A digital twin is a real-time virtual model of an asset or system that uses data from connected IoT sensors to create a digital representation. Digital twins allow you to monitor equipment, assets or processes in real time from anywhere. Digital twins are used for a variety of purposes, such as analyzing performance, monitoring issues, or running tests before implementation. Insights gained from IoT digital twins enable users to react quickly to improve operational efficiency, production quality, customer satisfaction, and more.
Build a 3D application scenario of segment intelligent construction factory based on NSDT scene editor
Types of digital twins
component twin
A component twin is the most basic unit of a digital twin, which is a digital representation of a specific component or part of an asset. Component twins allow you to monitor the efficiency of a specific component and how the component reacts under various conditions.
Asset twin
An asset twin is a digital copy of two or more components that is used to visualize how each component works together. By monitoring asset twins, you can find ways to improve their performance at a granular level.
process twin
Process twins are digital representations of operational processes, production steps and workflows. Process twins allow you to gain analytics-driven insights into inputs and outputs, efficiency, latency, and more.
system twin
A system twin provides a visual representation of a collection of different assets, processes, and their interactions. System twins provide insight into system complexity, allowing you to easily design, manage, and visualize multiple digital twins of complex assets and asset hierarchies.
Digital twin use cases
Digital twins are used in a variety of industries and scenarios to increase process efficiency, reduce downtime, and improve outcomes. Using IoT data, digital twins can be created to represent anything from complex equipment, such as wind turbines, to processes, such as the activities of customers in a physical store. These models can provide each business with the specific insights it needs to succeed.
Digital twins in manufacturing
A digital twin can be created to represent the entire manufacturing process. This is valuable on a tactical level: Manufacturers can monitor conditions at every step in the process to understand equipment performance, understand how customers are using products, and use analytics-driven insights to drive quality improvements while reducing costs.
Digital twins are also valuable at a strategic level. Manufacturers that offer smart, connected products can offer new innovative solutions: remote monitoring, smart field service, performance management, and more. IoT connected products enable device manufacturers to offer new value-added digital services to customers, building loyalty by improving customer experience.
Digital twins in oil and gas
Digital twins are critical in asset- and operations-intensive industries such as oil and gas because they provide real-time views of many process variables, including field equipment and people operating machinery.
For example, pump jacks extract crude oil from a well when there is not enough pressure to force it to the surface. Users can create a model of a pump jack, along with relevant KPIs for its performance, and simulate various scenarios to compare with real-time data. Users can then use this data to find possible pump jack issues and plan predictive maintenance.
Digital twins in sustainable electricity
Digital twins rely heavily on real-time data and can represent weather sensors, solar panels, wind turbines, battery management systems, grid systems and other remote assets to provide operators with information that can keep networks stable and equipment running smoothly.
Digital twins in healthcare
Digital twin technology allows healthcare providers to create representations of patients’ bodies and medical histories. Providers, in turn, are able to make more informed decisions about treatment through the ability to run tests on the digital twin.
Digital twins for retail
Retailers can use IoT digital twins to analyze consumer behavior to provide a better shopping experience. For example, by using real-time data obtained from IoT sensors within stores, retailers can create and monitor digital representations of store traffic. This insight can reveal customer routes, frequent stops and overlooked islets, helping retailers identify customer behavior.
Digital twins for sustainable development
The digital twin is updated with sensor data, which may include things like power output, energy usage, temperature and maintenance needs. This gives operators new opportunities to make their physical equipment as efficient as possible. Use digital twins to run simulations, study performance issues, and generate possible improvements before applying these optimizations to physical devices.
Business advantages of digital twins
large scale management
Even if you have hundreds of assets, each equipped with many different types of sensors, digital twins can help you manage them remotely from a single dashboard. Use insights to monitor their status and prevent downtime. With the right platform, you’ll be able to design, manage and visualize digital twins of complex assets and asset hierarchies.
Remote management
By creating a digital twin, remote devices can be viewed and interacted with as needed. Access critical information, alerts, and critical errors via remote monitoring. Take action and easily perform remote auditing, configuration, and software/firmware updates and installations - all remotely.
Simulation successful
With digital twins representing your assets, you'll have the opportunity to perform simulation runs to maximize asset value, such as improving operational and capital expenditure trade-offs. Analyze all data and systems involved in the implementation of any new idea before implementing it.
Predict and execute
Real-time information and insights into physical systems enable you to monitor and optimize how your equipment or process operates. This not only notifies you when a problem occurs, but allows you to take immediate action when one occurs, preventing downtime and potential damage.
Reduce downtime
Monitor equipment key performance indicators (KPIs) and identify trends to prevent problems before they start. Issues such as unusual vibration, temperature, or power consumption can indicate problems with a machine before it completely fails.
Reduce maintenance costs
Deploy remote management to detect problems before they cause problems and identify required maintenance before problems spread. Extend your digital twin solution to your entire fleet of equipment and understand how problems in one part of the production process affect machines responsible for subsequent steps.
Optimize utilization
Utilization is the time an equipment, machinery or asset is used. Digital twin data makes it easier to identify issues related to machine availability, performance and output quality. Operators also gain real-time visibility into machine location, settings and environmental factors that may impact performance. Simulation can help troubleshoot and prevent issues that impact utilization.
quality improvement
Use digital twin data to monitor quality-related equipment KPIs and identify trends that may lead to product failure.
Digital twin IoT platform
We know IoT projects can be complex. This requires the help of some technologies and the technical advantages of the platform to solve the technical complexity in the project, so that business leaders can focus on real business results.
With the NSDT Scenario Editor , you can build IoT digital twins for any purpose. Can support real physical device link, data interaction and simulation.
The NSDT Scenario Editor does more than just let you easily create digital twins. With the NSDT Scenario Editor platform, you can easily connect all your IoT assets, manage devices at scale, integrate IoT data into your services, processes and systems, and use this data in self-service analytics to make real-time decisions. Ensure you get the most from your assets.
Scenario segment management digital twin platform built based on NSDT scene editor
The next article will continue to introduce how to use the NSDT scene editor to build a 3D scene and how to implement a digital twin platform.
Original link: What is an IoT digital twin? (mvrlink.com)