One of the major issues facing electric utilities today is optimization of delivery through constrained transmission networks. It is a common practice to deploy Remedial Action Schemes (RAS) at substations to protect transmission facilities from overloading under contingency conditions. Each locally controlled RAS system is typically implemented with a limited scope of protection to unload a single transmission line or multiple lines in a corridor following loss of a transmission facility. As the transmission system has become more constrained, due to load growth or generation additions, RAS schemes have become increasingly complex and difficult to implement because of overlapping contingency and/or tripping requirements between separate RAS schemes. In the case of overlapping RAS protection, neither RAS typically has a full view of the information from the other RAS.
Therefore, when overlapping schemes react to a contingency, the end result is either over shedding of load or generation. The central issue is that in either case, more customer service is disrupted than necessary. The SCE Centralized RAS (SCE C-RAS) implementation addresses optimization of the delivery through constrained transmission networks. Through sharing of information more optimal contingency resolution or optimization solutions are possible that may not even involve the corridor under the contingency situation.
As such, SCE envisions utilizing the solution to acquire field information and make control decisions regarding the application domains of:
• Angular stability
• Voltage stability
• Frequency stability
• System restoration
• Islanding
• System recording/analysis and fault analysis
• Adaptive protection In order to create a scalable and testable centralized system, the SCE C-RAS platform utilizes OSIsoft PI and IEC 61850. The architecture and technology choices have allowed SCE large capital expense savings when compared against previous implementations.
Speaker
Herbert Falk
Herbert Falk has been involved in numerous projects involving the application of information systems technology and real-time communications technology to automated manufacturing, electrical distribution and automation and power quality monitoring. Herb is a recognized expert on information integration technology, distributed object technology, and communication having served on and chaired numerous industry technical committees. Herb is currently assigned as Solution Architect for SISCO's electric utility clients. As such, he has actively participated in utility integration projects at Southern California Edison, Detroit Edison, SDG&E, CLECO, NERC, DOE, Grant County PUD, Southern California Edison, and others.