2 Jun 2022

Schneider Electric, the pioneer in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, and ETAP, the industry, and technology leader in power system design and operation, announce the integration of EcoStruxure Power Operation with ETAP Operator Training Simulator (eOTSTM) and ETAP Power System Monitoring & Simulation (PSMSTM) enabling model-driven power system training and predictive analysis for operators and engineers.

This unique integration allows all EcoStruxure Power Operation systems to connect with ETAP Electrical Digital Twin on a continuous real-time basis. With this connection, operators can create and understand power system behavior during various real-world or plausible operating scenarios.

Evaluating operator awareness

New operating procedures may be designed & validated against contingencies utilizing their familiar EcoStruxure Power Operation human-machine interface without the risk of affecting actual operations – all thanks to the underlying ETAP eOTS simulation and analysis platform.

The ability to integrate a digital twin with the Power SCADA system is a one-of-a-kind offering"

"A lack of power system intelligence can have huge financial impacts," said Sophie Borgne, SVP Digital Power at Schneider Electric. “The ability to integrate a digital twin with the Power SCADA system is a one-of-a-kind offering that will help companies avoid unplanned outages caused by human error, reduce start-up and commission times, and evaluate operator awareness and readiness.”

Potential hidden problems

40% of unplanned shutdowns are due to operator missteps. Allowing power system engineers to anticipate potential failures and plan future systems expansions has a real business impact as a lack of power system intelligence can cause huge financial losses.

Oil and gas platforms experience up to $3 million in losses for every outage, a single electrical event in the semiconductor industry means a $3.8 million loss, while for hospitals, it’s roughly a $1 million loss per 8-hour outage. Using cutting-edge technology to improve system planning and design, recognize and correct potential hidden problems, and avoid unforeseen errors can prevent these costly system disruptions.

Real-time situational awareness

ETAP Electrical Digital Twin with its real-time foundation elevates EcoStruxure Power Operation"

Integrating real-time situational awareness, operations management, and online electrical network analysis capabilities allows power system operators, engineers, and facility managers to better visualize, analyze and optimize their electrical system operations,” said Tanuj Khandelwal, CEO of ETAP.

ETAP Electrical Digital Twin with its real-time foundation elevates EcoStruxure Power Operation enabling our customers to monitor, manage, control, and perform advanced power analysis within the same environment in a sustainable manner. It is exactly the situational intelligence facilities need to design and operate their networks on a common digital twin driving efficiency and cost savings.”

Accurate decision-making

The ability to use live system data from Schneider’s EcoStruxure Power Operation to feed the Electrical Digital Twin significantly reduces system downtime and drives more accurate decision-making, along with:

  • Reduced safety risks: This technology helps reduce safety exposures by practicing emergencies and risky situations without the threat of any actual danger. Safety is also enhanced by strengthening operator skills and sharpening decision-making processes by solving and analyzing multiple 'What if' scenarios.
  • Deeper learnings: ETAP eOTS supports operators in developing a valid sequence of operations, safe switching procedures, and validating the response of their Power SCADA respond under a wide range of conditions. An operator training simulator provides a convenient, safe, and effective learning environment. The results provide deep insights to maintain safe and reliable system operations.
  • Quicker response time: ETAP PSMS with Predictive Analysis is a model-driven power system simulator that predicts system behavior in response to operator actions and events using real-time and archived data. ETAP PSMS enables power system engineers to anticipate potential failures and plan future systems expansions. In the event of unexpected equipment failure, faster incident response times are possible due to its unique and unified post-mortem analysis and event playback capabilities.