PRESENTATION
2013 - Users Conference - San Francisco
Electric Transmission Flow Monitoring
PG&Es Transmission and Distribution System has over 141,000 circuit miles. On average, 63 pieces of transmission equipment are taken out of service each day. To ensure safe, uninterrupted delivery of electricity to the distribution grid and customers, operating transmission lines must reliably carry more power as nearby equipment is removed from service.
These heavily loaded transmission lines must be monitored in real time to ensure that the increased power flow does not exceed the allowable limit for each line and each connected piece of transmission equipment. Monitoring and Alarming programs for these new power flow limits must be created for each outage and typically the process is manual, error-prone and time-consuming. PG&E dispatchers wanted a better and faster way of creating and managing these new power flow limits. That is why a team of tech-savvy dispatchers took on the challenge and developed the Flow Monitoring Tool.
Today, the Flow Monitoring Tool helps PG&E dispatchers enter equipment information and power flow limits in a user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI). After this first step, the tool automatically generates standardized monitoring displays as well as audible alarms. The application utilizes an OSIsoft PI AF structure and OSIsoft PI ProcessBook displays to monitor each outage.
The benefits in the transmission operations control room include reduced build time for clearance displays as well as increased accuracy of the clearances produced. Audible alarms reduce the risk of overlooking a power flow that exceeds allowable limits. The tool’s intuitive clearance input process shortens the learning curve for recently-hired dispatchers and helps them to perform optimally from day one.
Company
Pacific Gas & Electric
Speaker
Kevin Bellflower
Kevin Bellflower is an NERC Reliability Coordinator certified Senior System Dispatcher at PG&E since 2008, with 18 years of utility experience including PG&E, Mirant Corporation (Senior Power Plant Technician) and the US Navy Submarine Force (Nuclear Reactor Operator and Diver). He holds a Bachelor of Science, HAAS School of Business, UC Berkeley.
Company
Pacific Gas & Electric
Speaker
Mike Nettler
Mike Nettler is an NERC RC Certified Senior System Dispatcher at PG&E since 2009 with six years utility of experience including PG&E and American Electric Power. He has worked as a Test Technician for Emerson Network Power and a Safety and Compliance Engineer at Tracewell Power. While at Tracewell Power, Mike developed several processes and procedures that are still being used in the application for safety and compliance. He was inducted into PG&E Inventors Hall of Fame in 2013. Education, background and training are in the electronic and IT field.
Company
DST Controls
Speaker
Greg Dumas
Greg Dumas is Chief Technical Officer of DST Controls, which has automated and monitored continuous and discrete process plants for 30 years. Greg's background is as an Information Systems engineer; he has 25 years of experience in interfacing real time systems to data bases at ROLM, IBM and Siemens. Greg holds four patents and five publications.