"System Operator" implemented a project for remote control of substation equipment in the Voronezh region

2021: Implementation of Digital Substation Equipment Remote Control System

On July 5, 2021, it became known that the Branch of JSC "SO UES" Voronezh RDU (carries out operational control of the energy system of the Voronezh region) together with the branch "Rosseti Center Voronezh Energy" conducted comprehensive tests and put into operation a digital system for remote control of the equipment of the substation (PS) 110 kV Sputnik from the dispatch center of the System Operator of Voronezh and network control Center .

As reported, the 110 kV PS Sputnik commissioned in July 2020 with a transformer capacity of 80 MVA provides electricity to consumers of the Kominternovsky district of Voronezh. Thanks to the state-of-the-art digital equipment and automation equipment, including the automated remote control function from the control center, the power facility meets the requirements for the next generation substations.

After the introduction of the automated remote control system into industrial operation, the dispatching staff of the Voronezh RDU and the operational staff of the Central CCN of Voronezh Energy were able to remotely control the switching devices and grounding disconnectors of the substation using automated switching programs (APS), which allow to reduce the duration of operational switching by 5-10 times compared to their "traditional" execution by operating personnel of electric power facilities by voice commands of dispatching personnel.

The ATM is a computer algorithm sequence of switching operations. In accordance with the ATM, remote control commands are transmitted directly to the automated process control system APCS () of the electric power facility with monitoring of their execution based on information the state of the equipment and performed operations.

Introduction of automated remote control of 110 kV Satellite equipment allows to optimize control of electric power mode of the energy system of the Voronezh region by reducing the production time of operational switches, reducing the risk of erroneous actions of dispatching and operational personnel, increasing the speed of implementation of control actions to change the topology of the electric network.

As part of the project, a number of organizational and technical measures were implemented in accordance with the approved schedule. Including - the distribution of remote control functions between the Voronezh RDU and the Central Control Center of Voronezh Energy, the necessary configuration of the APCS at the substation, the operational information complex in the control center and the software and technical complex of the Central CCN of Voronezh energy. Telemetry information collection and transmission systems have been tested.

Specialists of Voronezh RDU and Voronezh Energy jointly developed standard switching programs for power lines and 110 kV Sputnik PS equipment, on the basis of which ATM and standard switching forms were prepared. The necessary instructional and technical documentation was also updated and put into operation, additional training of dispatching and operational personnel was organized, comprehensive tests of the automated remote control system were carried out. During the complex tests, the communication channels, the quality of telemetry information entering the Voronezh RDU and Central Control Center of Voronezh Energy, the performance of the functions of capturing and releasing the remote control key, the functions of remote control of switches, disconnectors and grounding disconnectors of 110 kV Sputnik PS, as well as blocking the execution of erroneous commands were checked. The completion of the complex tests confirmed the readiness of the automated system for remote control of the 110 kV satellite equipment for commissioning.

As part of the check of the readiness of the Voronezh RDU and Voronezh Energy to work with the system, a control system-wide emergency response training was carried out to eliminate violations of the normal operation of the energy system of the Voronezh region using remote control. The event was attended by dispatch personnel of the Voronezh RDU and operational personnel of Voronezh. Based on the results of the inspections and training, the joint commission of the System Operator and Rosseti Center decided on the readiness of the dispatching personnel of the Voronezh RDU and the operational personnel of Voronezh Energy to carry out the remote control functions of the 110 kV Sputnik PS equipment.

As part of the digitalization of operational dispatch control, the System Operator has been phasing in an automated switching system in all its branches for several years, which in the future will allow organizing automated remote control of equipment and devices of more than two hundred electric power facilities in accordance with plans agreed with network organizations. Equipping the control centers of the System Operator with automated switching systems, and substations with modern APCS supporting automated remote control. The use of digital technologies in the energy industry allows to obtain a systemic effect by building on their basis more efficient models of process control of electric power facilities and UES of Russia as a whole.