A case study in implimplementing the next generation of integrated geospatial soluated solutions
Outage Management System (OMS)
The Outage Management System chosen for the AIRe Program will provide a fast,
reliable, and highly available system to manage electrical network emergencies that
cause customer power outages. With interfaces from PREPA's Customer Information
System and SCADA, the OMS receives notices of possible outages, which are analyzed
by an outage inference engine that predicts the probable cause of failure based on the
location of the outage in the electrical network. Dispatchers can then quickly assign and
dispatch crews to the field to repair any damage to the network.
The dispatcher has visual access to track pending events, locate outages, monitor
repair crew locations, and manage all outage events. All transactions within the system
are date and time stamped so statistics of outage occurrences can be accurately
reported directly from the system.
If a repair crew finds additional work that needs to be scheduled for another time, the
dispatcher initiates a work request through the WMS that is then managed along with all
other routine maintenance work.
Hardware
High-performance clustered servers were installed to support the GIS and WMS
systems. The GIS normally operates on one server and the WMS operates on an
identically configured second server. Should one of the servers fail for whatever reason,
the WMS and GIS applications automatically revert over to the server that is still
working. The WMS and GIS systems maintain separate Oracle databases to support
the applications.
Additional redundant database, communications and web servers are provided for the
OMS. These systems are configured for high availability with mirrored backup servers
that automatically take over if one of the servers fails for any reason.
To effectively operate the GIS and WMS from PREPA's 27 district offices located
throughout the island, PREPA relies on its communications network, a critical resource
in distributing the GIS/WMS/OMS information to end users. PREPA has T1
communications circuits to each of its district offices supporting the AIRe systems and
other corporate systems.
Field Inventory/Data Conversion
Many of the high voltage transmission towers in Puerto Rico are not easily accessible.
These were captured via fixed-wing aircraft flown directly above the transmission lines.
The aircraft was outfitted with onboard GPS-controlled video cameras - one was
forward-looking and the other vertical. The data they generated was processed to
provide a coordinate (within 1 m accuracy) for each transmission tower. A still image of
each tower, from the forward-looking camera, was loaded into the GIS. A designer can
recall it by clicking on the transmission tower in the map view. A digital video for each
transmission line is available on CD-ROM and is used by PREPA to identify possible
right-of-way encroachments along the corridors.
The field inventory and data conversion for the Caguas pilot area is complete and field
crews are currently collecting electric facilities data for the remainder of the island by
means of field software on pen-based computers.
The OMS must know the transformer that feeds energy to each customer in order to
analyze and aggregate outage calls from customers who report trouble. Since PREPA
does not currently have this link in the customer information system, the linkage of
customer premise locations with the transformer is being captured during the data
conversion process and maintained within the GIS.
Prepa Workflow Processes
The information systems that work within the AIRe Project environment provide tools for
all PREPA employees - who perform functions within the T&D organization - to operate
efficiently and effectively. It is not possible in this presentation to describe in detail the
many workflow processes that PREPA intends to apply to the AIRe system. However,
the following list provides the major types of work that will be accomplished:
- Capital construction projects - Perhaps the
major use of AIRe will be for new and maintenance construction projects
related to the capital assets of the transmission, substation, and
distribution networks. These projects range from small one-day projects
(e.g., to replace a pole) to large capital projects that run for many
months and involve many construction crews.
- Field Inspections and Service Orders -
Maintenance of the electric networks is a costly effort for every
utility. Routine inspections are required to replace rotten poles, trim
trees that interfere with electric circuits, and wire, insulator, and
other inspections needed to find potential areas that can affect
customer service. The AIRe systems provide the tools to manage all these
activities in an efficient manner. Field applications capture all
inspection data whether it is for routine inspections or for damage
assessment after a storm. All this information is maintained in the AIRe
databases. Service order field applications manage the service orders
that fix the many problems reported to the system.
- Streetlights - PREPA maintains the streetlights
of most of Puerto Rico and charges municipalities for this service. With
AIRe, PREPA will more easily be able to keep accurate counts of the
streetlights within geographic boundaries and better manage projects to
change luminaries.
- Pole Attachments - PREPA is modeling
communications and cable TV attachments to PREPA-owned poles that must
be billed to other agencies. The GIS will provide accurate information
to manage these pole attachments.
- Equipment change programs - PREPA has ongoing
programs for upgrading parts of the network - e.g., to change meters to
automated meters, to replace transformers that contain PCB's, and to
change mercury lights to sodium lamps. It has been difficult for PREPA
to locate and count these facilities in order to estimate costs and make
effective implementation plans. The AIRe systems will significantly aid
in planning for these projects and in implementation and progress
reporting once the projects have been commissioned.
- Electric circuit analysis - The GIS software performs traces of the electrical
network and prepares the input data needed for PREPA's network analysis
software. Additionally, the GIS significantly reduces the time taken as well as
normal operator error typically made during preparation of these analysis
packages. PREPA engineers can more thoroughly analyze options related to
planned network changes and resolve possible trouble areas.
Conclusion
Pioneering the latest technology can be a high risk/return option; nevertheless PREPA's
decision to implement the AIRe Program is expected to pay big dividends by
significantly reducing the paper flow and overhead costs in the organization. Utility
facilities have always been managed on maps, but historically these paper-based
systems are difficult to prepare, keep current, and distribute. New geospatial
technologies allow facilities data to be easily generated, updated, and related to other
information in the corporation in order to build a foundation for decision-making across
all aspects of the corporation. Getting the right information immediately to decision
makers and field crews eliminates many intermediary processes, improving efficiency
within the organization and, more importantly, customer service.
The
success of the AIRe Program is largely based on the integration of systems
being deployed as part of the project and their interaction with other
information systems within PREPA. By utilizing the proper information from
all these systems in an integrated environment, PREPA will realize the
maximum overall benefit.
