1 Distribution Automation Survey Presented at SWEDE Conference 2005 By Kevin Clark

2 Purpose of Survey Get input from the member utilities of SWEDE: What are you doing and why? What are some of the pitfalls? What are the real world issues? What are your future plans? These revelations and more will be uncovered.

3 Survey Participants AE - Austin CPS - San Antonio AEP ERCOT EPE - El Paso AEP Outside ERCOT PECI - Perdenales CLECO - Louisiana TNM - Tx New Mexico CNP - Houston

4 95 Questions 95 questions that covered many subjects: Remote controlled PTS Remote control of line reclosers Loop sectionalizing SCADA/Line Monitors Communications Installation & Maintenance Master Station and Cost Benefits

5 Remote Control Pole Top Switches Utilities with “working” remote control PTS’s AE - 6 CNP CPS - 24 PECI - 3 TXU - 78

6 Remote Control Pole Top Switches Most all RC switches had fault sensing capability, but very few reported the magnitude. The motor operator was either built-in or add-on. Reasons for RC switches on circuits: customer count, SAIDI, SAIFI, travel time, poor performance, contingency switching, etc. Location of RC switches on circuits: Midpoint, circuit ties, at major branches, depends on the situation.

7 Remote Control Pole Top Switches When are switches operated by Dispatcher: Routinely, during emergencies, for circuit lockouts, to transfer load. A number of the RC switches also have fault sectionalizing capability. Problems: Batteries & charging, loss of communications, diagnosing & reporting failures. Benefits: Reduced outage time, customer satisfaction, improved reliability.

8 Remote Control Pole Top Switches Future plans in 2005: AE - 7 CNP - 20 to 40 CPS - 25 PECI - 10 TXU - 40 plus 36 in S&C intelli-team system Plans for 2006 & beyond are similar to 2005.

9 Overhead Line Reclosers Reclosers with remote control: AEP ERCOT - 10 CNP PECI - 40 TXU - 24

10 Overhead Line Reclosers Do dispatchers have the capability to do more than trip or close? Yes, work tag, provide loading data, provide number of operations, provide fault current magnitude. Pitfalls: Communications & SCADA, dispatchers do not take advantage of device, some controls have failed, cost of communications. Benefits: Reduction in outage minutes, immediate notification, load data, work tags, fault magnitude.

11 Loop Sectionalizing Number of circuits with loop sectionalizing: AEP ERCOT - 6 AEP outside ERCOT - 8 CNP - 6 CPS - 1 EPE - 3 TXU - 3

12 Loop Sectionalizing Circuits are sectionalized in 1/2 or 1/3. Where is LS implemented: various applications, urban & rural, critical loads, for reliability. Driver for how to break up circuit: customer count, load, circuit topology, convenience. How does it operate: Peer to peer, individual settings, central controller. Can the LS be deactivated remotely: Yes & no.

13 Loop Sectionalizing How do you figure the loading on the loop sections: Predetermined, primary meters, field measurements. Does LS have the capability to disable itself if load is too high: No or not enabled. Account for temporary switching: Deactivated or not a concern. Does the substation breaker communicate with LS devices: No

14 Loop Sectionalizing Problems with LS: Steep learning curve, the timing gets off and opens some switches it shouldn’t, dispatcher has no confidence and deactivates scheme, equipment does not work correctly, need more time to evaluate. Benefits: Improved SAIDI, reduced outage time. Future plans in 2005: AEP - $1mil, AEP outside - $2 mil, TXU - 5 or 6.

15 SCADA / Line Monitors Most utilities installed fault indicators or line monitors where you had to gather data onsite only. CNP - Installs remote monitors where load data was critical as well as getting info on fault location. Communication is through radio & lease lines. Sensors included PT’s & CT’s. Faulty data < 1%. Problems: High cost. Benefits: More efficient dispatching, load data. CNP future plans: None

16 Communications How do you communicate: Licensed radio, un- licensed radio, telephone wire, wireless, cell site, telemetrics, satelite. Future communications under consideration: BPL, cellular, PLC, GPRS, fiber, broadband. Problems: Trees & path obstructions, too many technologies, bandwidth, weak signal, cellular strength, chatter, high cost of satellite. Rate stability 1-5: Results range from

17 Installation & Maintenance How long does it take to install new field device & make operational: EPE - 1 hour, PECI - 3 days, CNP - 2 weeks, CPS - 9 hours, AE - 24 hours cumulative work time, AEP - to one year. Problems: Had to fabricate brackets to hold sensors for motor operators, circuits were not ideal candidates, needed a communications repeater & all electric facilities were underground, misalignment of switch blade, receivers out of reach of transmitter, HMI software memory errors.

18 Installation & Maintenance Number of times that a device failed to operate: CNP - 5%, TXU <5% Separate maintenance program: Mostly no.

19 Master Control System Number of control consoles: 1 - 6, typically Is info coming into master station available to other individuals in company? Yes or unknown. Info is used by planning, engineering or those with access. Is info from master station tied into SCADA network: mostly yes. Is master station software supported internally or externally: Mostly internally. Addressing Cyber security issues: Yes and no.

20 Cost Benefit Analysis How do you evaluate the cust-mins saved on a circuit with RC devices or loop sectionalizing: AEP - historical outages & assumed fault distribution CNP - Assume 30 mins on 12KV & 45 mins on 35 KV What have been the savings to system SAIDI: CNP was 9.48 mins Have you done a cost-benefit analysis for installation of automation: AEP - Yes, based on the above.

21 Remote Capacitor Controls How do you remote capacitor controls: EPE - 545, CNP - 200, TXU - starting in 2005 Communications: One-way radio, one-way paging Software: RCCS, Cannon/Yukon software Future Plans: EPE - expand to Las Cruces, CNP - full coverage over next 8 yrs, TXU - 7,100 over 5 yrs

22 Underground Network Systems Do you remotely monitor underground network: CNP - Pilot program w/ Eaton relays & Parijat controlware using phone lines. TXU - Yes, leased line system. These systems do not interface with SCADA.

23 Regulators Do you have remote control on voltage regulators: CNP - Yes, 1. Purpose: To obtain load monitoring & voltage data, but not really used.

24 Conclusion There is not as much distribution automation installed as I might have expected. A copy of all questions and responses is included in the conference disk. It also includes the contact person for each utility that responded if you have any specific questions. Any questions?