 |
Kansas City Power & Light; Kansas City,
MO
Profile:
Kansas City Power & Light Company (KCP&L), a wholly owned subsidiary of Great
Plains Energy Incorporated, is a leading regulated provider of energy-related
products and services for homes, businesses, industries, municipalities and other
utilities in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The company was founded in 1882 and
has become one of the Midwest's most affordable energy suppliers because of its
leadership in fuel procurement, plant technology and efficient power production
and distribution.
Application:
KCP&L was looking for a way to expand its world-class capacitor automation program.
With a two-way communications system in place in its metro service territory area,
KCP&L wanted to monitor automated capacitor banks in the remote service territory.
In addition, KCP&L wanted to monitor fixed capacitor banks cost effectively throughout
the service territory. In the past, two-way communications for either of these
applications was either cost prohibitive or just not available.
These two requirements: low-cost and wide area coverage, led KCP&L to Telemetric.
Switched Capacitor Banks:
Approximately two-thirds of KCP&L’s capacitor banks are automatically switched,
operating with EnergyLine 1000 Series and Energyline Intellicap Plus capacitor controls.
These controls are DNP3 compliant, so KCP&L selected the Telemetric
DNP-RTM (Remote Telemetry Module) for wireless communications.
Using an RS-232 or RJ-45 connection with the EnergyLine controls,
the DNP-RTM allows KCP&L to monitor and control the capacitor banks.
The DNP RTM is seamlessly integrated with both of the controls and uses
the same wiring harness as their existing radios.
The purposes of switched capacitor banks are to correct power factor and enhance
service quality by improving voltage regulation.
KCP&L also wanted to eliminate periodic capacitor patrols and field inspections.
Since KCP&L’s capacitor controls are set up to automatically switch in and out
based on true electrical needs, the Telemetric RTM allows KCP&L to monitor
the installation for maintenance needs and ensure the capacitor is switching
appropriately as planned. When necessary, KCP&L can also manually open or close
the capacitor bank by remote control without a site visit.
In operation, Telemetric’s DNP-RTM serves as a master, polling the EnergyLine
controls for digital and analog values. Whenever the DNP-RTM receives a reportable
value, (e.g., a digital input state change), it immediately reports this to the
Telemetric Network Operations Center (NOC).
Fixed Capacitor Banks:
The other one-third of KCP&L’s capacitor banks are fixed. In the past,
these fixed banks were monitored by someone driving by and physically inspect them.
This was time consuming and expensive. Now KCP&L uses the Telemetric TC012
MicroRTU to monitor the capacitor banks in its outlying districts.
The TC012 detects operating anomalies such as blown fuses, stuck switches or
damaged control cables by measuring and reporting any significant changes
in the state of the neutral current. The TC012 also monitors for outages
and voltage variances and reports these disturbances into the Telemetric NOC.
Based on alarm calls, e-mails or electronic pager messages are generated,
notifying the appropriate personnel automatically. Control actions can also
be set up to automatically switch a capacitor through the web site due to a
high or low voltage or neutral current imbalance. Status reports can also be
time scheduled in advance or requested at any time.
The analog input sensor converts the 0-100 amp capacitor bank neutral current
to a 0-10 volt AC signal. A neutral current of zero indicates that the installation
is switched out of service. Normal neutral current (a nominal value above zero)
when the bank is closed indicates the bank is switched in service and the
installation is operating as expected. A neutral current that is higher than
average but below a predefined limit indicates the presence of high harmonic
current or resonant conditions, which may indicate a partial pack failure.
A higher, pre-defined level of current indicates a blown fuse or other serious
problem.
As an added convenience, many TC012 operating parameters can be remotely changed from
the Telemetric web site, including the alarm set points
for the analog input sensor and the line input voltage.
The TC012 also includes easily accessible switches for local control.
The local/remote switch physically disables remote operation, and the status of
the switch is reported when changed. A local control delay gives operators time
to move a safe distance from the equipment before the output change is made.
Unexpected Project Results:
Based on the success of the capacitor automation project and other automation
projects with Telemetric, KCP&L was awarded the Utility Automation and Engineering
magazine 2003 T&D Automation Project of the Year Award. The award was presented
to KCP&L at the DistribuTECH 2004 Conference in January in Orlando, Florida.
This award honors the most innovative transmission and distribution automation
technology implementation undertaken by an electric utility for the year 2003.
The award also recognizes KCP&L’s efforts in collaborating with Telemetric to
develop cost-effective field devices, remote telemetry modules, and web-based
applications using Telemetric’s wireless remote monitoring and control solution.
Future Plans:
While completing the fixed capacitor bank rollout in its remote service territory,
KCP&L is investigating project deployments for other distribution automation
applications, particularly in those outlying areas. KCP&L has worked with
Telemetric to develop automation solutions for switches, regulators, reclosers,
remote voltage monitoring and fault detectors. In addition, KCP&L is a beta
site for Telemetric’s enhanced digital communication device and will test that
device for fixed capacitor banks in its metro service territory.
How the Telemetric System Works:
The Telemetric MicroRTU communicates wirelessly over the cellular phone systems’s
digital control channel. The control channel offers many significant benefits
including low monthly fees, significant coverage throughout North America
(98% of population), and a robust and reliable communication mechanism.
These factors greatly reduce the barriers to expanding automation.
Telemetric integrates this communication method into a usable application for
downline automation. For more information, please see
www.telemetric.net/pdfs/communications_overview.pdf
|
