As high winds gust across the Pacific Northwest, tens of thousands of people are left without power. Unfortunately, these outages are becoming more frequent as storms rage across the country. Recently, Southern California Edison reported that thousands of residents in Orange County were without power. So, how do we avoid these outages? How do we plan for these events? In short, Power SCADA.
Here at APT, Power SCADA is our passion. As readers of our blog, you already know why. However, for those new to the industrial world, SCADA may have little meaning for you. SCADA stands for Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition. It refers to a system of software and instruments that allows a single operator to supervise and control several remote machines and processes.
SCADA system’s capabilities and flexibilities enable them to manage power systems, big or small, either high or low voltage. By integrating an Energy Power Management platform such as Schneider’s Power Monitoring Expert (PME), the possibilities are endless. PME provides increased system visibility, data visualization, reporting, alarming and event notification, security, and last but not least, controls.
Power SCADA | Control in Action
The following is an example of APT’s controls application for a customer site (November 2020)
Our customer had a requirement to provide circuit breaker open and close operation capability from the PME system. It included GE Entelliguard breakers and an LV substation providing 480V to the downstream sub circuits. Sub circuits feed servers and power to a costly AI computer. PME allows the integration of devices from third parties via its Device Type Editor, which is part of the Management Console application for device configuration. Using the current Modbus map for the device, we create a register address map, providing the correct actuation whether it was open/close or on/off functionality.
WARNING – Always check with the device manufacturer to ensure the capability exists for your device!
Once the device map was created, using the graphical user interface developer application of PME (Vista) was a breeze to link with a grouping object connecting device and software. In addition, PME WEB applications enable control functions to implement remotely from any location. Another safety feature prevented remote operation, for example, during maintenance. This lock-out feature is password-protected and added to avoid unauthorized control.
The project above was an example of the direct remote operation of a breaker. However, APT also offers integration with other devices for remote operation. For example, a SEL751A relay provided status indication and the ability to open and close breakers for a medium-1200V voltage substation in a different project.
In this case, ARC Flash safety requirements prohibited access to the substation once it was energized. Similar to the example above, we use a current Modbus register map, to map the device type editor, and link to the user interface through Vista. The we configure the status indication using Vista’s status objects which worked as state changes in the Web Application.
APT 4 SCADA Solutions
APT is aware that situations or requirements may arise that require remote control and operation of devices. More prevalent in systems spread over long distances (e.g., large campuses) or in hazardous environments (e.g., medium voltage switchgear). APT has experience with implementing these types of control capabilities within SCADA systems, whatever your application. Your control needs are within reach. So, if you have an application we can assist you with, don’t hesitate to reach out. Our team of professionals is standing by.
Unsure If SCADA is the Right Solution for Your Business?
Contact an APT professional today to determine your facility’s SCADA needs.
Donald Flowers II. APT Field Service Engineer