Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) deployed the world’s first utility application of X-ray inspection technology for capacitor bank circuit breakers. This comes as a wider push to make Dubai’s electricity distribution network more predictive, reliable and resilient.
The technology was among a series of innovative projects reviewed by DEWA Managing Director and CEO Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer during a tour of the authority’s Distribution Power complex in Al Ruwayyah. Al Tayer said, “DEWA’s investment in research and development and its focus on employee innovation were helping develop solutions to improve the resilience and efficiency of Dubai’s electricity network.”
X-ray inspection allows engineers of DEWA to view the inside of the capacitor bank circuit breakers without disturbing their functioning or damaging the device. The process is capable of diagnosing internal faults at an early stage and preventing any failures in the future.
Artificial intelligence, Big Data, and analytics were applied by DEWA to optimize the management of its critical network assets. DEWA's Asset Health Centre uses real-time data regarding the status, risks, and maintenance needs of the assets to develop risk-based maintenance planning.
The latest X-ray initiative reinforces DEWA’s broader strategy of moving from conventional maintenance towards predictive asset management. Combining non-invasive inspection with AI, real-time data and network automation could help the authority identify risks earlier and limit the impact of equipment failures.
This system assists engineers in evaluating the health of the assets, identifying maintenance priorities, and scheduling the replacement of equipment. This can help in reducing asset risks while optimizing maintenance resource utilization. DEWA’s approach reflects Dubai’s wider focus on building smart infrastructure capable of supporting the emirate’s rapid urban and economic growth.
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