Communication in Power

System I

EET 411 Power System Operation &

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Communication in Power
System
Contents
• Introduction
• Telecommunication in Transmission
Network
• Kinds of communication systems
• Data transmission techniques
•Power Line Carrier (PLC)
Communication
• Applications of PLC
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Communication in Power System
Introduction
 The successful operation of a power
system depends to a great extent upon
the ability to communicate from one
location in the system of other locations
involved in the operation.
 Current and correct information from
many places is essential in order that
operators can be aware of status of
stations, transmission lines, and power
plant equipment.
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Communication in Power System
Introduction  The first electric
generating plants were
primarily in towns were
located near their loads.
 Each plant served a nearby
area without
interconnection to any
other plants.
 In such cases there was
little or no need for other
than internal
communication within in
plant.
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Communication in Power System
Introduction As electric loads increased, in

many cases they came to exceed
the capacity of local plants and
required the construction of
additional generating capacity,
usual at other location.
 The new plants were
interconnected with the original
ones by transmission lines and
through substations.
 These developments made it
necessary to provide for
coordination of the operations of
the interconnected plants and
resulted in requirements for
communications between plants,
field crews, operating centers.

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Communication in Power System
Introduction
 In urban areas , where generation and
distribution facilities were relatively close
together, the required communications
could ordinarily be supplied by local
telephone systems.
 However, in areas where there were
considerable distances between generating
plants which were remote and in locations
where there were no existing telephone
systems, the necessity for dedicated
communications facilities arose.
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Telecommunication in Transmission
Network
 Tele means remote, at a distance or location.
 Communication means exchange of information.
 Telecommunication is the process of exchanging
information between two or more locations.
 Transmission system need information between
load control centre (LCC), power station control
rooms and substation control room, mobile control
units in a van for effective control / protection /
monitoring / management of the transmission
network and energy flow.

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Telecommunication in Transmission
Networks
 Information to be communicated includes:
◦ Direct Telephone Talk(Voice Communication)
◦ Facsimile (FAX), Transmission of Documents
◦ Protection Signalling
◦ SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition)
◦ Control Signal
◦ Data Transmission, Electronic Mail
◦ Teleconferences,Video conferences
◦ Display of Network Configuration on Remote Video
Display Unit
◦ Remote Control of Substations and Power Stations
◦ Artificial Intelligence In Power Transmission
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Kinds of Communication Systems
1. Point-to-Point Connections
 Style of the communication link are cost effective (only a
few points is connected).
 Easy to implement, no complexity in addressing the node.
 New node makes the architecture more complicated.
 Usually is used for master slave type operation.

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Kinds of Communication Systems
2. Network of Many Nodes
 Large number of communicating entities.
 The cost of communication links and interfaces becomes
remarkable unless they are shared.
 The communication software is more complicated due to
the access to the shared communication media must be in
turns.

Some of network topologies (Ring, Bus, Star, Free)

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 Kinds of Communication Systems
3. Network of Network
 A necessary for nodes in different
networks to be able communicate
to each other.
 The networks may be built using
different kind of topology and/or
media.
 The communication made possible
by gateways.
 Gateway is a network node, that is
connected to (at least) two different
networks.

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 Data Transmission Techniques
Technique Used in Data Transmission

• Fixed cable
• Public telephone
• Radio link
• VHF Broadcast Radio
• DLC
• Packet Radio Network
• GSM
• Fibre Optics
• Satellite
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 Fixed Cable
 Simple to connect and use
 Possible in urban areas where data transmission lengths
are short
 Expensive in rural areas
 High capacity
 Used mainly between control room and primary
substations
 In some cases between control room and readable fault
indicators

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Public Telephone
 Low investment cost (existing data channel)
 Quite high operating costs
 Capacity problems
◦ Time needed for opening the connection
◦ System over loadings during rushing hours (during disturbance)
 Reliability problems
 Not widely used in automation applications
 Possible in simple data collecting applications

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Radio Link
 Very high capacity
 Expensive, not possible for customer level automation
 Used mainly for data transmission between control
room and primary substations

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 VHF Broadcast Radio
 VHF radio is mainly used for
speech transmission
(very important in network
operation)
 VHF radio can be used also
for remote control of line
disconnectors ( common
practice in Finland and
Scandinavian country)

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Distribution Line Carrier (DLC)
 Data transfer via distribution network
 Data channel is cheap and is connected to every
customer ( existing distribution conductors)

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 Packet Radio Network
 Radio system
◦ One single frequency
(400-520kHz)
 Data is transferred step
by step from one station
to another
 One main station few slave
stations
 Predefined transmission path
 Used for remote control
of line disconnectors
 Cheap, medium capacity

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 GSM (Groupe Spécial Mobile) (Global Mobile Communication)
 A cellular network
 Interesting technology
◦ Low investment costs, high operating costs
◦ Capacity 9600 bit/s
◦ Easy to take into use
 Density of GSM links is not enough for distribution
automation process ( e.g. good connections only near the
main roods)

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Fibre Optics
 Presently the application in infant stage.
 Apply more to power system protection and
control.
 Has a vast scope due to
◦ Freedom free from electro magnetic interference.
◦ Enormous Data Handling Capacity of a single pair
of optical fibre.
 Information is exchange in the form of
digitised light signals transmitted through
optical fibres.

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Fibre Optics
 Four methods are available for laying the
Fibre Optic Cable with transmission lines:
◦ Within a hollow tube carried inside overhead
earth wire
◦ Wrapped around existing line conductor
◦ A separate Self supporting cable
◦ Laid in underground duct
 Method (1) is used for some new line,
method (2,3 or 4) is used for new fibre optic
cables to be laid with existing transmission
line.
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Fibre Optics
 Composite earth wire with fibre optic
cables in the axis.

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Fibre Optics
 Example of connections of fibre optic
cable in transmission system.

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 Satellite Communication
 A type (Major) power stations and substations
can be in communication with each other and
with control centre via Satellite.
• Cover vast geographical
area and is a powerful tool
for modern EMS and its
High Power EHV AC and
HVDC Transmission
Network.

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Power Line Carrier Communication
(PLCC)
 Power Line Carrier Communication (PLCC)
is commonly used for voice communication,
telemetry, telecontrol, SCADA purpose.
 Each end of the transmission line is provided
with identical carrier current equipment.
 The carrier current in the frequency range
30 to 500 kHz, are commonly used for
communication between the two substations
connected by transmission lines.
 The high frequency signals are transmitted
through the power line.
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Power Line Carrier Communication
(PLCC)
 The carrier current equipment comprises
the following:

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Power Line Carrier Communication
(PLCC)
 The carrier current equipment comprises
the following:

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Carrier Current Equipment
Coupling Capacitor
 Coupling Capacitor (CC)
◦ The carrier equipment is connected to the
transmission line through CC which is of such a
capacitance that is offers low ( 1/C) to the carrier
frequency but high reactance to power frequency.
◦ For example, 2000 pF capacitor offers 1.5 MΩ to
50Hz and 150 Ω to 500kHz.
◦ CC allows carrier frequency signal to enter the
carrier equipment but does not allow 50 Hz power
frequency currents to enter the carrier equipment.
◦ To reduce impedance further, low inductance is
connected in series with CC to form a resonance at
carrier frequency.
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Coupling Capacitor
 How does its looks like in real life?

Basebox mounted
coupling capacitor
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Carrier Current Equipment
Characteristics Coupling Capacitor
 The capacitor element
proper is contained in a CC
cylindrical porcelain housing
with cast metal ends.
 The capacitor elements Multi Unit
Base
CC
consist of a large number of Housing
individual working sections in
series. Ground
Drain
 Each working section is made Switch
Coil
up of an assembly of special Spark
paper and foil, non Gap
inductively wound and
impregnated.
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Carrier Current Equipment
Characteristics Coupling Capacitor
 Individual capacitor units are
made up in several different CC
voltage ratings, and one or more
such individual capacitor units Multi Unit
Base
can be used in a stack to make CC
Housing
up the complete coupling
capacitance.
Ground
Drain
 The stack is mounted on a metal Switch Coil
Spark
base that contains a grounding Gap
switch, a protective gap, and a
carrier drain coil.
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 Carrier Current Equipment
Characteristics Coupling Capacitor
 The purpose of the drain coil is to
ground the capacitor terminal opposite
the line terminal and at the same time CC
offer a high impedance at the carrier
frequency. Multi Unit
Base
 The grounding switch is used to by-pass CC
Housing
the drain coil, providing a means of
directly grounding the capacitor during
Ground
inspection and maintenance of the Drain
Switch
Coil
coupling and tuning equipment. Spark
Gap
 The gap protects the drain coil from
excessive surge voltages during normal
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Line Trap Unit
 Line trap unit is inserted between busbar
and connection of CC to the line.
 It is a parallel tuned circuit comprising L and
C.
 It has low impedance (less than 0.1 Ω) to 50
Hz and high impedance to carrier
frequencies.
 It function to prevents the high frequency
signals from entering the neighboring line.
 The carrier currents flows only in the
protected line.

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Line Trap Unit
 How does its looks like in real life?

Suspension mounted Line Traps

Post mounted Line Traps at switchyard

Suspension mounted 380 kV,
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Line Tuner
 Line tuning equipment, associated coupling
capacitors and line traps provide an efficient
means to couple power line carrier (PLC)
signal onto a high voltage transmission line
or power cable.
 It also used in carrier bypass circuit to
route a PLC signal around discontinuities
such as transformers, breakers and
disconnect switches.
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 Line Tuner
 How does its looks like in real life?

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 Line Tuner

HV Transmission line

Coupling
Capacitor

Inductor
Line tuner
Transformer

Coax Cable
Transmitter/
Receiver

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Line Tuner
 Illustration example of line tuner or coupling
device also used in carrier bypass circuit to route
a PLC signal around discontinuities such as
transformers, breakers and disconnect switches.
Discontinuities

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Electronic Equipment
 There are generally identical electronic
equipment at each end:
◦ Transmitter unit
 To transmit a carrier frequencies signal that are
generated in oscillator.
◦ Receiver unit
 To receive a carrier frequencies signal arriving from
remote end and feeds to carrier receiving relay unit.
◦ Relay unit
 The protective relay operates over the frequency carrier
channel to trip a remote circuit breaker when the
proper carrier frequency signal is received from a
terminal where a fault has been detected.
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Electronic Equipment

Identical electronic
equipment at each end

Relay Communication Channel

Courtesy of Trench

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Control
Applications of PLC
 Power Line Carrier (PLC) is used for the
following applications:
◦ Carrier Communication
 The person in power stations and receiving stations can
communicate with each other by using this facility.

◦ Carrier Protective Relaying / Carrier Telemetering

 Telemetering is the indicating or recording of quantities at
location remote from the point.
 Quantities telemetered on power system (KV,KVARS,V, Tap
Changer position, CB position etc).
 In carrier telemetry by impulse-rate system, frequency or
rate of pulse varies according to the magnitude of
telemetered quantity.
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Applications of PLC
 Power Line Carrier (PLC) is used for the
following applications (Cont):
◦ Load and Frequency Control
 The control of output of group of generators on a system in
such a way as to maintain the system frequency and regulate
the interchange of power between parts of the system
according to the predetermined plan.
 The two types of impulses to be transmitted one for
increase in power and other for decrease.

◦ Carrier Supervisory Control SCADA

 Controlling the operations of the equipment from a central
location.

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