Plant Power Device Auto-Discovery for Unified Energy Configuration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Configuring smart power and energy devices in industrial facilities is a time-consuming and error-prone process, especially in plants with large numbers of energy meters or other smart power devices, as it typically requires manual intervention using energy management software.
Innovation Solution
A power device discovery and visualization system that identifies and categorizes smart power and energy devices, generating interfaces to render customized presentations of power and energy usage data, and facilitates remote configuration through a single consolidated interface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual configuration of smart power and energy devices is performed using energy management software, then device configuration can be completed with existing tools, but the process becomes time-consuming and error-prone especially in plants with large numbers of devices
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables devices to self-configure by automatically discovering devices on the network, extracting their identities and data tags, determining device types, generating device profiles, and categorizing them without manual intervention. This self-service approach eliminates the time-consuming manual configuration process while maintaining accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by automatically discovering and cataloging all smart power and energy devices before configuration tasks begin. Device profiles are generated and categorized in advance, creating a ready-to-use inventory that speeds up subsequent configuration operations and reduces overall project timelines.
2Loss of information
If manual discovery and cataloging of smart devices is performed, then device information can be collected, but the process requires significant labor and time especially in facilities with large numbers of energy meters
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces manual mechanical processes of device discovery and information collection with automated electronic systems. Software agents automatically scan the network, extract device identities and data tags, determine device types through algorithmic classification, and generate structured device profiles, eliminating the need for manual inventory walks while ensuring complete information capture.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary automated discovery and cataloging layer between the physical devices and the configuration process. This intermediary automatically collects device information, standardizes data formats, and organizes devices into categories, simplifying the overall process while ensuring no device information is missed.
3Reliability
If devices are configured individually without automation, then each device can be carefully configured, but the overall configuration process becomes lengthy and labor-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges multiple individual device configuration tasks into a single automated process. By discovering all devices simultaneously, generating profiles for multiple devices in parallel, and categorizing them together, the system achieves high throughput while maintaining accuracy through standardized automated procedures that eliminate human error.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameters from manual step-by-step configuration to automated batch processing. Device profiles are generated with standardized parameters automatically extracted from each device, and categorization is performed using algorithmic parameter matching, ensuring consistency and accuracy across all devices while dramatically increasing configuration throughput.
Data Source
AI summary
A power device discovery and visualization system identifies and categorizes smart power and energy devices deployed within an industrial enterprise, and generates interfaces that render customized presentations of a plant's power and energy usage based on data retrieved from the discovered devices. The system also facilitates remote configuration of the discovered smart devices via interaction with a single consolidated interface that affords access to all discovered power and energy devices. The system constructs a device profile for each discovered smart device based on information retrieved from the device, and categorizes each discovered device according to device type (e.g., power meter, IED, VFD, controller, etc.). The system retrieves available historical, real-time, and/or configuration data from each discovered smart device and makes this data available for viewing or modification via the system interface, thereby unifying plantwide power and energy data into a common presentation.