Software
NEOS IS A METHODOLOGY TO SIMULATE LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF MAINTENANCE AND REPLACEMENT STRATEGIES ON COSTS AND QUALITY FOR ELECTRICITY, GAS, WATER AND DISTRICT HEAT DISTRIBUTION NETWORKS („ASSET SIMULATION“).
THE SIMULATION ALLOWS A SYSTEMATIC ANALYSIS AND APPRAISAL OF STRATEGY VARIANTS, AND THEREFORE PROVIDES ESSENTIAL SUPPORT FOR THE STRATEGIC OPTIMISATION OF NETWORK MANAGEMENT FACING CONTINUOUSLY RISING DEMANDS ON EFFICIENCY OF NETWORK OPERATION.
Contact
Solution
The methodology mainly aims to simulate the effects of measures taken by the operator on network condition and the operating performance of the equipment. Besides predictable actions that are generated by current maintenance and replacement strategies non-predictable measures as fault clearance are regarded. Fault rates are determined simulating the aging of the assets using freely configurable aging-models. The integrated quality model steps the fault rates up to common reliability characteristics that are especially used for electricity networks. Any measure is weighted monetarily with freely configurable estimation of costs. The simulation provides cash-flow time-lines to the user and the development of quality on a user defined simulation period. Thus, strategy variations and therefore resulting long-term effects can be analysed and quantified.
Challenge
Maintenance and replacement strategies have to be optimised with the objective of providing adequate network capacities on an appropriate level of quality with costs as low as possible. Thereby, the following questions may occur that cannot only be answered by regarding existing assets and present quality levels:
To what replacement, maintenance and fault clearance costs will presently operated strategies lead? How will quality develop?
What are the effects of limited budgets and resources on quality of supply? What amount of delaying necessary replacements can be tolerated regarding quality? What are the minimum costs to reach a given level of quality?
What are the effects of limited budgets and resources on quality of supply? Investing in which branch and asset will lead to highest benefit?
Features
- Consideration of asset quantity and age segments
- Evaluation of operating performance by aging-models
- Calculation of cost and quality as well as allocation of budget
- Applicable for networks of any size covering several branches
- Clearly arranged graphical user interface for data handling and visualisation of simulation results
- Flexible adjustment of calculation parameters and simulation models to complexity and data availability
- Considering budget and resource limits
- Quick and comfortable simulation of strategy variations
- Computing time within seconds even with substantial simulations
- Import and export of input data sets and simulation results in excel-processible data format