REFURBISHMENT OF CONTROL SYSTEMS HYDRO-QUéBEC’S EXPERIENCE AND STRATEGIES

摘要

Hydro-Québec currently has 45 substationsrncontrolled by ALCID 1, the first digital controlrnsystem developed by the company in the latern1980s.rnRepresenting a major technological breakthrough,rnthe system has proved to be an attractive solutionrnfor the refurbishment of existing substations. Thernsuccess of such a program is based on a twoprongedrnstrategy:rn1. Differentiating between a project’s standardrnfunctions and variable functions: the latter mustrnbe realized by the engineering group usingrnGRAFCET, a high-level language;rn2. Establishing stringent technical and economicrncriteria for the selection of target substations.rnAs a result of the experience acquired over morernthan 10 years of the program’s implementation, thernnew ALCID 2 model was developed in 1999. Twornobjectives guided the definition of the secondrngeneration: adapting to the refurbishmentrnrequirements of existing systems, and upgradingrnsubstation operations based on market trends.rnIn terms of adaptation, ALCID 2 must comply withrnthe following criteria:rn1. Flexibility that allows the system configurationrnto fit different types of substations and variousrnreplacement modes.rn2. System interoperability with the commercialrnproducts.rn3. System adaptability to the specific needs of therninstallations.rnAs for the upgrading part, the following needs to bernadded to ALCID 2:rn1. The exchange of data with digital protectivernrelays using the approach in the IEC 61850rndraft standard.rn2. The addition of remote maintenance to thernsystem backed by the integration of a Webrnserver to the system.rn3. The development of a graphical MMI using arncommercial product and standard OPCrninterface.rnThe development of ALCID 2 is currently under wayrnand the objective for 2002 is to develop prototypesrnwhich integrate these new features.rnPast experience favours replacing the old systemsrnwith digital technology. This strategy has a two-foldrnadvantage: replacing obsolete systems at lesserrncost, and providing an extended range of functionsrnbased on new developments on the market.rnTo implement its strategy, Hydro-Québec has hadrnto first establish its installation refurbishment needsrnand second, to draw up development criteria for thernnew system. The success of such a plan is basedrnon combining the latter criteria with the formerrnneeds.