Advanced Distribution Keeps Korea Plugged In

摘要

Distribution monitoring and control system enhances all aspects of operations, including storm response and load balancing. During the three-day period from the July 26 to July 28, 2011, the city of Seoul in South Korea experienced heavy rainfall amounting to some 500 mm (20 inches), which represented 40% of the city's annual average rainfall. Meteorological records confirmed this was the heaviest rainfall over a period of three days since records began in 1903. In Seoul, the Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) has four distribution control centers (DCC) that monitor and control 7,562 automatic switches, controlling 1,499 distribution feeders, in an area supplying 3.18 million customers. The rainfall on July 27 caused a total of 36 faults on the Seoul distribution network. However, the DCCs were able to isolate the fault sections and restore power to the healthy sections within 3 minutes of receiving notification of each fault by using KEPCO's distribution automation system (DAS). Among the 36 faults, 24 were processed within 3 minutes and eight within 10 minutes. The remaining four faults could not be handled within 10 minutes because the rainfall had damaged both the communications and distribution lines.