The US Navy’s Military Sealift Command (MSC) has selected General Electric (GE) for the Predix Asset Performance Management (APM) pilot programme, which aims to enhance performance and mission readiness.
GE will be responsible for carrying out its APM pilot programme on-board two of the navy’s T-AKE replenishment dry cargo ammunition vessels, USNS William McLean (T-AKE 12) and USNS Medgar Evers (T-AKE13), under an extension of the current service contract.
The first phase of the programme will see the company supply the Motor Fleet APM solution, which is expected to facilitate high-speed data sampling for to analyse the electrical signatures of various critical marine equipment.
Phase one will also include the delivery of predictive analytics solutions.
GE Aviation Digital Solutions chief digital officer John Mansfield said: “Building on the strong partnership we have with the MSC will allow us to continue to share both our physics and digital based capabilities, improving their asset availability, efficiency and operations.
“We’re taking the field data for each vessel and modelling the overall health of their systems so they can make informed decisions to significantly increase their mission readiness.”
GE intends to develop a ‘digital twin’ as part of the initiative, which is a virtual replica created from the data gathered from marine equipment such as variable frequency drives, propulsion motors, diesel engines and generators.
Predix APM will compare real-time asset performance against its digital twin’s data profile.
It is anticipated to help identify potential issues and allow operators to resolve them before they occur.
This will enhance asset reliability and availability, as well as reduce overall maintenance requirements and associated operational costs.
GE carries out all remote monitoring and diagnostics at its Power Conversion’s Houston Remote Monitoring & Diagnostic centre in collaboration with the US Navy’s Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPARWAR).
