The FLEX4FACT workplan

The FLEX4FACT project consists of eight work packages, of which six are dedicated to technical activities. They deal with the development of an end-to-end ecosystem based on a modular and multi-level architecture to enable flexible manufacturing in industries. The attached video illustrates the interactions between the individual WPs to facilitate the FLEX4FACT project.

WP1 – Definition of industrial use cases, Flex4Fact Reference System Architecture and TEA/LCA Scope

WP1 is dedicated to the definition of the FLEX4FACT reference system architecture and the initial status of the industrial uses cases. It will describe the deployment plan of the novel solutions for each use case and define the scope of the techno-economic assessment and sustainability analysis to be carried out in WP6.

WP2 – Renewable Energy and excess stream module development

WP2 is about facilitating increased renewable penetration at use case level by exploiting the plant flexibilities, excess streams and sharing energy with external stakeholders. The main objectives are to develop a methodology to assess the renewable integration potential based on current process energy streams and provide investment guidelines for EU industries.

WP3 – Industrial Process Digital Twin development

WP3 focuses on the modelling of the industrial energy systems and the building of so-called digital twins that will be validated by using real data. These twins will help to better understand the industrial processes and how process parameters affect the production rate, energy consumption of the factory. This will support the characterization of the flexibility potentials of use cases.

WP4 – Module development for energy-efficient and flexible planning and control processes:

WP4 aims at developing a production planning and scheduling system to operate the industrial processes and a flexibilization algorithm that will generate optimisation scenarios based on real data and create flexibility offers to be sent to the central digital platform – the cluster flexibility platform. The algorithm will be incorporated into a software suited for various industrial IT infrastructure.  

WP5 – Design and deployment of the industrial cluster flexibility platform (ICFP)

In WP5 models will be developed to pool the flexibilities from different sites and evaluate the value of the aggregated flexibility from different viewpoints (e.g. DSO, plant operator). The cloud aggregation platform will be designed and tested and it will be ensured that the communication of data between the plants and the aggregation platform and the platform and the external stakeholders is secure and the cyber security risks are being managed effectively.

WP6 – System integration, Use Cases validation, TEA and LCA/Sustainability assessments

In WP6 system integration plans, KPIs and validation protocols will be defined to assess the performance of the technologies deployed. Furthermore, techno-economic assessments and LCA studies will be performed to measure the economic and environmental effects of the developed technologies.