Copyright © Central Lincoln PUD and SEL 2015 Communications-Capable Fault Indicators Improve Outage Response for Coastal Oregon Shamus Gamache Central Lincoln People’s Utility District Jakob Fowler and JW Knapek Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
Central Lincoln People’s Utility District (PUD) Serves more than 38,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers Has service area spanning 120 miles north to south, covering total area of 700 square miles
Project Has Multiple Motivators Central Lincoln PUD granted funding through Smart Grid Investment Grant to improve system performance and reliability while enhancing situational awareness for operators Oregon coastline provides unique engineering and operation challenges due to weather conditions and terrain
Distribution Automation (DA) Pilot Project Phases 1.DA communications architecture design, development, testing, and implementation 2.SCADA DA development and implementation 3.Design, development, testing, and implementation of automated fault detection, isolation, reconfiguration, and restoration schemes
Terrain Is Not Easily Seen Road Power Line
Another Angle
System Overview
Communications-Capable FCI Designed for Easy Hook Stick Installation
Communications-Capable FCI Specifications Nominal line-to-line voltage of 34.5 kV Minimum load current of 5 A Maximum fault threshold of 1,200 A 38 Ah battery with 20-year shelf life Temperature range of –40°C to +85°C MIL-STD-810G, Method certification for rain and blowing rain
Installed FCIs
Mesh Radio Features Has 900 MHz unlicensed frequency band Is used as communications backbone for existing revenue meter data collection Allows for various path configurations with Ethernet mesh radio architecture Can operate with various equipment types and communications protocols simultaneously
Mesh Repeater and Right of Way
Data Concentration for Human Use Real-time logic processor and data concentrator ♦ Acts as centralizing point for all system-wide data before entering SCADA HMI ♦ Will allow for easy integration of information and controls in future endeavors SCADA system provides easily understood data critical to successfully operating system
HMI FCI System One-Line Diagram
HMI FCI Data Report
Other SCADA Peripherals Direct information feeds to linemen, SCADA operators, engineers, and managers Automated s and text messages detailing system conditions and fault locations
Benefits to Utility
Line Patrolling Previous patrolling methods included ♦ Driving by exposed portions of line ♦ Patrolling on foot through woods and mountains Patrolling efforts significantly reduced with communicated data Time to repair system decreased Safety for Central Lincoln PUD personnel increased
Easy Integration Equipment was carefully selected for use with existing infrastructure Equipment has multiple purposes ♦ Saves training time ♦ Reduces cost of operation and installation ♦ Reduces hardware bloat Equipment provides unforeseen benefits from robust data pool
Current and Thermal Reports Thermal and current loading can be used for long-range planning of switching and of circuit construction requirements
Future Endeavors Powerful hardware ♦ Allows for future growth of system ♦ Provides critical data for automating transfer schemes New uses for data are possible, building on load planning use case
Lessons Learned Planning, planning, planning Location choice Testing procedures Data integration
Lessons Learned Location is critical to ensure cost-effective use of hardware and to reduce risk to Central Lincoln PUD patrol crews Mesh repeater location is important to ensure signal propagation through rough terrain Power output from FCI radios dictates where repeaters are required
Bench Testing Test each measurement device and system as a whole to make sure full integration is achieved Test multiple measurement devices at once Test partial and full signal blocking on radio network side to better understand all possible system fault conditions
Conclusion Adding communications capabilities has enhanced system operation needs and improved safety Carefully selected equipment has paid dividends in regard to system capability and growth potential
Questions?