A knowledge-based real-time scheduling system for steam turbine assembly under CPS environment

Purpose Steam turbine final assembly is a dynamic process, in which various interference events occur frequently. Currently, data transmission relies on oral presentation, while scheduling depends on the manual experience of managers. This mode has low information transmission efficiency and is difficult to timely respond to emergencies. Besides, it is difficult to consider various factors when manually adjusting the plan, which reduces assembly efficiency. The purpose of this paper is to propose a knowledge-based real-time scheduling system under cyber-physical system (CPS) environment which can improve the assembly efficiency of steam turbines. Design/methodology/approach First, an Internet of Things based CPS framework is proposed to achieve real-time monitoring of turbine assembly and improve the efficiency of information transmission. Second, a knowledge-based real-time scheduling system consisting of three modules is designed to replace manual experience for steam turbine assembly scheduling. Findings Experiments show that the scheduling results of the knowledge-based scheduling system outperform heuristic algorithms based on priority rules. Compared with manual scheduling, the delay time is reduced by 43.9%. Originality/value A knowledge-based real-time scheduling system under CPS environment is proposed to improve the assembly efficiency of steam turbines. This paper provides a reference paradigm for the application of the knowledge-based system and CPS in the assembly control of labor-intensive engineering-to-order products.