SMAP: the connected maintenance app dedicated to hydroelectric power stations

SHEM’s vision: optimising its maintenance operations

In light of an end to electricity purchasing requirements, hydropower producers are being encouraged to guarantee annual production capacities.

With this in mind, SHEM wanted to upgrade its maintenance operations with a view to improving availability for its hydroelectric power stations and come up with an effective solution to resolving several operational issues, such as:

  • A lack of information/feedback on power plant unavailability: although inspected regularly, the production sites experienced unplanned downtime that was only ever flagged during technicians’ rounds.
  • Sub-optimal paper-based maintenance processes: reports carried out by hand, on paper, resulting in time-consuming data aggregation processes that were difficult to share with other teams.

SHEM sees a 5% increase in output gains

 

12

hydroelectric power stations connected to the IIoT platform in under six months

 

5%

additional production availability

 

+ 2800
maintenance operations integrated in the SMAP IIoT 4.0 solution

Making the move over from traditional maintenance to smart, connected maintenance

The SMAP (SHEM Maintenance Planner) app was born of SHEM’s industry know-how powered by InUse’s technological expertise and experience in delivering industrial IoT solutions: a web app specifically designed for hydropower production site maintenance.

Optimising preventive maintenance operations
Power plant availability statuses are automatically viewable on the app thanks to the connected production equipment. The app also allows teams to measure operating times for the equipment, meaning that maintenance work is carried out as closely aligned as possible with real wear.

Digitalising maintenance processes
Front-line teams also save significant time as a result of all paperwork and procedures being digitalised, and the IoT data structure ensuring automated data is collected in real time.

Spotting weak signals ahead of failures
By analysing data from the machines, the app detects hard-to-spot signs and provides information on the predictive maintenance action to be taken. This prevents the long stretches of downtime (lasting several weeks or months) required to replace critical parts.

Tracking and analysing performance with extra ease
The SMAP app is used by technicians teams and also helps headquarters-based teams, giving them a 360-degree overview of how the production sites are performing and allowing them to easily track and compare the following data for each site: volume of electricity generated, availability, power ratios, production downtime, work carried out, etc.

Tangible results

Fast roll-out, with 12 plants hooked up in six months and all maintenance operations digitalised thanks to the in-app embedded expertise.

Improved collaboration with shop floor teams. The SMAP app is an essential everyday tool to foster communication between on the field teams, and pull up information on front-line operations. They also have direct access to head office expertise, resulting in improved on-site responsiveness.

Significant output gains. All these aspects have helped improve the production sites’ availability and responsiveness, with SHEM seeing a 5% increase in output gains.

Heavy losses avoided. Production downtime triggered by major breakdowns can have a 30 to 50% impact on a powerplant’s annual sales. Maintenance teams intervene before the issues that spark these breakdowns occur, making this an invaluable boon to production site profitability.

“ Combining long-standing expertise with cutting-edge technology in our SMAP app has allowed us to move over from traditional maintenance to smart, connected maintenance processes in order to boost our hydroelectric power production.”

Julien Legendre, Director of Small-scale Hydroelectric Power and Head of Development, SHEM

 

À propos de SHEM :

SHEM (Société Hydro-Electrique du Midi) is France’s third leading hydroelectricity producer, and is primarily active in the country’s south-west region. Its production plants are scattered across the Pyrenees mountains and around the Lot and Dordogne rivers, producing clean, CO2-free energy certified 100% renewable by independent accrediting body TÜV-SÜD.

  • France’s third biggest hydroelectricity energy producer
  • 56 power plants, 12 major barrages, 320 members of staff
  • Total production power for the company: 783 MW of 100% renewable energy