FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to the field of power plant monitoring,
and more particularly, to methods and systems for real-time monitoring and
maintenance of the power plants.
5 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This section is intended to provide information relating to the field of the
invention and thus any approach or functionality described below should not be
assumed to be qualified as prior art merely by its inclusion in this section.
Management of resources at a power generation site is often a significant
10 concern for power producers and operators. Typically, a power generation site
for a photovoltaic (“PV”) solar power plant may include a power conversion
station having multiple PV solar panels connected to an inverter. The PV power
plant includes numerous plant devices, such as PV panels, electrical combiner
boxes, electrical inverters, trackers used to adjust PV panels, sensors, and other
15 devices that are used in the generation of solar power. One important aspect of
PV power plant is to control and monitor plant devices.
Managing or monitoring huge number of power plant sites is a cumbersome task
for an operator or power producer. Conventionally, power plant sites are
monitored manually which require huge manpower. Further, manual monitoring
20 lacks proper planning. Also, there may be discrepancy in data which is gathered
manually. In the absence of proper planning, downtime of the power plant
increases due to delay in resolving of issues with the power plant.
Presently, the systems which are used by power producers and operators suffer
from various limitations and problems, such as lack of self-diagnostics to identify
25 faults, difficulty in discerning performance, and lack of actionable diagnostic and
performance information. Further, due to dependence on manual process of
monitoring of power plant sites, there is a huge power generation loss and
3
revenue loss for the power producers and operators. Furthermore, it is
challenging to access performance of users involved in manual monitoring and
maintenance operations, which further adds in difficulties faced by the power
producers and operators.
5 Therefore, there is a need for a system and method for real-time monitoring of
the power plants which can alleviate the problems existing in prior arts.
SUMMARY
This section is provided to introduce certain objects and aspects of the present
disclosure in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed
10 description. This summary is not intended to identify the key features or the
scope of the claimed subject matter. In order to overcome the drawbacks and
limitations of the existing solutions, it is an object of the present invention is to
provide a system and method for real-time monitoring of the power plants.
Another object of the present invention is to provide the system and method for
15 automatically detecting faults in the power plant. Yet another object of the
present invention is to provide the system and method for reducing operation
cost and time of the power plants. Yet another object of the present invention is
to provide the system and method to monitor the performance of the
technicians involved in the monitoring of the power plant.
20 A first aspect of the present disclosure relates to a system for real-time
monitoring of a power plant. The system includes a sensing unit, one or more
information processing devices, and a power plant monitoring unit. The sensing
unit is associated with the power plant for the collection of data associated with
the power plant. The one or more information processing devices are associated
25 with one or more technicians. The power plant monitoring unit includes a
memory and at least one processor coupled to the memory. The at least one
processor includes a fault detection unit configured to detect at least one fault
associated with the power plant. The at least one fault is detected based on
4
analyzing the data collected by the sensing unit. The at least one processor also
includes a ticket generation unit configured to generate one or more set of
tickets for the detected at least one fault. Each of said set of tickets including one
or more unresolved tickets. The at least one processor includes a ticket
5 assignment unit configured to assign said generated one or more set of tickets to
said one or more information processing device. Each of said set of tickets is
assigned to a unique information processing device. The ticket assignment unit is
further configured to dynamically and separately sort each of said generated one
or more set of tickets. The sorting is based on a severity of the unresolved tickets
10 in each of said set of tickets.
Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method for real-time
monitoring of a power plant. The method includes collecting data associated
with the power plant through a sensing unit. The sensing unit is associated with
the power plant. Next, the method includes detecting at least one fault
15 associated with the power plant. The at least one fault is detected based on
analyzing the data collected by the sensing unit. Next, the method includes
generating one or more set of tickets for the detected at least one fault. Each of
said set of tickets comprising one or more unresolved tickets. Next, the method
includes assigning said generated one or more set of tickets to the one or more
20 information processing device. Each of said set of tickets is assigned to a unique
information processing device. Next, the method includes dynamically and
separately sorting each of said generated one or more set of tickets. The sorting
is based on a severity of the unresolved tickets in each of the said set of tickets.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
25 The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein, and constitute a
part of this disclosure, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the disclosed
methods and systems in which like reference numerals refer to the same parts
throughout the different drawings. Some drawings may indicate the components
5
using block diagrams and may not represent the internal circuitry of each
component. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that disclosure of
such drawings includes disclosure of electrical components or circuitry
commonly used to implement such components. The connections between the
5 sub-components of a component have not been shown in the drawings for the
sake of clarity, therefore, all sub-components shall be assumed to be connected
to each other unless explicitly otherwise stated in the disclosure herein.
FIG. 1 illustrates an architecture of a system for real-time monitoring of a power
plants, in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.
10 FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary method flow diagram depicting a method for realtime monitoring of the power plants, in accordance with exemplary
embodiments of the present disclosure.
The foregoing shall be more apparent from the following more detailed
description of the invention.
15 DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerous
examples have been set forth in order to provide a brief description of the
invention. It will be apparent however, that the invention may be practiced
without these specific details, features and examples; and the scope of the
20 present invention is not limited to the examples provided herein below.
The present invention facilitates real-time monitoring and maintenance of a
power plant, in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present
disclosure. The present invention remotely detects one or more faults in the
power plant and based on the severity of the detected faults the invention
25 assigns one or more technicians for resolving the faults. The real-time monitoring
of the power plant facilitates in reduction of the fault resolve cost and time. Also,
6
the present invention performs tracking of the performance of the one or more
technicians based on the technician capabilities to resolve the faults.
Referring to FIG. 1, an architecture of a system [100] for real-time monitoring
and maintenance of the power plant is disclosed in accordance with exemplary
5 embodiments of the present invention. The system [100] includes a sensing unit
[102], one or more information processing devices [104], a communication
network [106] and a power plant monitoring unit [108]. The power plant is used
for the generation of power from a renewable energy source. In a preferred
embodiment, power plant is a Solar power plant.
10 The sensing unit [102] is associated with the power plant for the collection of
data. The sensing unit [102] includes one or more variety of inverters used in the
power plant for collecting data related to geographic location of the power plant,
location and type of the fault in the power plant, deviation in the parameter of
the power plant when compared to normal parameters in the power plant, etc.
15 Generally, an inverter's basic function is to “invert” the direct current (DC)
output into alternating current (AC). The data collected from the sensing unit
[102] facilitates real-time monitoring of the power plant. Further, each of the
one or more variety of inverters have associated pre-defined various error codes
(explained below). The one or more variety of inverters includes advance type of
20 inverters which can perform multiple functions in addition of converting DC into
AC. For example, the one or more variety of inverters includes X inverter, Y
inverter and Z inverter. The manufacturer of the X inverter, Y inverter and Z
inverter may be same or can be different. The X inverter may have some features
which can be different from the features present in Y inverter and Z inverter and
25 vice-versa. Also, the X inverter may have different error codes. Similarly, Y
inverter and Z inverter may also have their own error codes. Each of the one or
more variety of inverters may be used to determine certain faults associated
with one or more parts of the power plant. Examples of the one or more
7
inverters used in the invention may include SMA - STP 25000, Sungrow and ABBTRIO 20.
For instance, the following error codes with fault description may be stored in
the memory [112] of the power plant monitoring unit [108]. The one or more
5 error codes may also vary as per the variety or manufacturer of the inverter:
Error Code Fault Description One or more
variety of inverters
1302 AC Supply Gone or Power Grid OFF
X 3501 Ground Earth Fault in DC side
301 Unstability of Grid Voltage
2 Grid Overvoltage
Y
3 Grid Overvoltage
4 Grid Undervoltage
10 Islanding
13 Grid Abnormal
70 Fan Fault
88 Arc Fault
38 Relay Fault
12 Leakage Current exceeds Limit
13 Power Grid Fail
Z 23 Ground Fault
35 Power Grid Under Frequency
The table as provided above includes various error codes with the description of
fault associated with the error codes. Also, each of the one or more variety of
inverters used in the power plant has their own error codes. The error codes
10 1302, 3501 and 301 are defined for the X type of inverter which can detect
certain faults described in the table above. Similarly, Y inverter and Z inverter
may be defined with error codes provided in the above table.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the sensing unit [102] may include
one or more sensors which are installed at one or more specific location of the
15 power plant. The one or more sensors may include but are not limited to
8
temperature sensor, geo-location sensor, pressure sensor, current sensor,
voltage sensor. In an example, the one or more specific location may include but
is not limited to Inverter point, Grid point, controller point, and solar panel point.
The one or more sensors facilitates in collecting data related to geographic
5 location of the power plant, location of the fault in the power plant, flow of
current in the power cables, deviation in the parameter of the power plant when
compared to normal parameters in the power plant, etc. The data collected from
the sensing unit [102] facilitates real-time monitoring of the power plant.
The system [100] also includes one or more information processing devices
10 [104]. The one or more information processing devices [104] may include but not
limited to shareable portable digital device including Personal Digital Assistants
(PAD), notebook computers, laptops and communication devices such as mobile
phones, satellite phones, smartphones and tablets. The one or more information
processing devices [104] includes display which may be utilized to receive inputs
15 from the one or more technicians and provide information to the one or more
technicians related to the faults. The I/O interfaces of the information processing
device may include a variety of software and hardware interfaces, for instance,
interface for peripheral device(s) such as a keyboard, a mouse, a scanner, an
external memory, a printer and the like. The one or more information processing
20 devices [104] are associated with the one or more technicians. The one or more
technicians are individuals or persons with technical skills to resolve the faults
associated with the power plant unit.
The system [100] also includes the power plant monitoring unit [108]. The power
plant monitoring unit [108] is a unit defined for the real-time monitoring of the
25 power plant. The power plant monitoring unit [108] includes a memory [112] and
at least one processor [110].
The memory [112] is a collection of storage cells together with associated circuits
needed to transfer information in and out of storage. The memory [112] may
9
include any non-transitory computer readable medium or computer program
product known in the art including, for example, volatile memory, such as Static
Random-Access memory (SRAM) and Dynamic Random-Access memory (DRAM),
and/or non-volatile memory, such as Read Only memory (ROM), erasable
5 programmable ROM, flash memories, hard disks, optical disks, and magnetic
tapes. The memory [112] is configured to store instructions which are executed
by the at least one processor [110] for the real-time monitoring of the power
plant. The memory [112] further includes the data associated with the power
plant and collected by the sensing unit [102].
10 The power plant monitoring unit [108] includes at least one processor [110]. The
at least one processor [110] is connected to the memory [112]. The at least one
processor [104] is configured to receive, interpret, process and communicate a
data or instructions stored in the memory [112]. The at least one processor [110]
may be a central processor, an application processor, and a microprocessor. The
15 at least one processor [110] include a fault detection unit [114], a ticket
generation unit [116], a ticket assignment unit [118], a performance tracking unit
[120], and a maintenance scheduling unit [122].
The sensing unit [102] transmits the data to the fault detection unit [114]
through the communication network [106]. In an embodiment, the sensing unit
20 [102] collects the data from the one or more variety of inverters and/or one or
more sensors installed at the power plant. After collecting the data, the sensing
unit [102] generates a file based on the collected data and then transmits this
generated file to the fault detection unit [114] through the communication
network [106]. The generated file may include various error codes associated
25 with the fault in the power plant. The communication network [106] as used
herein may include, but is not be limited to, any telecommunication networks for
the transmission of data. Further, the communication network [106] includes,
but is not limited to, all internet networks such as HTTP, FTP, IEEE protocols, and
radio access wireless networks such as 2G, 3G, LTE, 4G, 5G etc. and non-internet
10
communication networks such as CDMA, TDMA. The communication network
[106] facilitates the transfer of data to and from one point to another point.
Further, the communication network [106] act as a medium to transfer data
from one end to another end. Further, the communication network [106]
5 facilitates in transferring the data to and from the power plant monitoring unit
[108] to the One or More information processing devices [104].
The fault detection unit [114] is configured to detect at least one fault associated
with the power plant. The fault detection unit [114] detects the at least one fault
based on analyzing the data collected by the sensing unit [102]. The fault
10 detection unit [114] is configured to analyze the data by extracting an error code
available in the data and further compare the extracted error code with prestored error codes. A list of error codes along with their associated description is
pre-defined by manufacturer of inverters, the plant monitoring team, power
producers and operators of the power plant. The list of error codes is pre-stored
15 in the memory [112] of the power plant monitoring unit [108]. The list of error
codes may also be stored in each of the one or more variety of inverters
associated with the power plant. In an embodiment, the plant monitoring team,
manufacturer of inverters (used in the power plant), power producers and/or
operators may access communication devices to enter error codes and their
20 corresponding description in the memory [112].
Based on the comparison of the extracted error code with the pre-stored error
codes, the fault detection unit determines the at least one fault occurred at the
power plant. In an embodiment, the fault detection unit may categorize at least
one fault as one of partial / complete plant down, grid down, any other data
25 fault. Further, based on the data collected from the sensing unit [102], the fault
detection unit [114] may also determine the location of the power plant which is
affected by the at least one fault. For instance, if fault is detected at the inverter,
the location of the inverter may be obtained by the fault detection unit [114].
11
The ticket generation unit [108] is configured to generate one or more set of
tickets for the detected at least one fault. Each of the one or more set of tickets
includes one or more unresolved tickets. As used herein, the one or more
5 unresolved tickets corresponds to the tickets whose faults are yet to be resolved
or solved by a technician; and the resolved tickets corresponds to tickets whose
faults have been corrected or resolved by a technician. The ticket generation unit
[116] is configured to generate one or more set of tickets for the at least one
fault detected through the fault detection unit [114]. The generated tickets may
10 include information including but not limited to ticket type, affected capacity,
connected capacity, type of fault, severity of the fault, plant name, plant type,
ticket creation date and time, fault occurrence time, error code, fault reason,
description of the fault.
The at least one processor [110] inside the power plant monitoring unit [108]
15 further includes the ticket assignment unit [118]. The ticket assignment unit
[118] is configured to assign the generated one or more set of tickets to the one
or more information processing devices [104]. Further, each of the one or more
set of tickets is assigned to a unique information processing device. Each
information processing device may be associated with a unique/ particular
20 technician who is assigned with a set of tickets to resolve the tickets. Thus, each
of the one or more technicians is assigned with a set of tickets and each set of
tickets may include one or more unresolved tickets.
The ticket assignment unit [118] is further configured to dynamically and
separately sort each of the generated one or more set of tickets to determine
25 the priority of the tickets to be resolved first. The sorting of the each of the one
or more set of tickets is done based on a severity of the unresolved tickets in
each set of tickets. The severity of the unresolved tickets is defined based on a
plurality of parameters. The plurality of parameters includes but is not limited to
12
connected capacity, affected capacity, ticket type, ticket assigned time,
availability of spare components for the affected plant. In an example, larger the
impacted capacity, the higher will be the severity of the unresolved tickets.
The ticket assignment unit [118] is configured to assign the generated one or
5 more set of tickets to the one or more Information Processing Device based on
the availability of the one or more technicians associated with the one or more
information processing device, within a pre-defined range of the location of the
detected at least one fault. In an example, the pre-defined range may be around
150 kilometers from the location of the detected at least one fault. In another
10 example, the range may vary according to the availability of the technician. The
one or more set of tickets are assigned on the information processing devices of
the one or more technician. The ticket assignment unit [118] determines the one
or more information processing devices which are nearest to the determined
location of the detected at least one fault.
15 The ticket assignment unit [118] is configured to send alerts to the Information
Processing Device which is determined as the nearest to the location of the
detect at least one fault. In an embodiment, the alerts include notifications
regarding the detected at least one fault. The invention encompasses that the
user to whom the ticket is assigned may be different from the user to which the
20 notification was sent to complete the task. The ticket assignment unit [118]
keeps polling positions of the One or More information processing devices [104]
which are registered in the memory [112] of the power plant monitoring unit
[108]. The One or More information processing devices [104] of the one or more
technicians are registered in the memory [112] of the power plant monitoring
25 unit [108] to get the real-time notification in case of the occurrence of the at
least one fault near to the location of the one or more technicians. Based on the
real time positions of the information processing devices [104] and based on the
location of the detected at least one fault obtained from the sensing unit, the
13
ticket assignment unit [118] determines an Information Processing Device which
is nearest to the location where the at least one fault detected.
The ticket assignment unit [118] also assigns one or more generated set of
tickets along with the notifications to the one or more information processing
5 devices near to the location where the at least one fault is detected. The one or
more technicians may open the notification on their information processing
devices to see the generated set of tickets associated with the power plant. The
one or more technicians may open the set of tickets to see the details associated
with the at least one detected fault. In an embodiment, the one or more
10 technicians have to acknowledge the unresolved ticket by clicking on the
acknowledge button on the display screen of the information processing device.
The one or more technicians may acknowledge the unresolved ticket after
reading the details associated with the at least one detected fault in the power
plant.
15 Further, the ticket assignment unit [118] is configured to navigate the one or
more technicians to the power plant via shortest available route. In an
embodiment, the ticket assignment unit [118] may ask the technician to click on
the navigation button available on the display screen of the information
processing device. In another embodiment, the ticket assignment unit [118] may
20 automatically navigate the technician after the acknowledgment of the one or
more unresolved tickets.
Further, the ticket assignment unit [118] is configured to receive the data
associated with the generated one or more set of tickets from the one or more
selected technicians. In an embodiment, the one or more technicians may fill the
25 data associated with the at least one detected fault on an application associated
with the power monitoring unit. The application associated with power plant
monitoring unit [108] is installed in one or more information processing devices.
The application as used herein refers to a mobile application or a web
14
application. The one or more technicians can mark sign-in and sign-out for a day
on the information processing device to record the number of working hours of
the technician. In an example, the swipe option (On/Off) displayed on the
application of the information processing device may be used to get sign-in and
5 sign-out. The power monitoring unit stores the information in the memory
related to the working hours of the one or more technicians. In an embodiment,
the one or more technicians receive notification based on the availability or signin on the application of the information processing device. In case, the one or
more selected technicians are not found to be signed-in, the tickets by the ticket
10 assignment unit [118] may be assigned to other users such as Hub Users or
technician available at Hub and the like. In an embodiment, the tickets may be
assigned manually, to one or more technicians if available within a pre-defined
range by selecting name of the technician and clicking on assign ticket button.
Also, the unresolved tickets may be manually assigned to one or more hub users
15 (if technician not available within a pre-defined range) by selecting name of the
hub user and clicking on assign ticket button.
The data associated with the one or more generated set of tickets may include
but is not limited to start time of working on ticket, end time of working on
tickets, expected time of completion of the ticket, issue type, reason for the
20 issue, resolution, snapshot of the issue before and after resolving issue, plant
longitude and latitude information, connected capacity, tilt, plant name, plant
type, affected components, fault reason, module temperature, and action taken.
The ticket assignment unit [118] is further configured to assign the tickets to the
one or more technicians based on the availability of the technician and based on
25 the historical performance of the technician. In an embodiment, the one or more
technicians has to fill the details before starting work on the ticket. The details
required to be filled before working on a ticket may include but is not limited to
start time of working on a ticket, expected end time or completion time of ticket,
snapshot of the affected components.
15
In an embodiment, the one or more technicians has to fill the details after
resolving the ticket. The details required to fill after resolving the ticket may
include but is not limited to end time of working on ticket, duration of working
5 on the ticket or issue resolving time, details of affected components in the power
plant unit such as number of replaced components, reason of the issue, snapshot
of the power plant unit after resolving issue.
Further, the one or more technician may be asked to fill the details before or
after resolving the tickets such as location, name, type of the power plant unit,
10 date and time of resolving the tickets. Moreover, the ticket assignment unit [118]
may be configured to receive one or more bibliographic details of a technician.
Also, the ticket assignment unit [118] may be configured to receive an updated
degree or severity of the tickets pursuant to an assessment by the technician.
The at least one processor [110] inside the power plant monitoring unit [108]
15 also includes the performance tracking unit [120] to track the performance of the
one or more technicians to resolve the tickets. The performance tracking unit
[120] may include a display screen to track the performance of the one or more
technicians. The display screen may be referred as an LCD or LED display, display
of the communication device associated with the hub users or plant monitoring
20 team. The performance tracking unit [120] is configured to enable the hub users
or plant monitoring team to track the real-time activity of the one or more
technician working on a ticket. The web dashboard viewed on the display of the
performance tracking unit [120] may view the location of the technicians based
on the location polling data sent from the one or more information processing
25 devices of the technician. The web dashboard viewed on the display may show
different real-time status of the technicians using color coding techniques. In an
example, the real-time status may correspond to stagnant technician, technician
on the move, technician working on the issue and the like.
16
Further, the performance tracking unit [120] is configured to display the
information associated with the one or more technicians working on the tickets
such as name of the technician, total number of tickets assigned to the
5 technician for the day, total number of closed tickets, total number of available
tickets and the like. The hub users may navigate to the details screen on the
display by clicking on “Name of User” option and then can check the information
corresponding to the selected technician.
The performance tracking unit [120] allows the hub users, monitoring team or
10 operators to enter the error code for different plants and retrieve updates on
real-time dynamic basis. Further, the performance tracking unit [120] may allow
the hub users or monitoring team to verify the status of the closed tickets by
clicking on verified button. Moreover, the performance tracking unit [120] is
configured to track the performance of the one or more technician based on a
15 plurality of factors. The plurality of factors includes name of the technician,
number of tickets resolved by the technician, average time to resolve the tickets,
experience of the technician, number of similar issues resolve by the technician
and the like. The details associated with the performance of the technicians is
stored in the memory [112] of the power plant monitoring unit [108]. Further,
20 performance tracking unit [120] may provide reward to each of the one or more
technicians based on the performance data of the technicians.
The at least one processor [110] inside the power plant monitoring unit [108]
further includes the maintenance scheduling unit [122]. The maintenance
scheduling unit [122] is configured for scheduling and assigning the maintenance
25 task to the one or more information processing devices [104] based on the
analyzing of the data collected from the sensing unit [102]. Further, the
maintenance scheduling unit [122] schedules and assigns the maintenance task
17
to the one or more information processing devices in an event no set of tickets
are assigned to such one or more information processing devices.
In an example, based on the analyzing of the data collected from the sensing
unit, the maintenance scheduling unit may identify that the power grid and solar
5 panel array require maintenance within 3 months. Thus, the maintenance
scheduling unit [122] can schedule and assign the maintenance task for the
power grid and solar panel array to the one or more information processing
devices when the one or more information processing device are not assigned
with any unresolved ticket.
10 The maintenance scheduling unit [122] may generate maintenance related task
based on the analyzing of the data collected from the sensing unit [102]. Further,
the maintenance related task may automatically assign on one or more
information processing devices when the one or more information processing
devices are not having any unresolved tickets.
15 The fault detection unit [114], the ticket generation unit [116], the ticket
assignment unit [118], and the performance tracking unit [120] are associated
with each other and can communicate with each other in real-time. Further, the
sensing unit [102], the power plant monitoring unit [108], the fault detection unit
[114], the ticket generation unit [116], the ticket assignment unit [118], the
20 performance tracking unit [120], and the maintenance scheduling unit [122]
make use of various hardware components such as sensors (such as geolocation
sensors, pressure sensors, temperature sensors), information processing device
(such as smart phone, tablet, laptop), router to enable the monitoring and
maintenance of the power plant from a remote location. As used herein, the
25 power plant monitoring unit [108], the fault detection unit [114], the ticket
generation unit [116], the ticket assignment unit [118], the performance tracking
unit [120], and the maintenance scheduling unit [122] can be, for example, any
assembly and/or set of operatively-coupled electrical components associated
18
with performing a specific function, and can include, for example, electrical
traces, optical connectors, and/or the like.
The power plant monitoring unit [108] may further include a plant cleaning unit
(not shown in the Figure) for the cleaning of the power plant. The plant cleaning
5 unit is configured to keep a record of actual cleaning cycles completed, deviation
of cleaning from schedule plant due to various factors such as rain. Further, the
plant cleaning unit is configured to keep record of the information related to the
number of modules of the power plant unit cleaned, number of modules of the
power plant unit left to be cleaned, number of persons or labors used for the
10 cleaning of the power plant unit. Further, the plant cleaning unit is configured to
allow the persons associated with the cleaning to enter information such as plant
name, cleaned capacity, clean type, cleaning date, picture before and after
cleaning, rainfall details, number of labors used, start time of cleaning, stop time
of cleaning. Moreover, the plant cleaning unit is configured to send alerts to the
15 persons associated with the cleaning on a regular basis as per the cleaning
schedule for the cleaning of the power plant.
The power plant monitoring unit [108] may further include an attendance
tracking unit (not shown in the Figure) to track the attendance of the person
involved in the cleaning of the power plant based on location and time log. The
20 attendance of the persons facilitates in deciding the payroll of the persons. Also,
attendance tracking unit is configured to provide alerts when the person
associated with the cleaning of the power plant is on leave. The power plant
monitoring unit [108] may further include an expense tracking unit to track the
location and distance travelled by the person to reach to the at the power plant
25 which automatically calculates the expenses of the person. The power plant
monitoring unit [108] is further responsible to assign pending maintenance
related task to the technician or person in case the technician does not have any
task to work on. Further, the power plant monitoring unit [108] keeps track of
the spare parts used and required for the monitoring and maintenance related
19
task of the power plant. Also, the power plant monitoring unit [108] is configured
to ensure the availability of the spares at the ware house in order to fulfill the
urgent requirement of the spare parts.
FIG.2 illustrates an exemplary method flow diagram [200] depicting a method for
5 real-time monitoring of a power plant, in accordance with exemplary
embodiments of the present disclosure. The method may begin when the power
plant monitoring or maintenance team wants real-time monitoring of the power
plant or the method may be an ongoing process.
At step 202, the method via sensing unit [102] collects the data associated with
10 the power plant. The data associated with the power plant may include at least
one of geographic location of the power plant, power plant parameters,
deviation in the one or more parameters of the power plant, working status of
various components of the power plant and the like. The collection of data is a
continuous activity occurring in real-time. For instance, inverter data may be
15 continuously collected and sent to the fault detection unit [114].
Next, at step 204, the method via fault detection unit [114] detects at least one
fault associated with the power plant. The at least one fault is detected based on
analyzing the data collected by the sensing unit [102]. In general, the fault
represents such issues in the power plant which affect the working of the power
20 plant. The data collected via the sensing unit [102] may be analyzed by first
extracting an error code available in the collected data. Secondly, the extracted
error code is compared with a list of pre-defined error codes stored in a memory
[112]. The error code facilitates in detecting the type of fault available in the
power plant. The pre-defined error codes are first defined by the monitoring or
25 maintenance team to ease the detection of the fault in the power plant.
Next, at step 206, the method via ticket generation unit [116] generates one or
more set of tickets for the detected at least one fault. The set of tickets includes
one or more unresolved tickets. Further, each of the one or more unresolved
20
generated ticket includes information about the detected at least one fault such
as type of fault, place of fault, location of fault, severity of fault, affected
capacity, connected capacity and the like. For instance, if fault A, B, C and D are
detected, the ticket generation unit [116] may generate a first set of tickets S1
5 comprising tickets for faults A and D; and a second set of tickets S2 comprising
tickets for fault B and C. Each of the tickets in a set may be assigned a unique
identification number and this data may be stored in the memory [112] for
further processing. For instance, in the above example, the following data may
be stored in the memory [112]:
Ticket ID Fault Set ID
T1 A S1
T2 B S2
T3 C S2
T4 D S1
10 At this instant therefore, tickets T1, T2, T3 and T4 are known as unresolved
tickets.
Next, at step 208, the method via ticket assignment unit [118] assigns said
generated one or more set of tickets to one or more information processing
device. The one or more information processing devices are associated with one
15 or more technicians. Further, each set of ticket of the one or more sets of the
tickets is assigned to a unique information processing device. The unique
information processing device may be associated with a particular technician.
Thus, each of the one or more technician may have a set of tickets to resolve.
The set of ticket may include the one or more unresolved tickets. Continuing the
20 above example, the first set of tickets S1 may be assigned to a technician David
and second set of tickets S2 may be assigned to a technician Paul. This data may
also be updated and stored in the memory [112] for further processing. For
instance, this data may be stored in the following table format:
21
Ticket ID Fault Set ID User name
T1 A S1 David
T2 B S2 Paul
T3 C S2 David
T4 D S1 Paul
The assigning of tickets as discussed above is based on the current location of the
technician as well as the location of the fault. The assigning of the tickets may
5 further be based on the availability of the one or more technicians associated
with the one or more information processing device, within a pre-defined range
of the location of the detected at least one fault. For instance, a ticket may be
assigned to a technician only if the technician is within a radius of 150 km from
the occurrence of the fault.
10 The invention encompasses that if there are two technicians in the same
navigating distance (proximity) of the power plant, a technician who has
attended to similar issue in the past, will be assigned the ticket. In case, both the
users have not attended the similar issues in the past, then the user who hasn’t
been assigned any ticket on that day or has been assigned lesser number of
15 tickets on that day may be assigned the ticket.
Next, at step 210, the method via ticket assignment unit [118] dynamically and
separately sorts each of the generated one or more set of tickets. The sorting of
the generated one or more set of tickets is done to define the priority of the
ticket to be resolved first. Further, the sorting of the generated one or more
20 tickets is based on a severity of the unresolved tickets in each of the set of
tickets. The tickets with high severity are assigned high priority. For instance,
continuing the above example, the tickets in set S1 are sorted such that ticket
with higher severity, say T4 (fault D) is given higher priority over T1 (fault A) that
22
is of lower severity. Similarly, the tickets in set S2 may be sorted such that T3 is
given higher priority over T2.
Further, the method via maintenance scheduling unit schedules and assigns the
maintenance task to the one or more information processing devices in an event
5 no set of tickets is assigned to the one or more information processing devices.
The maintenance task associated with the power plant is generated based on the
analyzing of the data collected from the sensing unit.
The invention encompasses that the severity of a fault or issue may vary
dynamically, and the priority of the ticket associated with the fault is also
10 accordingly dynamically prioritized based on the variance in severity of the fault
or issue. The dynamic prioritization is tickets is also a continuing process.
As is apparent from the above disclosure, the present invention provides
significant advantages over the existing system such as reduction in cost,
reduction in manpower, better time management, attendance tracking facility,
15 and improvement in plant availability due to reduction in plant down-time.
Although the present invention has been discussed with reference to monitoring
a power plant in real-time, it shall be appreciated by those skilled in the art that
the invention encompasses monitoring of a plurality of power plants in real-time
in accordance with the invention.
20 While the present invention has been described with reference to certain
preferred embodiments and examples thereof, other embodiments, equivalents
and modifications are possible and are also encompassed by the scope of the
present disclosure.

We Claim:
1. A system [100] for real-time monitoring of a power plant, the system
[100] comprising:
5 - a sensing unit [102] associated with the power plant for collecting
data associated with the power plant;
- one or more information processing devices [104] associated with
one or more technicians; and
- a power plant Monitoring unit [108] for the monitoring of the power
10 plant, wherein the power plant Monitoring unit [108] comprises:
a memory [112]; and
at least one processor [110] coupled to said memory [112],
wherein the at least one processor [110] further comprises:
a fault detection unit [114] configured to detect at least
15 one fault associated with the power plant, wherein the at
least one fault is detected based on analyzing the data
collected by the sensing unit [102];
a ticket generation unit [116] configured to generate one
or more set of tickets for the detected at least one fault,
20 wherein each of said set of tickets comprising one or more
unresolved tickets; and
a ticket assignment unit [118] configured to
assign said generated one or more set of tickets to
said one or more information processing devices
25 [104], wherein each of said set of tickets is assigned
to a unique information processing device,
24
Dynamically and separately sort each of said
generated one or more set of tickets, said sorting
based on a severity of the unresolved tickets in
each of said set of tickets.
5 2. The system [100] as claimed in claim 1, wherein the power plant is a solar
power plant.
3. The system [100] as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fault detection unit
[114] is further configured to determine a location of the detected at
least one fault.
10 4. The system [100] as claimed in claim 1 wherein the ticket assignment unit
[118] is configured to assign said generated one or more set of tickets to
said one or more information processing devices [104] based on an
availability of the one or more technicians associated with said one or
more information processing devices [104], within a pre-defined range of
15 the location of the detected at least one fault.
5. The system [100] as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ticket assignment
unit [118] is further configured to navigate the one or more technicians
to the power plant via a shortest available route.
6. The system [100] as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a performance
20 tracking unit [120] configured to track a performance of the one or more
technicians based on one or more factors, said factors being based on
ticket resolving capacity of technician.
7. The system [100] as claimed in claim 1 wherein the severity of the ticket
is defined based on a plurality of parameters comprising at least one of a
25 connected capacity, an affected capacity, a type of ticket and a ticket
assigned time.
25
8. The system [100] as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a maintenance
scheduling unit [122] configured for scheduling and assigning
maintenance task to the one or more information processing devices
[104] in an event no set of tickets is assigned to the one or more
5 information processing devices [104].
9. A method [200] for real-time monitoring of a power plant, the method
comprising:
- collecting data associated with power plant through a sensing unit
[102], wherein the sensing unit [102] is associated with the power
10 plant;
- detecting at least one fault associated with the power plant, wherein
the at least one fault is detected based on analyzing the data
collected by the sensing unit [102];
- generating one or more set of tickets for the detected at least one
15 fault, wherein each of said set of tickets comprising one or more
unresolved tickets;
- assigning said generated one or more set of tickets to the one or
more information processing device, wherein each of said set of
tickets is assigned to a unique information processing device; and
20 - dynamically and separately sorting each of said generated one or
more set of tickets, wherein the sorting is based on a severity of the
unresolved tickets in each of the said set of tickets.
10. The method [200] as claimed in claim 8, wherein analyzing the data
further comprises:
25 - extracting an error code available in the data; and
- comparing the extracted error code with a list of pre-defined error
codes stored in said memory [112].
26
11. The method [200] as claimed in claim 8, further comprising scheduling
and assigning maintenance task to the one or more information
processing devices in an event no set of tickets is assigned to the one or
more information processing devices..