GE Digital (GE) (General Electric) Case Studies Bruce Power Optimizes Availability to Power Ontario at Lower Cost with APM

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	Bruce Power Optimizes Availability to Power Ontario at Lower Cost with APM GE Digital (GE) (General Electric)

Bruce Power Optimizes Availability to Power Ontario at Lower Cost with APM

GE Digital (GE) (General Electric)

Technology Category	Functional Applications - Remote Monitoring & Control Systems
Applicable Industries	Utilities
Applicable Functions	Maintenance
Use Cases	Predictive Maintenance
Challenge	Bruce Power operates the world’s largest nuclear generating facility and provides Ontario, Canada with roughly 30% of its electricity. The company’s site in Tiverton, Ontario is home to eight CANDU reactors — each capable of producing up to 800 megawatts. With the nuclear power industry struggling to balance rapidly increasing demand with the costs and safety measures required to support an aging equipment base, Bruce Power identified scheduled maintenance activities as a source for efficiency gains — enabling increased availability. Specifically, the company had more scheduled maintenance activities than capacity, resulting in delays. Read More
About Customer	Bruce Power is a Canadian electricity company and operator of the world's largest nuclear generating facility. The company's site in Tiverton, Ontario houses eight CANDU reactors, each capable of producing up to 800 megawatts of power. This makes Bruce Power a significant contributor to Ontario's electricity supply, providing approximately 30% of the province's electricity. The company operates within the nuclear power industry, which is currently facing challenges in balancing increasing demand with the costs and safety measures required to maintain an aging equipment base. Read More
Solution	Bruce Power implemented Asset Performance Management (APM) from GE Digital, formerly known as Meridium Enterprise APM, to increase availability while maintaining high safety standards. The APM solution allowed Bruce Power to use a risk-based approach to determine optimal maintenance intervals for its assets. This continuous identification and implementation of maintenance-related work-process improvements enabled the company to increase the life of existing assets, improve plant reliability and availability, and increase the amount of power pumped into the grid. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Functional Applications - Remote Monitoring & Control Systems

Applicable Industries

Utilities

Applicable Functions

Maintenance

Use Cases

Predictive Maintenance

Challenge

Bruce Power operates the world’s largest nuclear generating facility and provides Ontario, Canada with roughly 30% of its electricity. The company’s site in Tiverton, Ontario is home to eight CANDU reactors — each capable of producing up to 800 megawatts. With the nuclear power industry struggling to balance rapidly increasing demand with the costs and safety measures required to support an aging equipment base, Bruce Power identified scheduled maintenance activities as a source for efficiency gains — enabling increased availability. Specifically, the company had more scheduled maintenance activities than capacity, resulting in delays.

About Customer

Bruce Power is a Canadian electricity company and operator of the world's largest nuclear generating facility. The company's site in Tiverton, Ontario houses eight CANDU reactors, each capable of producing up to 800 megawatts of power. This makes Bruce Power a significant contributor to Ontario's electricity supply, providing approximately 30% of the province's electricity. The company operates within the nuclear power industry, which is currently facing challenges in balancing increasing demand with the costs and safety measures required to maintain an aging equipment base.

Solution

Bruce Power implemented Asset Performance Management (APM) from GE Digital, formerly known as Meridium Enterprise APM, to increase availability while maintaining high safety standards. The APM solution allowed Bruce Power to use a risk-based approach to determine optimal maintenance intervals for its assets. This continuous identification and implementation of maintenance-related work-process improvements enabled the company to increase the life of existing assets, improve plant reliability and availability, and increase the amount of power pumped into the grid.

Impact #1	Increased the life of existing assets
Impact #2	Improved plant reliability and availability
Impact #3	Increased the amount of power pumped into the grid

Impact #1

Increased the life of existing assets

Impact #2

Improved plant reliability and availability

Impact #3

Increased the amount of power pumped into the grid

Benefit #1	Invested over $200 million of private dollars into publicly owned reactors during three planned maintenance outages in 2014
Benefit #2	One of its units surpassed 500 days of continuous operation
Benefit #3	Providing over 15% of Ontario’s electricity

Benefit #1

Invested over $200 million of private dollars into publicly owned reactors during three planned maintenance outages in 2014

Benefit #2

One of its units surpassed 500 days of continuous operation

Benefit #3

Providing over 15% of Ontario’s electricity

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Overview

Bruce Power Optimizes Availability to Power Ontario at Lower Cost with APM

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit