Energy | Case study: Smart fix to power complaints

While Delhi has not come out of a power shortage, Harsh Sharma describes why automation of processes, including SCADA and OMS, have provided more control to the distributor and better efficiency to the consumer.

BSES analysed that the enablers nece­ssary for a consumer in its licensed area to be happy and satisfied are:

• Making available quality and reliable power
• Efficient distribution utility
• Timely resolution of outages and complaints
• Achieving timely and correct billing

A smart grid enables the availability of electricity 24×7 with minimum outages, rea­sonable voltage and at a reasonable cost. Thus as a distribution utility, BYPL decided to create a smart distribution system. Thus when BYPL in Delhi took over electricity distribution, it first sought to operationalise all the hardware and create enough capacity so as to build redundancy in the system, and brought in various IT technologies to integrate the various functions to respond to the situation quicker and to integrate all the functions.

System Application

All the above enablers can be achieved by the following technologies:

Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system (SCADA): The supervisory control and data acquisition system (SCADA) is commissioned to BYPL to remotely monitor and control the various power system equip­ments in receiving stations from centralised master control centre (MCC). Redundant backup control centre (BCC) is also commi­ssioned for meeting emergency situations like natural calamity, terrorist attack, etc.

For the first time in the Indian power dis­tribution segment, BSES in Delhi envisaged and implemented a state-of-the-art SCADA along with DMS, enabling them to remotely view, monitor and control all the hardware in their power receiving sub-stations.

Distribution Management System (DMS) for key consumer: High-value customers are fed through 33kV Incomers from DTL grid and BSES. On Power Failure DMS FRTU makes a switchover to Standby Source. SCADA sys­tems directly lead to an increased reliability of power for the customers and lower operating costs for the utility.

Smart Sub-station Management System (SSMS): To know the condition of various equipments in the more than 2,400 sub-stations BYPL owns is very difficult. The energy meters are installed in all distribution transformers with a monthly data download. Thus an inno­vative idea was implemented wherein not only were various sensors installed but meters inte­grated as fault passage indicators.

This automation allows us to predict a fault and save time and energy in restoring power through:

1. Intrusion detection
2. Fire detection
3. Energy meter management
4. Reactive power management through APFC
5. Fault detection and isolation in the network within half an hour

Further, to use this technological tool in more efficient way the SSMS is being integrated with various applications such as SAP (PM), GIS and AMR. Also there is an alarm system built which sends alarms in SMS on mobile de­vices of the O&M personnel when the para­meters monitored crosses the threshold limit.

BYPL conducted a pilot in 50 sub-stations and our experience has been very encouraging.

Outage Management System (OMS): An OMS system brings together electrical network data, HV to LV, and customer data, from connection point to the network to day to day customer issue logging in order to provide the utility with information on the present state of the network down to the LV level. In the end, the system provides speedy and efficient resolution to consumer complaints.

• The OMS system is able to assist the oper­ator with event management and prioriti­sing plus work dispatching and regulator reporting.
• An active GIS map embedded in the OMS helps in locating the outage sites and guides the rescue team in reacting faster for power restoration. It is proposed that the GIS system will act as a front-end system for all O&M applications.
• A good OMS system will learn from his­torical events in order to improve customer and network data. With the above in mind, the utility is able to decide on a less risky, phased implementation approach that suits its current situation.
• As the OMS is the main module used for the electricity supply through grids, sub stations, transformers, feeders, cables etc, the module was developed to make all the activities of outage management automa­ted and transparent with the technology.
• The main challenge of the project was to handle the complaints of consumers regar­ding power supply, breakdowns, shut­­downs etc, and the supervision of the equipments used for the same in the mini­mum time frame as per the DERC guidelines.

Geographical Information System (GIS): To manage BYPL’s assets spread across various locations, GIS was implemented. GIS is the workspace or front-end for all other applica­tions used in BYPL. The complete network, both underground and overhead, was surveyed and plotted on the map of Delhi along with the consumer.

• The GIS contains details of all assets of the distribution network and will be used for asset management and with integration of GIS with other enterprise systems like ERP, SCADA, AMR, and Trouble Call Management will provide a strong base as well as user friendly tool for management of assets, outages, crew management, etc.
• By displaying the spatial data and net­work layer on the web the GIS tech­no­logy is being extended to all. The other advantage can be to the planning sec­tion who can view the loading details as well as the plan the layout of cable etc.
• GIS uses a single organisation-wide cor­porate database. This common corpo­rate database resides in different parts of the organisation such as: Customer Infor­mation System (CIS), SCADA, ERP Based O&M System (SAP), OMS, Smart Sub-station Management, and CYME DIST.
• The GIS has been integrated with the Supervisory Control and Data Acqui­sition system (SCADA), Interactive Voice Response System (IVR) and ERP based O&M System (SAP) to develop an Enterprise wide computing system.
• Specialised applications like online net­work analysis and optimisation, EHV/HV scheme planning and execu­tion is being achieved through GIS.
• Integration with SAP will also enable pre­paration of cost estimates for a plan­ned scheme. Centralised and online up­date of the assets of the organisation will make Asset Management more effective.
• OMS/Trouble call system has been deve­loped that will use the Electrical data­base comprising of utility equipment data set and the Geodatabase compri­sing of the roads, buildings and the consumer premises. With the integration of SCADA with GIS the dynamic infor­mation with regards to switch status, fault information and fault history etc will be available in GIS-OMS.

Automated Meter Reading (AMR): Automated Meter Reading (AMR) system makes it possible to automatically and rem­otely read the meters from a central loca­tion, without requiring any manual inter­vention.

The reading of the meter is taken remotely using GPRS or CDMA techno­logies by making a data call to the remote meter. The downloaded data of the meter is then used for billing, analysing the load survey or for checking if the meter has been tampered with.

This system can monitor grid station auto­matically and keep all information into data­base which can be assessed whenever required.

• All event automatically stored into database.
• Since full information from grid location is stored in database, reports as required by the management can be easily generated from the database.
• Energy flow for all grid locations can be monitored at a central location.
• MIS reports are available on hourly, daily, weekly and monthly basis.
• In case of any change in state alarm will alert operator to take immediate action.
• No need to maintain manual records and log sheets.
• System in more accurate as the data is directly recorded from meters in precise time intervals.
• Line diagram of every grid station will show current status of grid.
• Time based graphs can be drawn for many parameters such as demand, voltage, current, pf, energy etc.
• Data is saved to central database from where it can be accessed whenever required.
• Central display of grids will show all 119 grid stations’ feeder and incomer status
• When new grid station is added all details can entered through configuration module
• Customers appreciate accurate meter rea­ding and billing in a timely and transparent manner.
• Similarly the premium customers aspire for personalised and technology driven services.
• They are on the look out for ways and means where the utility company can help them be aware of their consumption patterns so that they can control their energy consumption and also pro-actively plan to arrange for payment of monthly energy bills.

BSES Yamuna Power Ltd (BYPL) is a power distribution utility serving power to 1.2 million consumers in an area of 200 sq km in Delhi. Power is received in the 50 receiving stations out of which 41 are unmanned. It has 14 divisions having 2,235 sub-stations and 3,350 distri­bution transformers. The sub-stations are of outdoor, indoor, Plinth mounted, pole mounted as well as package type.

Learning: The uncertainty in availability of coal has impacted the implementation of a number of power projects. As a result during the past one year the number of CHP orders placed has been below our projections.
PK Chandra, Whole Time Director & COO, McNally Bharat Engineering

The author is Vice President, NMG-IT, BSES Yamuna Power Limited (BYPL). With inputs from Manali Joshi and Rahul Sharma also of BYPL.