EDF Pulse Internal Awards 2018: Focus on 5 winners in this 5th year

This year, EDF once again celebrates its teams’ innovative projects through the EDF Pulse Internal Awards 2018. Amongst the 126 projects to have competed in this 5th year, 24 teams were shortlisted in 4 categories. On 3 July last, they were presented to the jury and two winners were selected for each of the categories.

Spotlight on 5 of the 2018 winners!

What are the 4 EDF Pulse Internal Awards categories?

• Innovation in Low-Carbon Production
• Innovation in Group Transformation
• Innovation for Customers and Territories
• Innovation in Prevention, Health and Safety

FUITE BUSTER
AWARD FOR INNOVATION IN LOW-CARBON PRODUCTION

With a cheeky nod to Ghostbusters, the LeakBuster project leads are also on the hunt—for water leakages in EDF’s hydraulic facilities.

Fuite Buster provides detection and localisation of leakages in real time via an acoustic-based system. This innovation is the result of a collaboration between EDF’s Hydraulic Engineering Centre and R&D’s PRISME department.

A high-performance, easy-to-implement solution to prevent damage to the group’s facilities as a result of hydraulic leakages, LeakBuster has already led to nearly a dozen operations per year.

DIGI GRIT
AWARD FOR INNOVATION IN GROUP TRANSFORMATION

Digi GRIT consists of 2 mobile apps specifically designed to track field-based data in order to identify, geo-locate and diagnose damaged infrastructure. A key innovation for planning team interventions in the field and optimising network restoration. One of the most effective services on a day-to-day basis as well as during stress events.

Thanks to these two smartphone applications, more than 10,000 situations were rapidly addressed in 5 weeks, no sensitive information was omitted and more than 10 million euros were generated in cash efficiency.

DALKIA
AWARD FOR INNOVATION FOR CUSTOMERS AND TERRITORIES

Capturing the heat from the PSA group’s foundries to supply heating to homes in the Citadelle neighbourhood in the city of Charleville-Mézières: this is the goal of the project developed by Dalkia.

One of the priorities of the energy transition and the circular economy using heat from renewable energy sources, Dalkia’s innovation is already providing the equivalent of 3,290 renewable-powered homes at more than 61% in winter and 100% in summer.

For 25 years, Dalkia’s public service concession has had a long-term focus on energy efficiency with the aim of tripling the size of this pioneering district heating system.

THE GRIMP’TOUT
AWARD FOR INNOVATION IN PREVENTION, HEALTH AND SAFETY

The ‘Grimp’tout’ (or ‘Climb-It-All’) is the name given to this drone that is capable of climbing the concrete walls of cooling towers. It is an innovation that addresses the need to regularly monitor the cladding of this difficult-to-access infrastructure.

Supported by the Nuclear and Thermal Park Directorate (Direction du Parc Nucléaire et Thermique, or DPNT) as well as by the Hydraulic Engineering Production Directorate (Direction Production Ingénierie Hydraulique, or DPIH), the Grimp’tout performs various steel coating measurements as well as simple tasks in the previously inaccessible zones without assistance from technicians.

THE CONNECTED STAKEHOLDER
EMPLOYEE AWARD

This year, the Employee Award is given to the Connected Stakeholder, connected PPE (personal protection equipment) glasses for remote assistance and expertise. Supported by the DPNT, this innovative, high-performance device allows a technician on call in the field to remotely dialogue with an expert in real time, via high-quality audio and video connection.

The Connected Stakeholder facilitates and optimises teams’ technical support and contributes to increasing their skills. It generates significant safety and security gains. As an additional bonus, its use is fast and simple, and it’s particularly ergonomic.