Emerson updates Ovation DCS as a software-defined, AI-ready platform

Emerson is updating its Ovation automation platform to include a software-defined architecture that will help utilities better leverage data, new technologies and artificial intelligence (AI). The company says this enhancement will enable industries to achieve new levels of operational excellence and meet the increasing demand for reliable, affordable and sustainable power and water.

Emerson says its Ovation 4.0 automation platform builds upon the company’s Boundless Automation vision to integrate and deliver valuable reliability, safety, production and sustainability data across enterprises to optimise operations. The software-defined platform enhancements include advanced automation, simulation and AI capabilities.

“Our next-generation platform will help modernise power and water operations, unlocking predictive strategies to help utilities meet the evolving pressures of the industries,” said Bob Yeager, president of Emerson’s power and water business. “Ovation 4.0 offers a single automation platform with real-time data, enabling customers to keep pace with rapidly changing markets, providing the insights they need to work smarter, better and faster.”

Power or water operators with a complex portfolio of distributed energy resources (DERs) — including combined cycle plants, wind farms, hydro facilities, solar panels, battery storage, microgrids and electric vehicle charging stations — can utilise Ovation 4.0’s grid edge ecosystem to manage real-time, bidirectional inputs and deliver distributed data across their entire network, according to Emerson. Grid edge controllers provide a more granular view of the grid through high-speed, localised computing environments across DERs, putting data closer to operators to improve load and demand management.

Emerson’s Ovation software-based platform is part of a solutions portfolio designed to help future-proof utilities, including a suite of pattern recognition and machine learning technologies to monitor, control and optimise assets. The Ovation View human machine interface and integration of Ovation Green renewable SCADA software are designed to provide a clear view of operations, advanced analytics and forecasting tools.

The Ovation 4.0 platform also offers generative AI models trained on a foundation of Ovation knowledge-based data that will offer prescriptive guidance on operational and maintenance practices. Ovation digital twin technology with AI models also provides analytical computing power that enables data-driven decisions, business-wide collaboration and on-demand support.

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