Practical applications of data mining in plant monitoring and diagnostics

Using available expert knowledge in conjunction with a structured process of data mining, characteristics observed in captured condition monitoring data, representing characteristics of plant operation may be understood, explained and quantified. Knowledge and understanding of satisfactory and unsatisfactory plant condition can be gained and made explicit from the analysis of data observations and subsequently used to form the basis of condition assessment and diagnostic rules/models implemented in decision support systems supporting plant maintenance. This paper proposes a data mining method for the analysis of condition monitoring data, and demonstrates this method in its discovery of useful knowledge from trip coil data captured from a population of in-service distribution circuit breakers and empirical UHF data captured from laboratory experiments simulating partial discharge defects typically found in HV transformers. This discovered knowledge then forms the basis of two separate decision support systems for the condition assessment/defect clasification of these respective plant items

Intelligent monitoring of the health and performance of distribution automation

With a move to 'smarter' distribution networks through an increase in distribution automation and active network management, the volume of monitoring data available to engineers also increases. It can be onerous to interpret such data to produce meaningful information about the health and performance of automation and control equipment. Moreover, indicators of incipient failure may have to be tracked over several hours or days. This paper discusses some of the data analysis challenges inherent in assessing the health and performance of distribution automation based on available monitoring data. A rule-based expert system approach is proposed to provide decision support for engineers regarding the condition of these components. Implementation of such a system using a complex event processing system shell, to remove the manual task of tracking alarms over a number of days, is discussed

Technical sustainability of solar PV institutions : results from a field survey of 43 sites in Malawi

With grid connection rates in Malawi at 9% (5% for rural population) and 87% of primary schools lacking electricity, future connection for a significant share of the remaining schools through off-grid means is a plausible scenario. However, sustainability of off-grid community energy projects at public institutions in Malawi has historically been described as poor. Existing knowledge is largely anecdotal and quantitative data of any sort for off-grid installations is lacking. Efforts to document project existence and what has been effective have mildly improved recently, but this has not included in-depth sustainability analysis . Despite these efforts, it is thought that many more systems and their performance go undocumented. Thus, in 2014 a study was funded by the Scottish Government within the MREAP programme to capture sustainability factors for 43 off-grid solar PV projects at public institutions dispersed throughout Malawi

Closer look : Strathclyde University Vertically Integrated Projects

Strathclyde University runs a programme of classes called Vertically Integrated Projects (VIPs) which encourage students to apply what they have learned in the classroom to original research and development projects. In so doing they take part in multi-disciplinary teams on cutting edge research and development projects working with undergraduate and postgraduate students from all years and staff from across the University. This exposes students to new knowledge and skills while also enabling them to help progress the SDGs. This year's projects include: Goals 1 and 8 - Enterprise VIP Goals 2, 6 and 7 - Water and Sanitation Goal 3 - Drug discovery Goal 4 - Text Lab STEM Education and Public Goal 5 - Text Lab Goal 7 - Sustainable Energy for Development Goal 9 - Rover Goal 9 - Strathclyde Analytical Institute of La

Decision support for distribution automation : data analytics for automated fault diagnosis and prognosis

Distribution Automation (DA) is deployed to reduce outage times, isolate the faulted area, and rapidly restore customer supplies following network faults. Recent developments in Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and intelligent DA equipment have sought to improve reliability and security of supply. The introduction of such ‘intelligent’ technologies on distribution networks, where investment in dedicated condition monitoring equipment remains difficult to justify, presents an opportunity to capture constant streams of operational data which can offer a useful insight into underlying circuit conditions if utilised and managed appropriately. The primary function of the NOJA Pole-Mounted Auto-Recloser (PMAR) is to isolate distribution circuits from detected faults, while attempting to minimise outages due to transient faults. However, in this process the PMAR also captures current and voltage measurements that can be analysed to inform any subsequent fault diagnosis, and potentially detect the early onset of circuit degradation, and monitor and predict its progression. This paper details the design and development of an automated decision support system for fault diagnosis and prognosis, which can detect and diagnose evolving faults by analysing PMAR data and corresponding SCADA alarm data. A knowledge based system has been developed, utilising data science and data mining techniques, to implement diagnostic and prognostic algorithms which automate the existing manual process of post fault diagnosis and anticipation, and circuit condition assessment

VIP Approach at the University of Strathclyde : A Pilot Evaluation Report 2015-16

The potential for enhanced knowledge creation through collaborative group effort has been reasonably well established within educational discourse. This stands in direct contrast to former traditional models, where knowledge was treated as a transmitted commodity from ‘expert’ to ‘student’. Such transmission models have long been viewed as broadly ineffectual, especially as regards the teaching of primary Science, Technologies, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) subjects. The Vertically Integrated Project (VIP) approach may offer pedagogical advancement in terms of STEM teaching and learning in Higher Education (HE). Established within the University of Strathclyde some five years ago, an initial University-wide evaluation of the programme was piloted in Session 2015-16. Students’ perceptions of their participation in VIP generally very positively reported within the pilot evaluation. Key messages centred on students’ perceptions of the benefit of participation in the unique collaborative real-world study afforded by the VIP approach and their desire for the programme architecture to expand even further both laterally and vertically across the University

Assessing the techno-economic feasibility of eCook deployment on a hybrid solar-diesel mini-grid in rural Malawi

Globally, three billion people still use biomass to accommodate their cooking needs, causing negative health and adverse environmental impacts. Recent research promoting the use of electric cooking devices (eCook) to reduce biomass usage includes data capture, market assessments and eCook device prototyping to give a clearer vision on how people cook and associated costs. However, when dealing with analysis of electrification in rural and remote areas, a lack of information remains for the optimum size and costs of off-grid systems to accommodate eCook loads. The techno-economic modelling software HOMER-Pro is used in this paper to simulate four different mini-grid models to evaluate optimal configurations for the Dedza mini-grid in Malawi with increased household (HH) eCook use, targeting economic and environmental objectives. The simulation results reveal that model 4 which represents the optimized photovoltaic (PV)/battery/diesel hybrid mini-grid model, provides the lowest Cost of Electricity (COE), less greenhouse emissions, a higher Renewable Fraction (RF) when accommodating eCooks, and as the eCook penetrations increase the COE reduces due to the relative increase in the total annual electric load served (Eserved)

A simulation-based evaluation of the benefits and barriers to interconnected solar home systems in East Africa

This paper outlines the relative advantages and disadvantages of interconnecting Solar Home Systems (SHSs) to form micro-grids. Real world remote monitoring data from a number of SHSs operated by BBOXX in Rwanda is analyzed and it is shown that significant demand diversity and differing patterns of energy use exist in SHSs. Significant variation in daily demand, is demonstrated for identical SHSs from 0-10 Wh/day up to 110 Wh/day. Around 65% of generated energy is currently unused and could be utilised to connect new customers and increase the demand of existing customers if systems were interconnected

Exercising UNESCO Competencies In Students Through Research-Based Education For Sustainable Development

Today’s complex global challenges call upon a different pedagogical approach to Higher Education (HE) that is fit for the purpose of preparing our students – to paraphrase the words of Sir Jonathan Porritt - not only for the world of work, but the work of the world. Indeed, we can and should be preparing students for both, as it is through their professional lives and activities that they will arguably be able to have the most positive impact on these global challenges. Consequently, re-focusing teaching on ways of thinking, being and practicing, the so-called ‘head, heart and hands’ framework, should be done in a way that actively stretches students beyond the comfort of their disciplinary boundaries, knowledge and skill sets. This paper will present the University of Strathclyde’s practice and experience of establishing their award winning Vertically Integrated Projects for Sustainable Development (VIP4SD) programme, as an exemplar of how to embed ResearchBased Education for Sustainable Development in undergraduate curricula. This paper will show how VIP4SD provides students with the time and space in their curriculum to develop demonstrable levels of domain expertise and exercise key UNESCO sustainability (and ergo employability) competences. We then discuss how we have sought to evidence this by supporting students to recognise and articulate their competency development, achieved through the experiential and transformational learning provided by the VIP4SD programme

Sustainability of Solar PV Systems in Malawi

Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems can offer a low carbon, low cost and economically competitive method of providing electricity in such remote areas unlikely to be grid connected in the near future. As such, they are being installed in significant numbers across sub-Saharan Africa. Malawi’s off grid PV installed capacity has increased from 0.2 MW in 2007 to 5.7 MW in 2017. In 2012 there was an estimated 7,000 PV systems present in the country. Despite the increase of installed capacity, many solar PV systems fall into disrepair, usually only achieving 10% of their lifetime expectancy, due to lack of maintenance, poor initial design, end-user misuse, or insufficient ownership and business model strategies. Research into factors that affect sustainability of off grid PV systems is needed to support identification of appropriate interventions and ensure project longevity with reduced lifetime costs of systems serving rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa. The study employs a novel scoring method which is used to support a sustainability evaluation of 65 off-grid community solar PV projects in Malawi. Projects are scored against the technical, economic, social, and organisational factors. An aggregated (total) sustainability factor is proposed here as a good early measure of project sustainability; however, there is insufficient evidence currently available to validate the accuracy this method as a predictor of long-term sustainability i.e. continued data collection and analysis of these sustainability factors, over several years, is required to obtain a sufficient evidence base to enable a deep understanding of the relative influence of the different sustainability factors for community energy projects in a variety of contexts