The power generation industry is one of the essential backbones of the modern world. People need their electricity to keep their appliances running, and businesses need the power to keep on producing. But to keep a constant source of power running needs power plants that are in good condition. As a plant manager, you do your best to ensure that happens. But so many things can go wrong at a power plant. This is why you need to constantly monitor them. Here are some tips on how to properly monitor your power plants, so they don’t develop any problems.
Install Proper Monitoring Systems
The first step is to have the infrastructure to do the job. There are several tools out there that will allow you to cover every part of your power plant with monitoring equipment. For example, you can use DAS systems to have a network without any blind spots all over your power plant. This would allow you to keep track of everything in your plant. DAS systems are a good choice since they would not need cables and wires to reach the various areas that need monitoring. Plus, you can have uninterrupted coverage of each location.
Calibrate the Settings
Monitoring is useless if you do not get the right data. This is why when your monitoring systems are first installed, you need to calibrate the system so that it reflects accurate information. Wrong information will result in mistakes with your responses to the data. For the first few weeks of monitoring, you need to double-check and modify your monitoring solutions when needed.
Install Regular Upgrades
Besides accuracy, you will need to ensure that your system has regular upgrades. Nowadays, thanks to simple software changes, there is no longer a need for long downtimes for upgrades. So, there is no excuse for not constantly upgrading and updating your monitoring system. This ensures that it is in good condition and stay perfectly accurate.
Have a Trained Team
Although monitoring systems now have automatic alerts, there is nothing that can beat a human at the boards. They don’t have to be constantly there, but they do need to check regularly and also be on hand when there is an emergency. A skilled monitor can tell what exactly is going wrong and what is the appropriate response to it.
Use the Data
The monitoring data is not only for telling you that something is wrong. You can also use that data to do tweaks in your performance so that your power plane can function better. For example, if the data shows your plant is facing particular problems in a particular area, then the location may need a technician to look at it.
Have a Monthly Report
Performance reports and recommendations should be submitted by your team on a monthly basis. Info like potential problems and improvements should be brought to your attention. If it is really important, then you may need to escalate it to someone higher up.
Proper monitoring ensures that power plants run with no problems. The tips above should help any plant manager to keep an eye on a plant’s condition so that it doesn’t fail. With uninterrupted power generation, users will be happier, and the plant will stay profitable in the long run.
