09-06-2012, 06:01 PM
Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs) and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA).
Intelligent Electronic Devices.doc (Size: 210.5 KB / Downloads: 4)
Abstract
Automation of electric power distribution in a cost-efficient and reliable manner can be accomplished by complete automation of the load dispatch centers and substations on a large scale. For efficient load balancing among the feed lines, a continuous monitoring of parameters, such as voltage, current in the line, temperature, pressure, and oil level of the transformers is required. Currently, automation is done with the help of Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs) and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA). This paper proposes a novel method of communication among the sensors. The paper proposes a co-operative wireless sensor network architecture for communication of the monitored signals and the employment of a virtual MIMO model.
. Introduction
The application of sensor networks is becoming ubiquitous, and this paper introduces a new area of application of the sensor nets viz. in the automation of electrical power distribution. Lack of information at the base station (generally a 33kV sub-station) on the loading and health status of the 11kV/415V transformer and associated feeders is one primary cause of inefficient power distribution. The automation of power distribution can be made efficient in terms of energy consumption, speed, and bandwidth requirements through the application of sensor nets. The functional elements that perform protection, control, and monitoring of the various signals are the sensor networks.
Current Scenario
The substation automation and integration can be broken down into five levels:
1. The lowest level is the power system equipment, such as transformers and circuit breakers.
2. The middle levels implement the Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs) in the form of bay controllers, IED data integration using data concentrators, and substation automation applications.
3. The uppermost level is the utility enterprise level that consists of software that is integrated with the entire system.
Proposed Communication Model
The paper proposes a sensor network-based approach for communication of the control signals, as well as the data exchange. The sensor nodes in the transmission network are grouped to form clusters among themselves and communicate their readings within themselves. Every sensor in the cluster communicates with every other sensor in the cluster or in its vicinity. This transmission is performed only when there is a change in the recorded readings. This approach minimizes the transmission power considerably, and hence, the lifetime of sensors is increased. One or two of the sensors may assume the cluster-head position and aggregate the data sent from other sensors to process it. In case of any fault detection, the appropriate decision may be made at the sensor level itself. When the overall system is considered, the various sensors along the electrical transmission path have fixed locations.