Exton, PA- January 10, 2011– ThingWorx™, the provider of the first application platform for the connected world, today announced a strategic partnership with Sensei Solutions, a leading provider of Electric Utility Smart Grid solutions… Read the full Press Release Here

Each IED and device at your substation communicates a bit differently. Each unit has it’s own proprietary set of parameters that need to be measured and monitored.  Each device may actually speak a different language.  So that presents a challenge even in the best of times.  IT departments typically do not want to integrate or worry about disparate data sources.  Your challenge should not be getting the data out of these devices, but rather using that data.

Sensei provides an engine that collects this disparate data from all sources in the Substation or control house, and “normalizes” that data. This means that we take this data in it’s various different formats and centralize it, make it one type of string and submit that data through our software algorithms and create a useful stream of data for distribution and use throughout the enterprise at the Utility.

Simply put, Sensei does the ‘heavy lifting’ of coordinating and changing the disparate data for your IED’s and makes it easy to use.

Once the data streams have been normalized, you can direct that data wherever you need to in order to use it most effectively and efficiently.

Normalization takes place in the Sensei Net solution, and is made usable and portable. For more information on Sensei Net and Normalization, contact us.

Sensei is able to communicate with a vast array of devices in the field and substation. IED’s are varied and disparate, even within a utility’s own infrastructure approach: You may have three types of GSU’s in one substation, but possibly have over 30 types across your fleet.  This is a common issue.  Sensei offers a solution to manage devices, whether heterogeneous or homogeneous – and if you are considering new devices, Sensei will work together with you to determine the best approach for gathering, normalizing and transmitting data to and from these devices.

No matter what type of device, no matter where it is in the substation/swichyard, no matter how it is currently collecting data - Sensei will bring the data back and make it available for correlation and analysis for you.

Asynchronous communications or bi-directional communications are options for devices in the field.  Sensei will work with your team to determine what state your communications are today, and what state you would like to be in the future, best case.

Sensei Solutions understands the meaning of Smart Grid. We have created a web-based, modular and innovative solution that masters the data that you need to have for your asset management and maintenance planning. Not to mention that Capital repairs and replacements cost upwards of millions of dollars for your company – Sensei can help prevent those costly repairs and help you plan for them, rather than face a catastrophic failure.

Definition: Smart Grid – An advanced electricity transmission and distribution network (”grid”) that utilizes digital information and control technology to improve reliability, security, and efficiency. United States: Glossary of Key Climate Change Terms, Jones Day

Sensei is an expert at building and transforming aging assets into the Smart Grid reality. Our team has the experience and the solutions to bring your company’s Smart Grid vision to life.

Sensei supports the use of and the collection of disparate data from assets at the substation.  Whether generation, transmission or distribution, if a utility deems the asset critical, Sensei has a method to gather that data, collect it, normalize it and use it to assist in managing for the Utility process.

‘Condition based monitoring’ is the process of monitoring a parameter of condition in machinery, such that a significant change is indicative of a developing failure. The use of conditional monitoring allows maintenance to be scheduled, or other actions to be taken to avoid the consequences of failure, before the failure occurs. – Wikipedia

Condition based monitoring (CBM) involves the use of various tools, both analytical and technical and has spawned many internal solutions for monitoring.  One of the most common tools that has evolved is the Criticality Index (CI.)  The CI is often used to determine the degree on condition based monitoring on a given machine, taking into account the purpose, redundancy (i.e. if the machine fails, is there a standby unit or alternative approach to take on the load or responsibility of the existing unit), cost of repair, downtime impacts, health, safety and environment issues and a number of other key factors.  The CI places all machines into one of three categories, which most utilities configure to their own considerations for maintenance and care of their assets:

· 1 – Critical Machinery – Units that are vital to the process and without which, the process cannot function.  Measurements such as load, pressures, temperatures, casing vibration, displacement and others are considered mandatory and are often used as feedback for managing trend data on the life of the unit.  Software is often used to analyze individual measures, and can be used with correlating data to determine health of the Critical Machinery.

· 2 – Essential Machinery – Units that are a key part of the process, but if there is a failure, the process still continues.  Redundant units (if available) fall into this realm.  Testing and control of these units is also essential to maintain alternative plans should Critical Machinery fail.

· 3 – General Purpose Machinery – The balance of units at the substation or field asset level.  Those that can fail and not affect the overall process or consideration for the success of the process.  These are normally monitored with either manual or routine methods, and data may or may not be critical to the overall process and solution selection criteria.

Using this approach creates the backbone for many maintenance and operational approaches for the utility at the Substation level.  Sensei Solutions uses the data from Critical Machinery to help the utility create a balanced plan of attack and to manage and maintain the assets that are absolutely necessary for the creation, transmission and distribution of electricity.

Sensei is an expert at integrating the best practices of over 30 years of field expertise and the experiences of our customers and partners. BPA has been an approach to streamlining effort to get to the end goal: Satisfied customers, efficient processes and overall cost-savings to the enterprise.

Sensei Solutions offers a complete line-up of tools that provide a direct approach to BPA and give the Utility leverage to manage more effectively, their asset fleet for Generation, T&D.

Our Solutions offer secure and safe communications, as well as process management that has been proven to demonstrate an effective and efficient benefit for the utility, along with data management and correlation to provide an asset management program that will save money, time and resources – Something that every utility needs today.

Using our state-of-the-art software, services and hardware to manage the devices, Sensei has an easy to implement solution that will cut costs, and align with IT and Infrastructure approaches throughout the organization, truly creating a Smart Grid, while ensuring the win-win for the utility customer: Service for value.

With pending compliance audits just around the corner, Sensei understands the need to have data and information ready - not just stored in the Historian, but actually available and open for inspection.  We work with your existing Compliance conditions, IT Regulations and additional regulatory compliance to create a safe, secure and robust CIP program.

Meeting NERC CIP regulation is pivotal to growth of the Smart Grid, reliability and overall, saving your utility money.  Sensei has the solution to complement and extend your existing infrastructure and works with your business processes, as well as your field staff to reinforce conditions at the Generation, Transmission and Distribution levels.

Substation Automation and Condition based monitoring are an important part of the CIP requirements - Sensei specializes in these areas and has an end-to-end solution that allows us to take each situation into consideration and capitalize on what you already have in place, versus ’starting all over.’