Magazine | Issue 1 2024 The BASF Ludwigshafen site is the largest integrated chemical complex in the world. It spans some 8 km2|3 mi2 and has around 39,000 employees. As well as being connected to the Amprion grid, the site has three power plants with a total capacity of approx. one gigawatt. The entire site currently requires around 6 terawatt hours of energy per year and an average electrical capacity of 750 megawatts at a power density of approx. 100 MW/km2 | 40 MW/mi2. The power supply for the complex comprises: › >20 substations in the transmission grid › >160 substations in the distribution grid › >4,900 feeders › >6,400 protection relays Various device generations, manufacturers, and types, as well as the use of different protection concepts add to what is already a complex situation. The effort involved in maintaining the entire infrastructure is equally complex and challenging. However, the sheer scale of it also offers enormous potential for optimization in terms of the testing strategy and processes. In an effort to take the existing tasks in the area of protection technology to a new level using the resources available, Svenja Rogalski, Christian Schumacher, and his team have analyzed the situation in detail and embarked on an ambitious project. The project team has worked with us on this basis to develop a new data and testing strategy. The goals were clear: › On the one hand, the team wanted to establish a basis for higher data and test quality in order to improve the efficiency of the resources used. › On the other hand, they also focused on enabling troubleshooting and network expansion for the upcoming energy transformation with the existing team. The strategy revolves around our data management solution ADMO, which enables the straightforward management of assets, configurations, test templates, and test results while also ensuring their quality. No transformation is without its challenges The situation described above is just the starting point, however. BASF has set itself the company-wide goal of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions to net zero over the coming decades. To achieve this goal, the electrical capacity needs to be doubled to an average of 1.5 gigawatts. This poses challenges in terms of generation, transmission, and the distribution of the energy. This high demand is due to the technological changes required to reduce CO2 emissions. In the future, BASF will rely on industrial heat pumps and compressors, as well as electrically heated steam cracker furnaces. The carbon-neutral generation of hydrogen involves «The team really got locked in and was clearly enjoying protection testing again. The opportunity to help shape the new processes really motivated everyone.» Christian Schumacher, BASF 11
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