Further the FDPM system keeps a profile of the
present estimate of the remaining life of most distribution
system equipment, and notifies the operator when a piece
of equipment has reached its end of useful life. Equipment
deterioration is accurately determined without interrupting
its operation which is the most cost effective way to
maintain the distribution system and its equipment.
FDPM is driven by an expert system which makes
decisions about equipment life based on various
distribution system measurements and past conditions of
the equipment. The expert system provides repeatability of
diagnosis given the same input data for frequent or rare
events. FDPM contains consensus rather than single
source knowledge. The knowledge is automatically
safeguarded and not lost with the expert. A probability is
displayed with the diagnosis which suggests the
probability that the diagnosis is correct.