Detailed explanation of the research and application of key Internet integration technologies in large energy groups

China Energy Storage Network: Limited by their large size and heavy burden, more and more state-owned enterprises have realized that the reform of state-owned enterprises should not only focus on technological innovation, but also on institutional innovation, management innovation and model innovation. China Datang Corporation is one of them. How to use Internet thinking to change some traditional institutional mechanisms that hinder the development of enterprises, reconstruct the industrial space and business layout of enterprises, and ultimately achieve integrated development? This article takes the Internet + application platform of China Datang Group as an example, and through an exclusive interview with the chairman of the group, Chen, strives to explore and observe the research and application of key Internet integration technologies in large energy groups.

On October 12, the China Electric Power Science and Technology Award Committee held a special review meeting in Beijing to review and approve the 2016 China Electric Power Science and Technology Award projects selected by the China Electric Power Science and Technology Award Review Committee. China Datang Corporation's "Research and Application of Key Internet Integration Technologies in Large Energy Groups" won the first prize of China Electric Power Science and Technology Progress. The establishment of the Internet + application platform was the key to the project's winning.

As the first person to complete the project, Chen Jinxing, Chairman of China Datang Corporation, accepted an interview with our reporter.

China Electric Power News: Why do we need to study and apply key Internet integration technologies? What is the background of the project? Please give an example of applying Internet technology.

Chen Jinxing: Since its establishment, Datang Group has been developing rapidly. Traditional management methods can no longer meet the requirements of group management and control capabilities. It is urgent to adopt modern technical means to improve management and control capabilities. This is reflected in the weak real-time production monitoring capabilities, weak non-stop accident prevention capabilities, lack of effective means for early equipment status diagnosis, and lack of effective platform for optimized operation analysis and guidance; extensive fuel management, weak management and control capabilities, insufficient data real-time, and single blending methods; capital management is out of control, capital budget management cannot be rigidly controlled, deposited funds cannot be effectively used, and risk management capabilities are weak. There is a lack of effective connection between production, fuel, and capital data, the information platform is not unified, and data cannot be shared, resulting in the inability to coordinate management among the three.

In this context, Datang Group has taken science and technology as the guide to promote management innovation and achieve process reengineering, and has taken information construction as the main line to solve the problems existing in traditional industrialized industries. During the "12th Five-Year Plan" period, it has formulated an overall information development plan and implementation plan based on the development strategy, clarified the "CDT133" construction goals, including three dispatching centers for comprehensive control of major production and operation factors such as production, fuel and funds, and implemented them in accordance with the principles of "top-level design, pilot first, unified standards, and orderly advancement".

Speaking of examples of the application of Internet technology, for example, our trucks fully loaded with coal drive into the factory, automatically weigh, and sample, then enter the coal yard to unload the coal, then reverse back to an empty truck, weigh the empty truck, and leave the coal yard... Within half an hour without any supervision, the coal trucks can complete all the entry and exit links of the factory, including entry, weighing, sampling, acceptance, and supervision.

China Electric Power News: What specific results have been achieved in the research and application of key Internet integration technologies? Please introduce Datang's Internet + application platform.

Chen Jinxing: Based on a large amount of scientific and technological research, we have carried out integrated innovation in industrial control networks, the Internet of Things, and the Internet, and established the Datang Group Internet+ application platform.

A unified data warehouse and business process were built on the same platform. The platform construction adopted the "first-level deployment, three-level application" approach to unify construction standards and business processes and optimize resource allocation. The platform covers the monitoring, diagnosis and analysis of production equipment and production processes of all enterprises in the group, the closed-loop control of fuel procurement, supply, consumption, storage, quantity, quality and price, and the rigid control of capital budget management and pre-warning of risks. At the same time, through the application of these data, the information sharing, intelligent analysis and process control of important resources of the group are fully realized. Based on group information aggregation and data analysis, cloud platform big data intelligent computing, production scheduling has real-time data monitoring, degradation trend tracking, intelligent optimization operation and other means; it makes the closed-loop control of the whole process of fuel, scientific coal blending and combustion, and intelligent optimization procurement possible; it makes real-time monitoring of capital accounts, pre-warning of risks, and optimal allocation of funds a reality.

This achievement has not only improved Datang Group's overall management and control capabilities, scientific and technological progress, and industry competitiveness, but has also promoted changes in management thinking, changes in management systems, and innovations in business models, leading to strategic transformation and optimization of production and operation processes. At the same time, a number of technological innovations have been completed, with a total of 7 authorized invention patents, 22 utility model patents, 25 software copyrights, and 2 industry standards formulated. After three years of research and development and nearly two years of application, the expected results have been achieved, and it has played a demonstrative role in promoting and applying it in the same industry.

China Electric Power News: What impact and effect does the application of the project have on Datang’s specific production and operation work today?

Chen Jinxing: Through the application of the project, the data information of the important resources of the whole group has been effectively integrated, data sharing has been realized, and the unified Internet + application platform has effectively promoted big data computing. At the same time, the production and operation process has achieved early diagnosis and optimization guidance, vigorously promoted the standardization process, and the work process has truly achieved operation on the standard track. Fuel has achieved fully automatic unmanned "collection, consumption, storage" and "collection and processing", greatly improving the authenticity level of fuel management (quality) and promoting the development of intelligent coal blending and combustion. The high proportion of funds has played the advantages of intensive funds, improved the rigidity of the execution of the fund budget and process control, and effectively prevented fund risks.

China Electric Power News: What economic and social benefits has Datang Group achieved through the application of the Internet + application platform?

Chen Jinxing: In terms of economic benefits, in 2014, the company generated new profits of 931 million yuan and new tax revenue of 233 million yuan; in 2015, the company generated new profits of 4.496 billion yuan and new tax revenue of 1.124 billion yuan; in 2016, the company generated new profits of 7.807 billion yuan and new tax revenue of 1.952 billion yuan.

Through optimized production operation, the average annual coal consumption for power supply has dropped by more than 3 grams per kilowatt-hour, creating a cumulative benefit of 1.693 billion yuan. Through standardized fuel management, 1.5 billion yuan in benefits have been created. Through scientific coal blending and combustion, costs have been saved by 1.8 billion yuan. The concentration of funds has increased from 89% to 99%, 546 dormant accounts have been reduced, investment has been reduced by 8 billion yuan, loans have been repaid in excess of the budget by 2.8 billion yuan, and financial expenses have been saved by 2.9 billion yuan.

In terms of social benefits, the "three centers" as industry-leading technologies and management tools have effectively improved the intelligent and lean operation level of enterprises and promoted the improvement of Datang Group's scientific and technological innovation capabilities. At the same time, through the production dispatch center, real-time online monitoring of pollutant emissions ensures that pollutant emission indicators are controllable and under control. By the end of 2015, Datang Group had reduced sulfur dioxide emissions by 849,800 tons and nitrogen oxide emissions by 1.2534 million tons.