EDDAS - EIDEL DISTRIBUTED DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEM
«DATA QUALITY STARTS AT THE SOURCE»
eidel.no
I N N O V A T I V E E L E C T R O N I C S – B Y E M P O W E R M E N T, S Y N E R G Y A N D C U R I O S I T Y
REMOTE ASSETS AND CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE IN HARSH ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS The green shift is pushing energy production towards renewable resources. Offshore wind is soon to become an important source of electrical energy with low carbon emissions, estimated by the Global Wind Energy Council to reach an annual energy production of 234 GW by 20301. To accelerate the shift towards renewable energy there is a need to lower the Total Cost of Energy to be competitive against other energy sources. In wind energy, the larger you can build a turbine, the more cost effective it will be. Bigger blades capture more wind, and there is usually more wind higher up. Additional positive effects can be gained by placing the wind farms further out at sea where there are even better wind conditions, and at the same time reduce risk or conflicts with the population, ship traffic and other activities close to shore. Offshore wind farms will need to operate autonomously under harsh environments for extensive periods of time without service personnel performing manual inspections and maintenance. Due to distance you want to keep the service intervals to a minimum. By use of sensors to remotely monitor the state of assets and critical functions in real time, continuous operation can be secured and optimized. Insights from data collected can even provide valuable insights into future design improvements. Even though large assets and complex infrastructure demand high initial investments, some of the long-term costs may be reduced through improved efficiency and asset control. Using historical data from sensors, data scientists can uncover patterns and predict future outcomes and needs. In a study done by PwC on predictive maintenance2, it was evident that, those companies using sensors to monitor industrial production facilities, got better results when not only monitoring the assets in question, but also by receiving data from external sources. By combining both internal and external data sources, even deeper insights could be uncovered, on how external factors like temperature directly or indirectly influenced the assets and production processes.
External sources: 1 https://www.renewableenergyworld.com/wind-power/gwec-offshore-wind-is-estimated-to-surge-to234-gw-by-2030/ 2 https://www.pwc.nl/nl/assets/documents/pwc-predictive-maintenance-4-0.pdf
THE IMPORTANCE OF DATA QUALITY The data collected from sensors will provide valuable insights but could be considered a raw material until its refined, processed, analysed. No matter how good your tools are for analysing the data is, if the data lacks information, is inconsistent, or misses other important qualities, it will be harder and more costly to get anything of value out in the end. There are several data quality dimensions which are important to consider, dependent on the application. Here we have listed four data quality dimensions which we think are important to consider when using sensor data acquired from assets and surrounding environments for optimizing operation and production, predict maintenance needs, reduce risk of downtime and getting insights into future improvements.
Relevant Data Quality Dimensions Is the information correct in every detail? Accuracy is a crucial data Accuracy quality characteristic because inaccurate information can cause significant problems with severe consequences. Completeness
How comprehensive is the information? Do I have access to the complete dataset? If information is incomplete, it might be unusable.
Does the information contradict other trusted sources? Reliability When pieces of information contradict themselves, you can’t trust the data. Are the sources synchronized on time and can the data be be used for Timeliness real-time reporting? Accurate time between data sources is important for event correlation and for root cause analysis.
EDDAS EIDEL Distributed Data Acquisition System (EDDAS) is designed with years of experience in remote sensing and telemetry for aerospace, defence, maritime and offshore. Its purpose is to collect precise measurements from any asset, either in motion or stationery, and secure and deliver the data with the same quality from start to end. The system consists of one or more data acquisition units, a server and software to configure each unit and the server. The units have numerous sensor inputs and is connected to a network where the data is transported to the server for storage. The client-server architecture provides easy management and full control of every component down to each physical port and virtual channel. The data acquisition units are built compact and rugged, with high tolerances to operate under harsh environmental conditions. Due to its small size the units can be placed in tight areas at the edge where the measurements are done. This is to reduce interferences, signal corruption and noise. Security features such as encryption between devices can be added as option. EDDAS is a modular system where you add new sensors or data acquisition units as the need for new measurements arise. The system can accommodate many hundreds or even thousands of sensors.
8,4 cm
11 cm
10 cm
EDDAS PLACEMENT IN GARTNER’S EDGE TOPOLOGY
Core
Centralized Cloud/ Global Data Center Regional Data Center Edge Local Data Center Edge
Edge Computing
Telecom, Data center, Co-location Small Data Center at edge, low staff
Compute Edge
Edge Server, Storage (Not in Data Center)
Gateway Edge
Field gateway
Device Edge Edge Physical Endpoint
Embedded, RTU, PLC
EIDEL DISTRIBUTED DAT
DATA QUALITY STAR
High
Time
Holistic
Resolution
synchronization
view
Redundancy
Flexibility
TA ACQUISITION SYSTEM
RTS AT THE SOURCE
Standardized
Edge
Secure data
Rugged
Central
Technology
computing
links
devices
Configuration management
SYSTEM FEATURES High Resolution: Vibrations and movement in a structure can tell a lot about the physical condition of the asset you are monitoring, and tiny vibrations needs high resolution measurements to be properly analysed. Such measurements may be important for e.g. analysing the impact of abnormal events on the structural integrity, as well as monitoring structural integrity over time. Each measurement channel in an EDDAS unit can be individually configured for sampling frequencies from 0.125 Hz and all the way up to 128 kHz, with up to 16 bit resolution. Whether you are interested in low-frequency vibrations induced by e.g. ocean waves or wind, or high-frequency vibrations induced by rotating equipment running at thousands of revolutions per minute, you are covered by EDDAS. [*Relevant to data quality dimensions: Completeness, Relevance]
Time synchronized: Data acquisition covers more than the basic questions - like what and where. It’s also about when. All EDDAS units are time synchronized by use of the Precision Time Protocol (PTP, IEEE 1588), meaning that the entire system is time synchronized to an accuracy of 25 nanoseconds. This ensures that data acquired from different sources are timestamped accurately and consistently. Accurate time synchronization is crucial for event correlation between different data sources and is a key data quality factor. EDDAS is also capable of synchronizing to an external time source, such as GPS, and distributing time to external 3rd party devices on the EDDAS network. The accuracy on time between the devices also helps reconstructing events and for root cause analysis. [*Relevant to Data quality dimension: Timeliness, Reliability, Accuracy]
Holistic view: Do you have control of and access to all of the collected data sets? EDDAS collects all sensor data from it’s data acquisition units into one single data stream and distributes the data to its own server located at the edge. EDDAS can also collect data from or distribute data to external sources, like SCADA, PLS, Lidars, Buoys, and other smart sensors connected through its Ethernet network, and from there push the data to a central repository for analysis. One data stream reduces data silos and integration points, saving costs on managing these integrations later between systems higher up in the stack. [*Relevant to Data quality dimension: Completeness]
Redundant: Each data acquisition unit can be configured to have up to 60 analog sensors. The high number of sensors per unit is important both for having the option to monitor many critical points on an asset, and for redundancy since some sensors cannot be built rugged due to its function and thus may fail more frequently over time. [*Relevant to Data quality dimensions: Completeness, Reliability)
Flexibile: In addition to the many physical channels, the units may divide each physical channel up into three virtual channels with individual settings for destination, sampling frequency and resolution. Thus, a single (physical) measurement channel can simultaneously generate and distribute both lightweight, lower fidelity data streams to be processed locally for e.g. real time control, as well as high-frequency data streams which may be routed elsewhere, for example a server running an analytics engine. [*Relevant to Data Quality dimensions: Completeness. Reliability, Relevancy]
Standard Technology: EDDAS uses Ethernet network topology and PTP (Precision Time Protocol). This enables easy integration with other networks connected with industrial automation and IOT systems.
Edge computing: EDDAS receives and stores data on its own server on the edge where the data can be visualized or sent to external systems for real time processing. According to Gartner, edge computing addresses the limitations of centralized computing (such as latency, bandwidth, data privacy and autonomy) by moving processing closer to the source of data generation, “things” and users. [*Relevant to Data Quality dimension: Completeness, Reliability.]
SYSTEM FEATURES CONTIUES
Secure data links: The use of EDDAS Crypto units enables protection of your data link, making your data and command & control signals tamper proof and unreadable to unwanted parties. EDDAS Crypto Units are hardware based encryption systems certified for protecting data streams classified up to and including NATO SECRET level. Offshore wind will be a crucial part of future energy infrastructure, and it will be of increasing importance to protect vulnerable data links between central control centres and remote automated systems. In addition to encryption which prevents unwanted actors listening in on radio transmissions, the system is also protected by hacking tampering and taking control due to the hardware based security mechanism which preventing any unknown and unauthorized party access, securing total ownership of the system. [*Relevant to Data quality dimension: Reliability]
Rugged devices: EDDAS devices are designed rugged to withstand different climates and, physical stress and can operate under extreme conditions for long periods of time without need of manual inspection or maintenance. Wind farms have a concession period of 25-30 years. This means that many of the people in handling todays operations must hand this over to new personnel at some time in the future. Thus, having access to both historic and realtime production data with consistent parameters and metadata will be extremely valuable. Having a system that can operate as long as the wind mill farm is in production will secure data consistancy, meaning that the measurements performed ten years ago can also be measured with the same parameters tomorrow. The ruggedness incorporated in all vital parts provides accurate data acquisition and data processing over many years. All EDDAS unit run countinous self testing routines to detect and report errors. [*Relevant to Data quality dimensions: Accuracy, Reliability ]
Central Configuration management: The Client / Server architecture provides complete system configuration from one single management console. This provides the system operators easy access to the configuration and management of the whole system from each data acquisition unit, down to each single sensor. This prevents the need to log into each device separately, for instance when needing to change a system parameter. This feature reduces complexity and cost.
THE DIFFERENTIATOR EDDAS is one of many data acquisition system available in the market today, so what makes it unique? In addition to the system features mentioned above, R&D is central in what EIDEL do. Understanding customer needs and requirements are important, but also to help uncover new insights from early tests, pilot phases, proof of concepts and in technical demonstrations. Even though offshore wind has been tested in pilots and been in production for years already, there are still unknowns and unsolved challenges at hand. EIDEL is already delivering systems to space and defence and see several synergies with offshore wind that could be of value to investigate: Securing critical infrastructure Offshore wind will be a critical part of our energy infrastructure in the future, thus being a potential target for malicious attacks. EIDEL deliver NATO approved post quantum resistant encryption systems meant securing data links between stationary or moving vehicles and assets. Could these systems help secure communication links for managing such infrastructure? Surveillance from space EIDEL develop and build satellites, space instruments and satellite communication systems. Wind farms far out at sea might require surveillance and communication links using satellites. Are there any special requirements EIDEL could help deliver on? If you have an idea you want to explore, please contact us for discussions.
About EIDEL Eidsvoll Electronics AS (EIDEL) is an engineering company established in 1966 and has for over 50 years designed innovative solutions for space, defence, industry and energy with specialization on telemetry, remote control and encryption. Most of our systems are built rugged meant to be installed on moving or stationary assets in remote locations, often operating under harsh environmental conditions for many years. EIDEL is a member of Norwegian Offshore Wind Cluster since 2020 and signed up as a user partner in FME (Forskningssenter for Miljøvennlig Energi) NorthWind in 2021. EIDEL will contribute with our competencies and resources to develop new and innovative solutions to build an environmental friendly future. Contact information Alexander Høiberget, Business Development Mail: ah@eidel.no Homepage: https://www.eidel.no
Key take aways • Securing Data Quality from the source • Central system management, keeps down the operations costs and risks. • Secures data against theft and maintaining system ownership. • Built to last. Rugged equipment secure operations and keeps maintenance cost down.