Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has rolled out a new digital-first plan to check the health of key assets like power transformers and overhead lines (OHL). This groundbreaking approach created by DEWA’s Research and Development (R&D) Centre, marks a big leap forward in keeping their infrastructure reliable and well-maintained.
The new method doesn’t need any on-site sensors or hardware setups. Instead, it fully depends on data from the assets and geographic details to assess their condition. This gets rid of the need to install costly and time-consuming physical equipment making the process more productive and budget-friendly.
Standards-Based Approach
DEWA follows recognized standards to assess its assets. For overhead lines (OHL), it sticks to the ISO 9223:2012 standard. This standard helps evaluate how atmospheric corrosion affects the lines and measure how conductors corrode. For power transformers, DEWA uses the IEC 60067-7 standard. This standard considers outside temperature as a key factor to predict transformer condition. By using these standards, DEWA makes sure its approach is trustworthy and matches global best practices.
User-Friendly Digital Platform
A main part of DEWA’s fresh approach involves creating an easy-to-use digital platform. This platform aims to give useful insights into asset conditions. By looking at the data, the platform helps maintenance teams make smart, fact-based choices about when and how to maintain assets. This results in better operations and money saved.
Also, this digital tool helps different parts of DEWA work together better. By giving everyone the same info, it lets the whole organization work more.
Leadership Vision and Commitment to Innovation
His Excellency Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of DEWA, stressed how crucial it is to use cutting-edge digital tech to keep DEWA’s service quality high. Al Tayer said this digital-first approach matches DEWA’s bigger plans to speed up its digital shift and keep its top-notch service levels.
“We’re putting the newest digital strategies into action to boost our networks’ effectiveness and dependability. Our advanced research doesn’t just make us better – it also helps science groups both here and abroad,” Al Tayer explained. His words highlight how DEWA focuses on new ideas to keep making its services better.
The Role of DEWA’s R&D Centre
Waleed Bin Salman, Executive Vice President of Business Development and Excellence at DEWA, stressed the key part DEWA’s R&D Centre plays in pushing tech forward. The Centre aims to offer cutting-edge tools and tech to create new answers that help DEWA and the broader industry.
One of the Centre’s top wins has been building weather modeling skills. The Centre has made five years of past weather info, which it now mixes with asset data. This lets DEWA check how weather affects how well key parts like power transformers and overhead lines work and last.
Optimizing Maintenance Schedules
Combining weather data with asset condition measurements gives DEWA’s maintenance and inspection crews useful insights. Teams can improve their maintenance schedules by grasping how weather affects asset performance. DEWA can now take a more predictive approach instead of sticking to fixed maintenance intervals. This means they carry out maintenance when needed, based on the actual state of the assets, not on preset timeframes.
This method cuts down on unnecessary upkeep and helps assets last longer, which saves a lot of money. Also, having exact details about asset conditions allows DEWA to better plan for future investments and operational needs.
Estimating How Long Assets Will Last
DEWA’s new digital strategy brings a key advantage: it can figure out how much longer important assets will work well. DEWA mixes data about assets where they are, and what the weather’s like to guess when something might need replacing. This helps DEWA get the most out of what it owns, making sure everything’s used as much as possible before it’s time for new stuff.
Knowing how long things will last also helps DEWA make better plans for buying new equipment. Instead of just fixing things when they break, DEWA can plan ahead and set aside money for new gear. This way, they don’t get hit with surprise costs or have things stop working when they’re not ready.
Making Operations Work Better
Overall, DEWA’s digital-first approach boosts productivity across the board. By using data and cutting-edge tech, DEWA can make smarter choices, cut costs, and make its services more reliable. The ability to check asset conditions without putting in sensors or hardware makes the process much simpler while staying accurate.
What’s more, combining weather data with asset metrics gives a fuller picture of what affects asset performance. This big-picture view helps DEWA to make better calls on upkeep, checks, and where to put money.
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