5-year contract for the supply of 5.000 GPRS RTU to Infrax electricity distribution network company

Contract of 5.000 DinBox RTU SL for Infrax, Belgian electricity distribution company

In September 2012 Bausch Datacom was awarded a new 5-year contract for the supply of 5.000 DinBox RTU SL GPRS Remote Terminal Units to Infrax, Belgian electricity distribution network company.
Infrax studies the possibilities of 'Smart Grids' and will use the Bausch DinBox RTU SL to guard and monitor each transformer substation in their 10 kV distribution network using the input information for online load flow calculation.
A second goal of this Smart Grid project is to connect all short circuit indicators to the DinBox RTU SL6087: in case of a short circuit in the grid, all necessary data will be available to minimize the loss of power according to the European directives.

"The Infrax study analyses voltage fluctuation problems caused by renewable 'green' energy, produced decentralised and locally but feeding a centralized grid..."

Infrax, a Belgian electricity distribution company

In 2006 Interelectra, WVEM and Iveg, three important Belgium inter-municipal utility providers of electricity, gas, cable networks and telecoms decided to unify under the name of Infrax. Since that moment 108 Belgian municipalities in Limburg and West Flanders have delegated the responsibility for gas, cable (television), electricity supply and wastewater management to Infrax. Infrax represents about 20% of all the municipalities in Belgium. When it comes to electricity Infrax maintains the electricity distribution network and delivers electricity to the consumers in those 108 municipalities on demand of the electricity suppliers.

The Belgian high-voltage grid maintained by Elia consists of overhead lines and underground cables with voltages ranging from 380 kV to 30 kV. The 380 kV cables form the backbone of the Belgian and European network. International supplies are carried over these cables. Nuclear power stations and the Coo hydroelectric power station are also connected at this voltage level. The 220 and 150 kV connections in turn carry electricity to large consumption centers and ensure Belgium's domestic electricity supply. Finally, power is carried over 70 and 36 kV lines to the take-off points used by the distribution companies like Infrax. Heavy industrial consumers are directly connected to the high-voltage grid.Electricity travels the path of least resistance, which means it flows to the closest and easiest destination possible.The electricity grid has no storage capacity. It is designed only to transport and consume energy from the producer of energy to the consumer. It is a centralized network.

Infrax studies how 'Green energy' causes voltage fluctuations in a centralised grid. But what happens with the grid when decentralized and locally produced energy sources like for example photovoltaic (PV) solar panels, wind turbines feed a centralized grid? Renewable energy sources feeding the grid cause voltage fluctuations because a centralized grid is designed only to transport and consume energy and not to transport energy in the opposite direction. The amount of energy consumed by the grid must equal that which is being provided to it at any and every moment in time. Renewable energy sources produce energy at inconsistent rates, depending upon variables such as sunlight and wind velocity, certainly in countries like Belgium with extremely variable weather conditions…Therefor Infrax has started a study in June 2009 with the help of Europe (www.metapv.eu) to analyze the influence of decentralized production of solar energy on a centralized electricity grid. The study takes places in Lommel (Belgian Limburg) were lots of photovoltaic solar panels are already installed and many others will be installed in the near future. 

The Infrax study in Lommel is extremely relevant to the decentralized and continuously growing production of PV solar systems that are hooked up to the grid. When those PV systems produce more energy than they consume this energy is not stored for a rainy day when the sun doesn't shine. Moreover, when there is a lot of sun and therefore a lot of ‘green energy’ production, consumption is rather low. In a growing market of ‘green energy production an electricity distribution company like Infrax is immediately confronted with the problem of synchronizing offer and demand of energy. For Infrax a ‘smart grid’ which ‘adapts’ itself automatically to a decentralized and every day growing production of energy would be more than welcome.

Infrax uses DinBox RTU SL to study voltage fluctuations in a centralised grid.

Danny Vandewaerde (Infrax): “In the Lommel 10 kV distribution network we want to guard and monitor each 10/0.4kV transformer substation. To do so the 10/0.4kV distribution transformer is guarded by measuring voltages, active power, reactive power and currents. Also negative power (P,Q) must be measured because the renewable energy produced by PV solar panels is transported decentralized, in the opposite direction. For this purpose we use an A2000 Gossen-Metrawatt Multifunctional Power Meter and a Bausch DinBox RTU SL. The Power Monitoring Device is measuring the 4 important parameters of the distribution network (U,I,P,Q) and is connected to the DinBox RTU SL over RS-485 Modbus RTU. The DinBox RTU SL will analyse the information and communicate over GPRS with the SCADA-DMS system of Infrax (ABB), using an ABB NMKD-3085 ASCII protocol and probably also the 60870-5-104 protocol in the near future. In general the measured values will be used as input information for online load flow calculation of our distribution networks. A second goal of this project is to connect all short circuit indicators to the DinBox RTU. In case of a short circuit in the grid, all necessary data will be available to minimise the loss of power for our customers.

Specifications DinBox RTU SL

 DinBox RTU SL  

• RTU with isolated interfaces, integrated GSM/GPRS module and optional power backup
  Protocols:
  . 60870-5-104
  . ASCII NMKD-3085 
• Real time clock : 10 ppm
• 2 x 12 bit single ended ADC’s (ATXMEGA256D3) to monitor 2 non isolated analogue signals (AI)
• 8  x  galvanically isolated, 24 Vdc active inputs (DI) thanks to an internal 24Vdc dc/dc convertor (opto coupler SFH6156-1, active voltage : 24 Vdc)  
• 2 x galvanically isolated (opto mos 'solid state' relay PS7241E) and overvoltage protected (trisil) digital outputs (DO)
• Integrated state-of-the-art Sierra Wireless (Wavecom) SL6087 GSM/GPRS Class 10 ARM9 processor with TCP/IP stack and Open AT OS (embedded programming) 
• Global management of hardware platform by an Atmel ATXMEGA256D3 processor: f.i. communication with the real time clock, Sierra Wireless SL6087 GSM/GPRS module, calculation on measured AI data, reading of DI data etc...
• 2 x FRAM (ferro electric RAM) of 64 Kb (8.192 x 8 bits) to store configs, measured data and log information
• MMC/SD card socket, in the front of the enclosure of the housing, to store the firmware code, configuration, measured data and log information...
• SIM card reader in the front of the enclosure of the housing
• 4 x LED indicators: GSM (situation GSM network), SD (proper SD/MMC card inserted ?), uP (configuration mode, running mode or RTU not powered), RTS (reflects state of 'Ready to Send' signal of the configuration)
• Standard FME connection provided for connecting an external GSM antenna.
• Mains with input voltage range of 85~264 Vac / 120-370 Vdc and 3 KVac withstand voltage. Optionally with 9-25 Vdc power supply. 
• Optional power backup in case of mains power failure: short time power back-up with 4 x 25F Super Caps
• Setup via configuration menus
• Configuration, set-up and monitoring of the RTU via serial RS-232 interface
• Isolated 2-wire RS-485 serial interface to communicate with intelligent periferie (e.g. Gossen Metrawatt A2000 Multifunctional Power Meter over Modbus RTU protocol) 
• Tailor made embedded software in the Atmel ATXMEGA256D3 processor and / or in the SL6087 GSM/GPRS processor (Open AT Sierra Wireless OS)
   
   
   
   

If you are interested in this solution or the (RTU) products of Bausch Datacom please send a mail to sales@bausch.be or give us a call at (0032)16461288.

Sources article:

*http://www.metapv.eu/
*Infrax start studie naar mogelijkheden van 'Smart grids' met Europees geld (http://www.standaard.be/artikel/detail.aspx?artikelid=4i2b3vlg)
*Decentrale energievoorziening onder lokaal beheer (http://www.samenlevingentechnologie.be/ists/nl/pdf/rapporten/eindrapport_decentrale_energie___2de_def.pdf