Engineering for decarbonization

Take e-mobility. While the tank of a combustion-engined car only needs a fuel level gauge, a battery system contains all sorts of controls. Modern high-voltage systems also require shielding and safety systems that aren't needed in batteries for conventional vehicles. This all has to be wired, which has implications for the complexity of the electrical distribution systems. The related processes have to be reorganized and new system suppliers brought on board, all with limited personnel resources. And the pressure to get production started on time is, if anything, growing.

The trend toward autonomous driving brings with it yet more sensor and control technology. New standards have to be taken into account to ensure functional safety, for example. At the same time, there is a need to make the development process traceable and avoid systemic errors. Data analysis is indispensable here. And here, conventional tools come up short because nowhere near all the data required for automated evaluation can be depicted on circuit diagrams. In Engineering Base, on the other hand, every component can have any number of attributes added to it, all of them evaluable. Engineering Base's data-centric model of the electrical distribution system stays transparent and up-to-date throughout the entire development cycle for everyone involved – and accessible via web services too. This shortens turnaround times. Engineering Base's openness and flexibility with regard to new processes, new standards and growing complexity give it future-proof capability.

Manufacturers of electrolyzers have a different type of growth in mind. In light of the increasing demand for hydrogen, they want to be able to supply more plants to generate more megawatts as quickly as possible. Unlike in the process industry, however, this cannot be achieved by simply designing larger reactors, for instance. Manufacturers use highly standardized modules that can be 'clicked together', allowing output to be scaled up by numbering up the modules. The internationally respected electrolysis expert SUNFIRE has already certified that some jobs now take only six weeks instead of six months with Engineering Base, thanks mainly to the cross-disciplinary 'data home'. This also makes it possible to provide complete, quality-tested modules, again because they are developed as a single unit in a cross-disciplinary process.

The hydrogen produced can only be classified as "green" if the electricity required for electrolysis comes from renewable sources. But regardless of whether it's for H2 production or for other industries or private households, the green electricity first has to get to where it's needed. Power grid operators are under great pressure here because they have to massively expand their grid capacities due to decentralized power generation. This means that, instead of one regional power plant, there are now hundreds of solar, wind and biomass plants. At the same time, the technology in substations is set to change so profoundly over the coming years that conventional, drawing-based tools will simply no longer be able to map them. Engineering Base's central data model is once again a big plus here, as are the decades of experience in power distribution invested in the platform.

Engineering Base supports the process industry in efficiently planning and further developing plants throughout their entire life cycle. This is particularly important when modernising existing plants: operators worldwide are switching their production processes to new energy sources, raw materials or products, partly with the aim of reducing emissions and using resources more efficiently. At the same time, the growing importance of the circular economy is increasing demand for recycling plants.

For these conversion and expansion projects, operators need a consistent and up-to-date digital information base. Engineering Base helps them reuse existing plant information, implement changes in a traceable way and connect the engineering disciplines involved.