TGC-1 has implemented a unique electronic system to control equipment walkdowns and inspections

In June 2019, following the digitalisation tendency for Russian energy industry, TGC-1 has implemented the electronic system (ES) Obkhody (Plant Walkdowns) for all 13 CHPP of the company in Saint-Petersburg, Leningrad Oblast, Murmansk Oblast and in Petrozavodsk.

The system created by TGC-1 personnel standardises equipment walking inspections, guarantees its timely operation and also provides the basis for analysis of data received by the personnel.

Previously, the inspector fixed defects and deviations in the paper sheet independently, but today the programme leads him according to the approved route, focusing on the control points. The control points are NFC tags or chips on the equipment or a group of equipment, by scanning which the inspector uploads data on the current state and operation settings in the system including photographing the detected defects. The inspectors may add not only data on control points, but also detected dangerous factors such as broken stairs or heavy glaze on the route.

Data entered by the inspectors are added in the unified electronic database of the station. The administrative, technical and operational management of the CHPP looks through and analyses data with the help of web application via a workstation computer or a tablet. This approach makes equipment walkdowns and inspections more transparent and ensures that the inspector checks the condition and settings of all the prominent facilities of the workshop.

"Our company focuses on the introduction of new technologies that increase safety, reliability and operational efficiency of power plants and at the same time minimise the volume of paperwork," Sergey Ivanov pointed out, one of the developers of the programme, Director of TGC-1 Production Systems Directorate. "This developed tool is a powerful platform for analysing settings of the equipment operation. It is very important, taking into account that it is much more effective to eliminate defects at the stage of their development than to eliminate their consequences. Even now we can say that the quality of equipment walkdowns and troubleshooting on power plants has been significantly improved with the help of the new system, which means that it is indeed an effective tool.

The ES Obkhody is based on the best practices from different lines of industry in the field of maintenance of complex high-tech equipment. The Pervomayskaya and Avtovskaya CHPPs operating personnel was actively involved in the development of the tool. Today the system is improving and its functionality is expanding.

Reference

TGC-1 is a leading producer and supplier of electricity and heat in the North-West of Russia. TGC-1 comprises 53 power plants within four constituent entities of the Russian Federation: St. Petersburg, the Republic of Karelia, and Leningrad and Murmansk Oblasts. TGC-1's installed electric capacity as of 31 March 2019 is 6.95 GW, and heat capacity is 13.75 thousand Gcal/h. Major Shareholders: Gazprom Energoholding LLC (51.79%) and Fortum Power and Heat Oy (29.45%).