5G-Enabled NetApp for Predictive Maintenance in
Critical Infrastructures
Sofia Giannakidou
K3Y Ltd, Sofia, Bulgaria
sgiannakidou@k3y.bg
Panagiotis Radoglou-Grammatikis
University of Western Macedonia, K3Y Ltd
Kozani, Greece - Sofia, Bulgaria
pradoglou@uowm.gr, pradoglou@k3y.bg
Sotirios Koussouris
Suite5 Data Intelligence
Solutions Ltd, Limassol,
Cyprus, sotiris@suite5.eu
Minas Pertselakis
Suite5 Data Intelligence
Solutions Ltd, Limassol,
Cyprus, minas@suite5.eu
Nikolaos Kanakaris
Public Power Corporation S.A.
Athens, Greece
nickanakaris@gmail.com
Alexios Lekidis
Public Power Corporation S.A.
Athens, Greece
A.Lekidis@dei.gr
Konstantinos Kaltakis
Eight Bells Ltd,
Nicosia, Cyprus,
konstantinos.kaltakis@
8bellsresearch.com
Maria P. Koidou
University of Macedonia,
Thessaloniki, Greece
maria koidou@yahoo.gr
Chrysi Metallidou
University of Macedonia,
Thessaloniki, Greece
chrysi.metallidou@gmail.com
Konstantinos E. Psannis
University of Macedonia,
Thessaloniki, Kastoria, Greece
kpsannis@uom.edu.gr
Sotirios Goudos
Aristotle University of
Thessaloniki, , Greece
sgoudo@physics.auth.gr
Panagiotis Sarigiannidis
University of Western Macedonia,
Kozani, Greece
psarigiannidis@uowm.gr
Abstract—Predictive Maintenance in critical infrastructure is
a fundamental tool for predicting a failure in advance and for
avoiding catastrophic equipment damage that can be prevented
and the time-consuming repair scheduling can be executed in
time. Artificial Intelligence (AI) based predictive maintenance
utilises intelligent data for accurate predictions in order to
make immediate interventions on critical assets. In this paper,
we propose a 5G-enabled Network Application (NetApp) for
predictive maintenance in energy-related critical infrastructures.
The proposed NetApp consists of several containerised com-
ponents responsible for retrieving time-series operational data
from a power plant and detecting potential outliers/anomalies
regarding the operation of energy generators. For the anomaly
detection process, an autoencoder is used. The evaluation results
demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed NetApp.
Index Terms—5G, Artificial Intelligence, Network Application
Autoencoder, Predictive Maintenance
I. I NTRODUCTION
Predictive Maintenance is a crucial maintenance tool based
on the possibility of estimating the future values of some
quantities that characterise a system (typically a machine, a
plant, or a production process) through particular mathematical
models in order to identify in advance the anomalies and po-
tential faults. The predictive maintenance applications predict
failure sufficiently ahead of time in order for the decision-
makers to take appropriate actions, such as maintenance,
replacement or even a planned shutdown. These applications
promote savings on machine maintenance and increase produc-
tivity by guaranteeing the maximum uptime of machines. The
manufacturing processes mostly adhere to an assembly line
production, therefore any failure in the assembly line results
in a domino effect, making it essential to evade any point
of failure within the assembly line. By deploying predictive
maintenance solutions, these failures can be evaded or at
least minimised. However, for the most accurate and optimal
prediction, it is required to gather and analyse large amounts
of relevant data within a reasonable time frame. Consequently,
big data analytics and stream processing technologies are key
necessities for predictive maintenance solutions. Predictive
maintenance applications are acknowledged as one of the
fundamental data-driven analytical applications for large-scale
manufacturing industries.
In this paper, we provide a Network Application (NetApp)
for predictive maintenance in power plants, taking full advan-
tage of containerisation, 5G and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
In particular, the proposed NetApp adopts an autoencoder
in order to recognise timely potential anomalies/outliers with
respect to the functionality of industrial devices, paying special
attention to electricity generators. For this purpose, operational
data of the electricity generators are used. This kind of data
is received through Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs).
Next, the autoencoder receives this kind of data and is respon-
sible for the detection of anomalies.
The rest of this paper is organised as follows. Section II
provides some relevant works in this field. Next, section III
describes the architecture of the proposed NetApp. Next,
section IV focuses on the evaluation of the autoencoder.
Finally, section V concludes this report.
II. RELATED WORK
Several works investigate predictive maintenance applica-
tions and models in critical infrastructures, such as [1]–[5]. XXX-X-XXXX-XXXX-X/XX/$XX.00 ©20XX IEEE