The nuclear industry is a major economic sector. Predictive maintenance increases asset reliability and availability.
Benefits of Predictive Maintenance in the Nuclear Sector
With the advent of Industry 4.0, the most important industries have needed to update their hardware and digital capabilities. The nuclear sector is no exception, as the challenges faced by stakeholders in this strategic field require constant vigilance. What better solution than predictive maintenance to achieve this continuous monitoring?
Objectives of Predictive Maintenance Applied to Nuclear Power
Living in a community requires everyone to control their production and energy consumption. The nuclear sector is at the beginning of the energy chain and enjoys a privileged economic status. French nuclear power is imported, exported, and represents a crucial industrial asset that should not be overlooked.
Examining the conditions of nuclear energy production, one realizes that modifications have been made to align with the environmental context and the ever-increasing energy needs.
To operate such a powerful industry, it must be equipped with efficient tools. How can we transition to decarbonized production while increasing the pace of production? Predictive maintenance comes into play when striving to find this balance.
From equipment design to maintenance and operation, predictive maintenance proves its relevance in the nuclear field.
As a result of extensive work, Amiral Technologies offers predictive failure solutions to high-value industries through DiagFit. This predictive maintenance software aims to increase the availability of production systems by minimizing or eliminating failures in the long term. In a sector like nuclear power, where constant availability must be ensured at all costs, the use of such technology is crucial.
Use Cases and Results
Corrective maintenance aimed to repair equipment after a failure was detected. The transition to predictive maintenance allows not only the early detection of failures but also an assessment of asset wear to perform appropriate maintenance at the right time.
Issues encountered in the nuclear industry can be of various types. An anomaly can be detected in piping, waste receptacles, or even in the IT system.
In all cases, the data sent to DiagFit is interpreted by the maintenance operator. With the information provided by the software, the maintenance personnel are facilitated in their work, enabling uninterrupted operation of the industry.
Furthermore, valuable insights can be gained through the enriched historical data. The normal operating mode of equipment becomes known, and any deviation from this system is quickly identified.
From an environmental standpoint, predictive maintenance is a significant advantage. In the long run, performing maintenance with sufficient anticipation rather than restarting machines is beneficial for power plants.
Finally, nuclear industries will rely less frequently on primary resources since predictive maintenance paves the way for sustainability. Well-maintained equipment reduces the likelihood of replacement or sending back worn-out parts. Consequently, logistic costs are automatically reduced.
