June 9, 2003

The Evolution of a Distribution Automation Project

A major Midwestern utility started a distribution feeder automation program in the early 1990s, utilizing S&C Scada-Mate® Switches, Harris DART® RTUs, and 900-Mhz MDS Radios. The utility originally planned to create their own centrally controlled fault-recovery automation system but the costs and delays in developing the algorithms, along with communication issues, repeatedly thwarted development. Utility dispatchers continued to be responsible for analyzing data and restoring service when problems occurred . . . a less-than-ideal situation.

Analyzing the problem

The utility investigated the possibility of using the S&C IntelliTEAM® Automatic Restoration System. A relatively new substation was analyzed to determine if IntelliTEAM could increase reliability and automate the restoration of a portion or all of the load. This substation serves a number of high-profile loads, including a mall and surrounding subdivisions. Some of these customers had been experiencing extended outages because the dispatcher-controlled manual reconfiguration from SCADA was much too slow.

The challenge was to implement IntelliTEAM such that service restoration could be effected five minutes or less after the occurrence of a fault. If service restoration requires more than five minutes, the incident is classified as an outage.

IntelliTEAM was the answer

Working with the utility, S&C determined that four two-member IntelliTEAMs would be needed. S&C Model 5801 Automatic Switch Controls were subsequently furnished for the existing and new Scada-Mate Switches. Existing pad-mounted gear was also converted for remote supervisory operation using S&C controls.

Even with a system as complex as this, IntelliTEAM was successfully employed. Normal team operation now reconfigures all circuits in less than one minute! The need for the developed-in-house system was made unnecessary.