Substation Automation System (SAS)

Substation automation refers to using data from intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) control & automation capabilities within the substation and control commands from remote users to control power system devices… - Dr B P Singh

Substation automation is a buzz word off late to build a smarter, more reliable power grid. As the technology is changing with fast pace and health monitoring of the grid has become inevitable. Nobody knows that what is going to happen in the next second and therefore, the dynamic real time measurement has come into effect. The SCADA system is also moving to be the technology of past and synchro phaser technology is replacing with slow pace by installing PMUs (Phaser Measurement Units) for monitoring the number of critical substation & line parameters.

“Substation automation refers to using data from intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) control & automation capabilities within the substation and control commands from remote users to control power system devices.”

The principal standard for the substation automation is with invoke of IEC 61850. This deals with the perquisite parameters of substation automation. A few are mentioned here for the reference of engineers, consultants and professionals.

The resource constrained systems like intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) such as RTUs, reclosers, PLC , V meters, video for security or equipment status assessment, metering, switching, volt / VAR , wave form, event data, management etc.

Key Benefits of Automation

  • Automatic supervision of interlocks
    • Graphical presentation of safety procedures
    • Local and global alarm & warning
    • Detect fault location – useful for distribution systems
    • Equipment diagnostics
    • Intelligent interlocking system
    • Diagnostic of disturbances
    • Automation with supervisory & advisory control
    • Substation control via operators
    • IEC 61850 substation automation
    • Substation control and monitoring system (SCMS)
    • Enforce complex logic for device protection & coordination
    • Programmable logic editor with compiling and execution
    • Automatic generation of switching sequences
    • Enterprise wide view via intelligent one line diagram
    • Automatic retrieval of all data from substation
    • Security control with multiple access levels
    • Minimize outage
    • Reduce operating & maintenance costs
    • Enhances information management
    • Improves productivity
    • Improves asset management

Digitizing Substations

This will provide significant cost saving, performance enhancement & safety improvements by equipping primary equipment with modern sensors and digitizing conventional copper based analog communication with secure, seamless, steady and open standard base fiber optic communication.

Conclusion

The whole thing is moving towards the centralized supervision based process for monitoring and control of power system parameters essential to maintain the health of integrated system. Then only uninterrupted and good quality of power can be provided to the end users and served better.


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