Intelligent Power System Protection Data Management and its Practical Impact Upon Protection Automation Lifecycle Management Strategies

摘要

Throughout the world, network owners/operators have moved from electromechanical products to Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs). Because protection assets have typical application life spans of between 15 and 40 years, most networks have a multi-generation technology mix. During this migration, associated data capture and maintenance management regimes have moved from paper-based into digitized media. This has created a huge increase in the volume of acquired data, such that there is now a mix of paper and digitized storage. Data is rarely consolidated or used for decision making in asset management processes once testing is completed. This presents the dilemma now visible in a number of organizations: the proliferation of data, including both on-line and off-line test results, and what to do with it. Simply, there are no de-facto standards today. At the same time, the electrical power industry must face up to its biggest resource challenge for half a century, with the impending retirement of the post-war Baby Boom generation of engineers. The authors contend that this mix of technology, data volume, loss of expertise and lack of consistent process can have significant impact on overall power system reliability. This paper presents the concept of "Intelligent Operative Maintenance Management", now becoming more known in the industry, meaning the management of operational data, resulting actions and responses, wherever and by whoever they are needed, without any additional overhead. The authors present case material of how Western European power utilities are looking to address the issues of reducing competent resources, critical substation data management and demands for increased efficiency through a holistic Data-Asset Management strategy. Looking forward, maintenance of modern protection devices must be adapted to existing and future technologies (e.g. IEC 61850). From the perspective of the network operator, the authors will make the case for simplification and standardisation of protection testing. For modern protection maintenance, the authors will present new developments in protection testing methodology, termed the SOR (Stabilisation-Operation-Reset) method, supported by a future vision of the Power System Test Library, the core being synergies between system analysis/simulation software and intelligent data management for power system protection testing.