The Key Benefits of Digital Twin Technology That You Must Know About

Digital twins are a key piece of the digital transformation puzzle. They create an accurate virtual replica of physical objects, assets, and systems to boost productivity, streamline operations and increase profits. A digital twin of your power distribution network whether a manufacturing plant, offshore wind farm, chemical production facility or food processing plant benefits stakeholders and operators in several ways:

Digital twin software graphic for power systems
  • Improves reliability
  • Reducing unplanned downtime
  • Huge savings in documentation control and storage of data
  • Power system data can be recalled at anytime
  • Maximising the capabilities of existing assets
  • Accelerated risk assessment and production time
  • Predictive maintenance
  • Real-time remote monitoring
  • Better team collaboration
  • Better financial decision-making

So, What Data Can Be Recalled From A Digital Twin?

We have helped customers control the predictive maintenance, equipment data, documentation and power system data all within one system.

  • Protection settings schedules
  • Load schedules
  • Cable schedules
  • Arc flash data sheets risk assessments for each switchgear
  • Short circuit levels
  • Load flow / electrical energy flow
  • Everything related to the power system network

Can A Digital Twin Be Developed With Older Assets?

No matter how old the power system is or what little documentation you have at present we can develop a complete digital twin of your power distribution network. We can gather data from power system surveys to collect all the data necessary to create a digital representation of your electrical system. For example, we have undertaken the digitisation of many older power systems dating back to the 1940’s having limited documentation on their power network. For example, cable schedules, protection setting schedules, load schedules tend to go missing over the years.

We can develop a digital twin power system to optimise and enhance energy consumption saving energy costs no matter what the systems age. Including reducing unplanned downtime and providing an early warning before catastrophic failure occurs. The same techniques and standards have been in play for many years but new digital technology has allowed it to be applied at scale and within one location.

Can A Digital Twin Improve Production?

EPS has seen time and time again that production downtime has been down to poor electrical design due to budget restraints or the selectivity of protection devices and protection settings during commissioning for example. EPS can determine what is the best and economic way to mitigate the potential failure and whether maintenance can wait until the next planned downtime.


How Can I Digitise My Power System?

EPS provides Electrical Digital Twin Services by developing a digital twin of your power system or adopting an existing model from a previous arc flash study to be optimised to include all data relating to your power system network. Once the power system model has been validated through our robust checking and approval procedures the model can be either issued to the customer for their own usage or EPS can retain the model and maintain / update on a monthly or annual basis to ensure that your power system is compliant and always up to date.

We can, if required, hand over the digital twin of your power system and provide training on how to access all the data that you will need for your day-to-day operations or for future projects that entail modifications to your electrical distribution network to be carried out by your electrical contractors.

Given the tight deadlines and budget restraints, the level of service Engineering Power Solutions provided was outstanding. The offshore UPS consolidation project was engineered and designed to the platform’s requirements and offshore standards minimising platform shutdowns.

Mr Low – Petrofac Oil&Gas