Distribution Planning Use of SMART

Distribution Automation Control System (DACS)

Presented by: Ed Briggs, P.E. Created by: Ed Briggs & Greg Wickliffe edwin.briggs@centerpointenergy.com

How did the Swine Flu get started?

Load growth is one of the main drivers that challenge electric distribution planners to determine the most reasonable method to accommodate the new loads.

To accommodate load growth, previous design criteria required adding another transformer to substation.

The use of SMART Distribution Automation Control System (DACS) is an alternative to installing new substation transformers.

SMART DACS controls internal substation circuit switching and distribution circuit switching to prevent substation transformer overloading under a single transformer outage.

Remote Control (RC) distribution switches will automatically transfer load to one or more adjacent substations.

Our SMART DACS system is designed to send out notification via pagers or e-mails when single contingency transformer loading gets to 85% and again at 90%.

When single contingency transformer loading gets to 95% then the SMART DACS system is automatically armed and notification is sent via pagers and e-mail.

DACS switching moves 3 MW of load from Spencer circuits SP-03 to SP-11 and 6 MW of load from CA-01 to SP-03.

3 MW of switchable load 719 customers

6 MW of switchable load 974 customers

Antenna

Antenna

Lightning Arrestor

Switch Motor Operator

12kV Bridges Remote Control Pole Top Switch # 4678 - Closed Position

Switch Control with

RTU & PLC

DACS switching moves 13 MW of load from Lyondell circuit LY-44 to King circuit KG-42 and 12 MW of load from Lyondell Circuit LY-41 to Newport circuit NP-44.

13 MW of switchable load

883 customers12 MW of switchable

load1100 customers

35kV Bridges Remote Control Pole Top Switch #13680 - Closed Position

Antenna

Antenna

Lightning Arrestor

Switch Control with

RTU & PLC

Antenna

Antenna

Lightning Arrestor

35kV Bridges Remote Control Pole Top Switch #13680 - Closed Position

Switch Motor Operator

DACS Fault Detection and Sectionalizing to avoid circuit lockout.

• A fault on distribution circuit occurs.

• Circuit breaker trips open and closes back.

• Fault still present, thus circuit breaker opens again.

• Circuit breaker stays open for 25 seconds.

• DACS algorithms analyze RC switch data to determine location of fault.

• RC switches are opened and closed to isolate fault.

• Circuit breaker closes and holds – No circuit lockout.• Avoids third substation transformer through fault.

CenterPoint Energy utilizes other SMART Systems:

• SMART BLOCK

• SMART TAP

• SMART CASCADE

Questions ?