A Midwest generating company selected us to upgrade the plant’s existing Automatic Dispatch System and Data interface of Switchyard Data. With the challenges caused by renewable energy and increased grid variability, power plants in the Midwest ISO market need a better interface to dispatch units, and resolve errors in billing calculations caused by meters owned by different entities.
How We Did It
We integrated boiler, turbine, dispatch, protective relaying, and metering data. The solution was to establish a redundant DNP 3.0 communication connection to the plant SEL protective relaying system, as well as to the existing GE Harris D20 RTU where dispatch signals were received. For security, a terminal server was used to provide a serial connection between the remote RTU and the DCS network. The project took around three months. One of our solution platforms was Honeywell Experion PKS, HPM, C200, SCADA. We also used DNP 3.0 protocol, SEL, GE Harris D20.
Result
The Midwest coal power plant integrated generation control and Switchyard Data with DCS controls using Experion SCADA DNP serial interface. The client now has shared metering eliminated concerns of measurement errors, common historian for all data for future analysis, and a single system for operator HMI graphics for data and control. The benefits include:
- Common HMI
- More accurate dispatch
- Network Isolation for security and NERC CIP compliance
- New interface for future expansion and addition without additional cost
- More accurate revenue reconciliation
• Single source for data eliminating merging from different systems
• Improved dispatch accuracy
- Greater operator visibility of systems in a single location
Integrating multiple manufacturer equipment into a single unified system improves accuracy, control, and minimizes confusion for historical data and revenue reconciliation. If you’re in need of assistance with your serial interface, please contact us today.
