#assetsavvy

March 14 is widely recognized as PI Day, with pie‑filled celebrations of the favorite mathematical constant starting with 3.14. At NYPA, PI Day takes on added importance due to the ongoing work to implement a standardized Process Integration (PI) system across all facilities. The PI system will allow employees from operators to engineers to business leaders to quickly find and view near real‑time information on asset performance via interactive displays, computers or mobile devices, enabling data‑driven decision‑making. Here is a snapshot of NYPA’s PI journey to date:

Phase II, underway now, focuses on expanding the current PI system to NYPA’s facilities in Southeastern New York (SENY). Adam Shapiro, smart grid solution architect and project lead for Phase II, will partner with site operations teams to identify and address specific SENY needs. Additionally, during Phase II, training will continue across the organization to help familiarize staff with the PI system.

Implementing a standardized PI system across all of NYPA’s facilities will support collaboration and learning, making it easier for each site to identify opportunities for improvement driven by data trends in asset performance. According to digital utility worker program manager Kedaar Raman, “This is a major undertaking, and it’s only possible through close collaboration among our teams at all of our sites.”

At NYPA’s Blenheim-Gilboa (B-G) facility in the Catskill Mountains, pump-turbines are vital to move water between two reservoirs to generate electricity. One of these turbines was slow in building pressure and ultimately became inoperative.

In response, a small team of experts was assembled, led by George Fetchko, NYPA’s Mechanical Maintenance Superintendent at B-G, including NYPA Operations & Maintenance and Engineering staff, the equipment manufacturer and an engineering consultant. This team recommended a closer inspection of the Runner Band Drain Valve (RBDV).

B-G mechanics disassembled the RBDV and discovered that internal parts had been damaged. The team surmised that if this damage was left unchecked, a catastrophic failure of the turbine was likely, resulting in an expensive outage that could last several weeks.

Repairs could be made to the unit after taking it out of service, but it would take months to finish the work. So the NYPA team continued to brainstorm ways to keep the turbine available.

Ultimately, a second approach was developed that aligned with two of NYPA’s strategic initiatives – Asset Management and Smart Generation & Transmission. Using these disciplines, the team recommended installing digital sensors to continually monitor the pressure and condition of the RBDV. These sensors were engineered and integrated into the larger monitoring system to alert plant operators of significant changes in the unit’s pressure.

The sensor data was connected to NYPA’s Integrated Smart Operations Center (ISOC) in White Plains to monitor for more subtle changes not recognized by more traditional systems. This type of monitoring was not possible in the past, but the new monitoring technology proved essential for detecting any future failure.

When creative minds in NYPA Utility Operations collide with techniques & technologies, the outcome is Asset Savvy.