges when designing a switchboard.
When plant managers look to install a new switchboard in their facility, they are often presented with a range of challenges that they must address. Identifying these challenges as soon as possible is imperative to the success of the installation and the functionality of the switchboard. If not addressed, these issues can have drastic consequences, causing production downtime or even damage to other systems and employees.
Design challenges
Each facility is unique and as such will have its own design requirements, dependant on the function of the plant.
Many plants have limited space that they are keen to maximise, so the footprint of the switchboard needs to be as small as possible, while ensuring its integrity is not compromised.
Boulting Technology’s designers are experienced in creating bespoke systems that meet client specifications, particularly in space-short environments. Bespoke MCC designs include, integrated back to back systems with shared riser and main distribution bars, custom made U shape centres, L shape units that fit round corners and bridges that extend above equipment and wall partitions.
The specific needs of each job may also present additional challenges that the design engineer must be aware of. When working with pumping stations for example, a switchboard may be required to be near water. In these cases, the ingress protection (IP) rating, which classifies the degrees of protection provided against solid objects, dust, and water must be adhered to.
As challenges are often individual to a facility, a unique switchboard may be the answer. Bespoke solutions such as Boulting Technology’s can make the most of limited space or other restrictions, while meeting client specifications exactly.
Maintenance
Forward planning is essential when installing new equipment, especially when establishing a regular maintenance programme. Planned and predictive maintenance is crucial to keep machinery working efficiently for as long as possible, avoiding production downtime. To solve this, plant managers should work closely with the switchboard manufacturer to develop a robust maintenance programme.
Boulting Technology offers an all-encompassing maintenance solution, which includes a comprehensive survey that assesses control systems across a facility. An initial online survey assesses areas, such as obsolete parts, equipment life cycle and efficiency.
From the survey, a series of multi stage recommendations provide a hierarchy of risk, allowing plat managers to focus on high risk critical systems in the first instance and implement an appropriate plan of action.
Safety
Not properly addressing design challenges can cause safety issues. For example, it is essential that the switchboard has the correct rated short time withstand rating. This is the rating of current that the assembly can withstand for a set period of time without the aid of a short circuit protective device (SCPD). The short time withstand rating, used by engineers to determine the ability of the assembly to protect itself and other devices, is made up of two parts: the fault current rating in kiloampere (kA) and the duration time.
Manufacturers also need to be aware of the prospective short circuit current (PSCC) or fault current. The PSCC is the highest electric current which can exist in a system under short-circuit conditions.
While engineers should always be aware of the PSCC, specific applications such as when operating transformers in parallel, can present dangerous situations if not managed correctly.
Legislation, such as BS EN 61439 is the first step to ensuring switchboard safety. BS EN 61439 is a mandatory standard for all low voltage switchboard assemblies (LVSAs) and helps the manufacturer and plant manager ensure the board achieves acceptable levels of performance, safety and reliability.
It is important to choose a manufacturer and integrator which understands the relevant legislation, how to meet them and how to ensure the product is safe, while also meeting customer requests and requirements.
While meeting legislation standards is important, it does not automatically mean the switchboard is fit for the desired purpose. Safety requirements can easily be met without the equipment meeting client specifications or even working correctly. Legislation should be one of many considerations when installing new equipment.
Thinking outside of the box means design challenges can not only be overcome, but can become useful, resulting in bespoke ideas and revolutionary products. This is just as true for engineers designing industrial products such as low voltage switchboards, as it has been throughout the brilliant Sean Connery’s life.
Thursday, 14 September 2017
Maintaining uptime
As John F Kennedy said in his state of the union address in January 1962, “The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining”. Here James Davey, service manager at industrial systems integrator, Boulting Technology explains how, for high volume, low margin manufacturers a leaky roof might be very low down their list of priorities.
High volume, low margin manufacturing is a challenging business model, typically applying to fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) or food and beverage manufacturers, particularly the makers of private label or generic products. These sectors make their businesses work by maximising production volumes and minimising overheads. If volumes are below forecast or overheads are above, the manufacturer risks slipping margins or even running at a loss. Worse still, some retailers may impose fines on suppliers who fail to deliver on time.
The tightrope
For manufacturers, there are tough decisions to make about how much effort is required to maintain a plant at a level where breakdowns will be rare enough to ensure volume targets are met. In the low margin high volume world, money spent on preventative maintenance may be seen, by some, as wasted as there is no immediate benefit from the outlay and even long-term benefits are difficult to attribute to some earlier spend, since the benefit is typically no breakdowns, or something not happening.
On the other hand, plant operators might opt for reactive maintenance, which means waiting for something to fail, then trying to fix it as quickly as possible. The downside here is that the maintenance team might be faced with a difficult and time-consuming task and extreme pressure to get production going again. With thousands of possible failure scenarios, there is a risk that the information, spare parts, tools or knowledge may not be on hand to enable the problem to be fixed in a timely fashion.
In most cases manufacturers operate a combination of preventative and reactive maintenance, although since reactive maintenance is the priority, preventative maintenance may not happen when a plant becomes less reliable, meaning the situation becomes even worse.
A safety net
The third way to tackle maintenance issues is to seek a flexible and tailored solution that meets specific requirements. In many cases this starts with a risk based approach to installed equipment, surveying what is installed and reconnecting actions to mitigate any risk detected. This might include the testing of spares and purchase of more and archiving information through software dumps in a secure, accessible location, identifying high risk systems.
In many cases there may be systems providing vital services, to a whole plant, perhaps locked away in a separate building and largely ignored. These systems, if they fail, would take the whole factory down in a matter of minutes and worse still, they might be more difficult to get working again than more familiar equipment next to production lines.
The whole story
The Boulting service team offer a 24/7 support service using dedicated engineers and UK wide coverage. This is the safety net that clients quite rightly want. Boulting’s holistic approach means that we work with clients and their maintenance teams to ensure that calls are a rarity and if they do happen, the augmented maintenance team, which includes both Boulting and the client, can be up and running as soon as possible.
By taking this approach described clients may at last have time to think about fixing that roof.
Thursday, 17 August 2017
Industry response to Greg Clark’s plans to unlock smart energy
Last week, business
and energy secretary Greg Clark revealed the government’s plans to make a £246m
investment in battery technology over the next four years. Here, Nick
Boughton, sales manager at industrial systems integrator, Boulting Technology
responds to the announcement.
The plans, which have been released by the government and
Ofgem, will look to give households and businesses more control over their use
of electricity and break down barriers preventing new technologies from entering
the energy market.
Here at Boulting Group, we welcome the decision to transform
the way homes and businesses store and use energy.
The National Grid delivers electricity to millions of
people, businesses and communities across the country, however its role is changing. Although the nation has traditionally
relied on large fossil fuel and nuclear power stations to supply electricity,
many of these larger power stations are now being closed down. As a result, the
supply mix has to evolve.
At present, over a quarter of the UK’s electricity is being
generated by renewable sources such as wind and solar energy. However, one of
the concerns with this method is that production is often at its highest when
demand is lowest. This makes storage for energy generated this way a key
priority to eliminate waste and harness its true production potential.
Using batteries to store renewable energy is by no means a
new concept. However, batteries for this purpose are often big, expensive and
have a limited lifespan. In these newly proposed plans, the government has
committed to removing barriers to the introduction of new technology into the
power network.
Continued advancements in battery power, including decreased
costs, are vital for this form of energy storage being rolled out on a mass
scale.
Over the coming months, we will be working alongside our
clients and partners to explore the potential of battery technology in the
industrial sector. Looking only a few years ahead, we envisage efficient
battery storage being commonplace across industrial sites, office blocks and
homes.
We look forward to seeing how the government and Ofgem’s
plans unfold.
Tuesday, 4 July 2017
Preventative maintenance for MCCs
Preventative maintenance prolongs motor
control centre lifespan
The Beverly Clock has not been manually
wound in more than 150 years, but its clever mechanism keeps it ticking with
minimal problems. In spite of this, the
clock has stopped working on a number of occasions. However by cleaning,
maintenance and environmental changes the clock has been kept in
operation. To keep a Motor Control Centre
(MCC) running, it’s important that maintenance is done proactively to prevent
costly downtime. Here, Pat McLaughlin, operations director of Boulting Technology, explains
why preventative maintenance is so important for MCCs.
MCCs are often
at the heart of a manufacturing plant, providing power for equipment across the
site. However, their important role often goes unrecognised - for a long time
there has been a ‘buy and forget’ attitude to MCCs. It is a common belief that
once an MCC is installed, it can be left to run independently and maintenance
is only needed in the case of a breakdown.
The problem with
this approach is that an MCC fault, such as a starter failure, can lead to major
downtime by causing loss of power to, or control of, plant equipment. The
consequences of interruption to production can mean significant financial losses
to a business. Even worse, if documentation is not kept up to date or spare
parts are missing, there can be a considerable delay getting processes back up
and running.
If the MCC is
neglected for an extensive period of time, this can lead to a risk of
catastrophic failure, which leaves companies not only with downtime, but also
with a hefty investment to replace the equipment.
Life expectancy
When purchasing
a new MCC, the manufacturer will specify the life expectancy, or expected
obsolescence, of the equipment. All MCCs have a finite lifetime, but not all of
them meet initial expectations. Typically the life expectancy is around 20
years, but in some of the worst cases where components have failed in less than
two years; this is usually when a fundamental lack of maintenance and other
significant factors such as a very harsh environment has dramatically reduced
its life. Preventative maintenance is a key tool to ensure that the MCC’s life
expectancy is upheld.
In order to
prolong the life of the MCC and limit the risk of breakdown, companies can
enforce a Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) regime that involves proactive
maintenance activities typically every three to six months. Incorporating a
structured maintenance regime means that potential issues can be corrected
before major downtime and ensures regulatory compliance.
Regulatory compliance
If an MCC is
produced in Europe, it will be manufactured in accordance with EN61439 — the
standard that defines specific requirements for switchgear and control gear
assemblies. If it is later modified, there is a risk that the MCC may no longer
comply with this standard. When maintenance involves replacing or changing
components, companies need to be mindful of the regulations. Maintenance staff
should check for any modifications, and ensure that documentation is up to
date.
A new MCC will
come with an Operation and Maintenance (O&M) manual with clear instructions
on what procedures should be put in place and how to keep the MCC healthy and
in-line with regulations. Companies can use this to plan preventative
maintenance, ensuring that all important components are checked.
Assessing the situation
To find out the
condition of the MCC, maintenance staff can conduct several checks. These can
be intrusive or non-intrusive, from simple visual checks to more complex
analysis.
It is important
to make checks to establish the cleanliness, verify any software and check and
backup the parameters on programmable devices. These parameters need to be up-to-date
with records. Maintenance staff can make visual checks to look for any
discolouration or burnt out equipment.
As MCCs are
often tucked away, there is also a danger that vermin can be present. This can
cause serious problems with cables or connectors becoming damaged or even
destroyed. Maintenance staff should conduct regular checks on the physical
condition of cabling. If problems are identified, steps can be taken to restore
the MCC to a good condition. If problems are recurring, it is important to
remove the root cause.
Restoring the
MCC to how it should be is similar to taking a car in for a service.
Common
maintenance activity includes cleaning and tidying equipment, cleaning air
filtration systems and fans to reduce overheating and replacing the batteries
of backup systems.
When a breakdown
happens, it is common for maintenance to use a quick fix to get production
going as quickly as possible. If previous maintenance has been done for a quick
fix, this needs to be resolved by restoring everything to the manufacturer’s
specification.
The aim of this
maintenance is to restore the MCC to its original condition. If any components
show wear and tear, these can be serviced or replaced. If there is a problem
with the MCC, companies can then perform the required maintenance.
Health and Safety
MCCs generally
present very few health and safety hazards, except when performing maintenance
activities. It is vital that companies and their employees are aware of the
hazards and take sufficient precautions to manage them. Before working on MCCs,
maintenance staff should test the equipment to see if it is ‘dead’, follow correct
procedures in the O&M manual and wear correct personal protective equipment
(PPE). A risk assessment and method statement should be produced for each
maintenance activity.
Intelligent devices
Smart controls on
the MCC can be incorporated into preventative maintenance regimes by logging,
informing and indicating the operator of important information. The operator
can interpret this information to gauge how well the rest of the plant is
performing, allowing for predictive maintenance across the rest of the
facility. Therefore an intelligent MCC can be used to flag up instantaneous problems
in other parts of the plant, for example if a fan motor is pulling an unusually
high current. This allows the operator to investigate and correct the problem
before it leads to a larger failure.
Intelligent
systems can also store data over a number of days or weeks, meaning trends can
be formed and any abnormalities identified well before they cause an issue.
This allows more focused PPM regimes to be adopted. It also allows for feedback
of results of maintenance activities in that trends should return to normal
once they have been completed.
Planned,
periodic inspections, simple visual checks and an up-to-date record of all
maintenance and modifications are imperative for MCCs. To take things a step
further, companies can use intelligent devices to predict where maintenance is
required elsewhere in the plant. Proactive maintenance is key to MCCs meeting
the manufacturer’s life expectancy. By ironing out any faults MCCs can run just
like the Beverly Clock, which keeps on ticking.
Thursday, 1 June 2017
Time to say goodbye?
When to replace your old motor control
centre
A motor control centre (MCC)
sits at the heart of an industrial plant. If well maintained, an MCC can last for
decades, but despite their sturdiness, even the most reliable MCCs have to be
retired at some point. Here, Pat McLaughlin, operations director of Boulting Group, explains the early
warning signs that an MCC needs replacing.
There are
several reasons for replacing an MCC, but the most common ones include
obsolescence, incompatibility with new legislation or the condition of the MCC
deteriorating. Technological advancements that allow the design of intelligent,
more efficient MCCs are another reason why companies sometimes opt for an
upgrade.
Many engineers
will wait until an MCC breaks down completely before commissioning a
replacement, but best practice dictates that through proactive maintenance and
regular checks, plant managers and maintenance engineers can identify the early
warning signs of a failure and better plan for the upgrade.
The potential
defects discussed below are what maintenance engineers should look for when
performing regular MCC checks. These audits should take place at least twice a
year and log faults so that the information can be used retrospectively to
better understand the condition of an MCC and predict potential risks.
Mechanical defects
A motor control
centre has several electro mechanical components that are particularly susceptible
to failure. These include the filters and fans, which need to be cleaned and
checked regularly because they provide adequate air ventilation within the MCC.
Poor ventilation can easily lead to overheating and the failure of critical
components.
Visual checks
should also cover whether the relevant warning labels are in place before
performing maintenance on an MCC, so that maintenance engineers are not put in
any danger during these audits.
Electrical faults
Maintenance
engineers can employ several methods to check electrical equipment. These vary
from simple visual checks that identify discoloured or burned out components,
to more complex investigations using an infrared camera to analyse electrical
equipment or bus bars and to highlight hot spots.
Engineers should
also pay particular attention to the cables and connectors of the MCC, as these
tend to degrade relatively quickly. Checks should also cover the running
currents and shielding of the MCC, to ensure employees cannot access live
components.
Health and safety
MCCs,
particularly ones that have been in operation for a long time, can become
health and safety hazards. Engineers were not as safety conscious back in the 80s
or 90s as they are today, so there is a good chance that any MCC that is a
couple of decades old could be revisited to ensure it doesn’t pose any health
and safety risks.
For example,
Boulting Group engineers recently helped a utilities company replace an MCC
that had been in operation for 43 years. Because of its age, the condition of
the MCC had deteriorated resulting in some component failure and potentially
live and, possibly dangerous to maintenance staff.
Regulatory compliance
The well-known
BS EN 61439-2 standard, which came into play on November 1, 2014, states that
the enclosure of an MCC should fit the “type and degree of protection suitable
for the intended application.” Best practice dictates that the enclosure should
provide protection for equipment against external influences from any
accessible direction and against direct contact, meaning that an ingress
protection of at least IP2X is required. Older MCCs may not have been built to
this standard, so it’s important to check that your equipment is compatible
with the latest regulations.
Another critical design verification
introduced by BS EN 61439-2 refers to the temperature rise limits of motor
control centres. Temperature rise is essential to the reliability and long
service capability of an MCC, because excessive temperatures result in the
premature ageing and failure of components and insulation. The introduction of
the new standard means that manufacturers must verify that each circuit within
the assembly can individually carry its rated current.
If you are
considering purchasing a new MCC, it’s important to make sure that it complies
with BS EN 61439. This is the responsibility of the MCC manufacturer, but the
client should also be aware of the requirements and the benefits of the new
standard.
Environmental factors
Because MCCs
often operate in demanding environments, there are certain environmental
factors that can affect the equipment and shorten its operational life. Such
factors include dust, moisture and steam, all of which can be very corrosive
and damage bus bars or electrical equipment. Similarly, because MCCs are often
tucked away in the depths of a building, there is the danger of vermin damaging
cables.
Maintenance
engineers need to be aware of these potentially harmful environmental forces
and perform the relevant checks periodically. Although some of these variables —
such as moisture or dust — can’t be eliminated, they can be mitigated and engineers
can monitor sensitive components more closely.
New tech
More often than
ever, companies are deciding to change or upgrade their MCCs to take advantage
of the benefits that new technologies offer. One common upgrade involves replacing
conventional starters with variable speed drives (VSDs) and adapting the MCC to
accommodate this change. Since a VSD can reduce the energy consumption of a
motor by as much as 60 per cent, this type of upgrade helps companies make
significant energy and cost savings in the long term.
Intelligent MCCs
also feature remote controls and better data collection capabilities, which can
be used for condition monitoring and preventative maintenance. In turn, this
reduces maintenance and breakdown costs in the long run and helps companies
minimise overall operational costs and enhance productivity.
Regardless of
the age of your motor control centre, preventative maintenance is the key to
making sure it performs well for longer. After all, you wouldn’t skip an MOT on
your car, so why would you pay any less attention to the motor control centre
that lies at the heart of your industrial plant?
Wednesday, 10 May 2017
The future of electricity
In the UK, the majority of
electricity comes from large, centralised power plants. Although this approach
enables economies of scale in the energy sector, it means that customers,
particularly those within inner cities depend on long-distance transmission to
receive power. Here Nick Boughton, sales manager at industrial systems integrator,
Boulting Technology discusses how businesses need to adapt to keep up with
increased energy demands.
In
a bid to reduce energy costs and improve reliability, customers are turning to
local energy generation — power that is generated in underutilised spaces such
as rooftops, landfills and empty car parks.
Local
energy generation reduces costs and improves the overall efficiency of the
power system. It minimises line losses and extends the lifespan of existing
transmission infrastructure by minimising wear from overuse. It also creates a
stronger, more resilient network of power in the face of extreme weather, human
error and outsider attacks.
The
benefits of local energy generation are clear for home owners, but commercial
and industrial properties are also starting to explore the alternatives to the
national grid.
The
microgrid is a localised group of electricity sources and loads that normally
operate as part of the national grid, but can disconnect and function
autonomously if necessary.
These
types of grids are maturing quickly within the commercial and industrial
sectors in North America and Asia Pacific, but lack of standards limit them on
a global scale. Having these standards in place would mean that manufacturers
could access a more secure supply, avoiding regular power interruptions that
can cause high revenue losses and long periods of downtime.
Renewables
Renewable
sources currently produce more than 20 per cent of the UK's electricity and
targets set by the European Union mean that this is likely to rise to 30 per
cent by 2020.
Countries
in Europe are building increasing amounts of renewable capacity in order to
reduce their carbon emissions and boost supply security. Last year, Denmark’s
wind farms supplied 140 per cent of the country's demand and Germany received
all of its power from renewable energy sources for an entire day. While these
were planned events, in May 2016, the UK hit the headlines as it had no
coal-fired power stations meeting electricity demand for a short space of time
as a result of the partial failure of a power import cable. It is events like
this that highlight the eventual need for a more long-term market supply.
In
2017, the Scottish government bid to cut
total climate emissions by 66 per cent within 15 years. This is one of the
world's most ambitious climate strategies and is expected to cost up to £3
billion per year to implement. To cut emissions, the Scottish government has
released a renewable energy programme, which includes targets of 40 per cent of
all new cars sold in Scotland to be ultra-low emission and 80 per cent of
Scotland's homes to be heated using low-carbon technologies.
Currently,
solar energy is limited to daylight hours and wind power cannot be harvested
all year round. The only way to guarantee a 24-hour renewable supply is to have
a method of storage.
Leveraging
car and mobile phone developments, modern battery storage systems will soon be
used to store renewable energy. In just a few years' time, battery storage will
be commonplace not just at grid level, but on industrial sites, office blocks
and in the home too.
Tuesday, 4 April 2017
Intelligent switchboards of the future
Wunderland Kalkar, a
children's theme park in Dusseldorf, Germany attracts over 300,000 people every
year. The park has over 40 rides, a hotel and a restaurant on site, so it may
come as a surprise that the attraction was once an unused nuclear power plant. Over
time places and technologies have to change in order to keep up with user
demand, especially in industry.
Here
Nick Boughton, sales manager at industrial
systems integrator, Boulting Technology discusses how switchboards need to
adapt to keep up with increased energy demands.
The future of electricity
In
the UK, the majority of electricity comes from large, centralised power plants.
Although this approach enables economies of scale in the energy sector, it
means that customers, particularly those within inner cities depend on
long-distance transmission to receive power.
In
a bid to reduce energy costs and improve reliability, customers are turning to local
energy generation — power that is generated in underutilised spaces such as
rooftops, landfills and empty car parks.
Local
energy generation reduces costs and improves the overall efficiency of the
power system. It minimises line losses and extends the lifespan of existing
transmission infrastructure by minimising wear from overuse. It also creates a
stronger, more resilient network of power in the face of extreme weather, human
error and outsider attacks.
The
benefits of local energy generation are clear for home owners, but commercial
and industrial properties are also starting to explore the alternatives to the
national grid.
The
microgrid is a localised group of electricity sources and loads that normally
operate as part of the national grid, but can disconnect and function
autonomously if necessary.
These
types of grids are maturing quickly within the commercial and industrial
sectors in North America and Asia Pacific, but lack of standards limit them on
a global scale. Having these standards in place would mean that manufacturers
could access a more secure supply, avoiding regular power interruptions that
can cause high revenue losses and long periods of downtime.
Renewables
Renewable
sources currently produce more than 20 per cent of the UK's electricity and
targets set by the European Union mean that this is likely to rise to 30 per
cent by 2020.
Countries
in Europe are building increasing amounts of renewable capacity in order to
reduce their carbon emissions and boost supply security. Last year, Denmark’s
wind farms supplied 140 per cent of the country's demand and Germany received
all of its power from renewable energy sources for an entire day. While these
were planned events, in May 2016, the UK hit the headlines as it had no coal-fired
power stations meeting electricity demand for a short space of time as a result
of the partial failure of a power import cable. It is events like this that
highlight the eventual need for a more long-term market supply.
In
2017, the Scottish government bid to cut
total climate emissions by 66 per cent within 15 years. This is one of the
world's most ambitious climate strategies and is expected to cost up to £3
billion per year to implement. To cut emissions, the Scottish government has
released a renewable energy programme, which includes targets of 40 per cent of
all new cars sold in Scotland to be ultra-low emission and 80 per cent of
Scotland's homes to be heated using low-carbon technologies.
Currently,
solar energy is limited to daylight hours and wind power cannot be harvested
all year round. The only way to guarantee a 24-hour renewable supply is to have
a method of storage.
Leveraging
car and mobile phone developments, modern battery storage systems will soon be
used to store renewable energy. In just a few years' time, battery storage will
be commonplace not just at grid level, but on industrial sites, office blocks
and in the home too.
Intelligent switchboards
Switchboards sit
at the heart of an infrastructure and therefore need to be able to make intelligent
decisions regarding where its power is coming from and going to. The majority
of switchboards are capable of redirecting energy to several sources when
prompted, but there are very few that allow plant or office managers to make
the most of their electricity supply.
The rise of
Industry 4.0 and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) gives hope that facilities
will soon be able to operate autonomously. Smart sensors, programmable logic
controllers (PLCs) and distributed control systems (DCS) are already widely
used in the industry — intelligent switchboards could be the next step.
An intelligent
switchboard should be able to schedule power use, based on the previous
operating times of each application. If it receives power from renewable
sources, it could use these predictions to supply energy back to the grid,
keeping energy costs as low as possible for the owner of the facility. Generally,
electricity is cheaper when consumer demand is lowest, mainly during the night.
If the facility had the ability to store energy, an intelligent switchboard
could also use tariff predictions to make decisions on whether to receive
energy from the grid, or wait until a lower tariff is available.
An intelligent
switchboard would also complement the use of demand-side response — a system
which financially rewards customers for shifting their electricity use at peak
hours. Currently, demand-side response is managed by sending a signal to the
customer when they need to take action. Intelligent switchboards pave the way
for an automated response to this signal, which could include switching to
stored energy during these peak hours.
One thing that
many people don't know about Wunderland Kalkar is that it was never fully
operational as a nuclear power plant. Construction began in 1972 but delays and
fierce protests from locals caused the plant to close down before it was ever
finished. Today, many plant and office managers are also resistant to change,
particularly with energy infrastructure such as switchboards. However,
investigating the benefits of a more intelligent system and making the change
could save them a small fortune in reduced energy bills, better tariffs and
lack of wasted energy.
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