At the beginning of the year, Dr Philipp zur Heiden, Jennifer Priefer and Prof Dr Daniel Beverungen from the Chair of Information Systems, in particular Business Information Systems, successfully published the results of the FLEMING project in the journal "IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management".
How artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced sensor technology can revolutionise the use of sensors in distribution networks has been investigated by a consortium of research and industry in the FLEMING joint project since 2019. In addition to the Software Innovation Campus Paderborn (SICP), the ABB Research Centre Germany, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), the Research Institute for Rationalisation (FIR) at RWTH Aachen University, Heimann Sensor GmbH, SÜC Coburg and WestfalenWIND were also involved. With total funding of 3.3 million euros from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, the project developed flexible monitoring and control systems using AI for the energy and mobility transition. The research results help to increase the reliability of medium-voltage distribution grids in the long term and to better monitor and maintain central components in medium-voltage distribution grids.
In their paper, Dr Philipp zur Heiden, Jennifer Priefer and Prof Dr Daniel Beverungen present the results of a survey with several distribution grid operators in order to adequately capture the prevailing problems of distribution grid operators. The research work emphasises the close connection between IT and services and presents a combination of a digital industry platform and a smart service system for predictive maintenance in the distribution grid. This concept was implemented as a prototype and the results were tested using a willingness-to-pay analysis with distribution network operators. The design principles and implications for managing the maintenance of critical components in the distribution grid resulting from this research contribute to the development of smart services and digital platforms in the energy sector.
The journal "IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management" is a prestigious journal at the interface between information systems and engineering. By publishing the article in this journal, the project team has succeeded in publicising the findings gathered over the entire duration of the project in scientific circles.
Even though the FLEMING project was already completed in December 2022, the consortium of the research project is participating in another research project in a largely unchanged constellation: AProSys (www.projekt-aprosys.de). This project is investigating the use of cognitive assistance and forecasting systems in the distribution grid. By using Generative AI, the fitters in the distribution grid receive customised recommendations for improved maintenance. The project, which is also sponsored by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, will run until December 2025.
