First Application of IntelliTEAM II® at a Major Eastern Utility.

S&C has received its first order from a major utility in the Eastern United States for two, two-member IntelliTEAM II switches and controls for a new high-profile commercial development in a large metropolitan area. Three of the switches are Omni-Rupter® Automated Switching Systems, and the fourth is a Remote Supervisory Vista® Underground Distribution System.

The new development is located near the end of three of the utility’s distribution feeders — and is exposed to all problems on them that may occur. This has resulted in less than desirable reliability for the new development, causing the mayor of the town to apply significant pressure to the utility to mitigate the frequency and duration of outages affecting the new development.

The utility still had an unused balance of reliability improvement funds for 2003 — and that combined with the significant political pressure put the utility in a sticky situation . . . they needed someone to supply feeder automation, and fast . . . before the end of their fiscal year. S&C’s ability to supply switches and controls by the end of 2003 resulted in a “win-win” situation that will result in the first implementation of IntelliTEAM II Automatic Restoration System at this utility in early 2004 — and will be one of the earliest implementations of IntelliTEAM II anywhere.

The diagram below illustrates the challenges the utility faced in improving the reliability of service to the complex, and illustrates why IntelliTEAM II was selected as the optimal solution for the long run.

System diagram.

Initially one two-member team of Automated Omni-Rupters (S1 & S2) will be used to automatically transfer critical loads in the complex from Substation #1 to Substation #2 in the event of a problem on their connecting feeder. In similar fashion, another two-member team consisting of a Remote Supervisory Vista and one Automated Omni-Rupter (S4 & S5) will supply auto-transfer for a Super K Mart and a regional correctional center — key area loads.

And while original IntelliTEAM could have provided similar functionality, next year the utility will likely automate the normally open Omni-Rupter between two of the critical loads, which will then become a common team member between the two, two-member teams and complete the IntelliTEAM II teams shown as teams #1 and #2.

Further in the future, a third team can be implemented as needed based on load growth in order to maintain the appropriate level of reliability to this commercially significant complex.