Modernizing The Grid: New Distribution Line Sensors Offer Real-Time Data
DLC's Grid Modernization efforts highlight the successful installation of new sensors on several DLC circuits. This will help to identify and locate faults – including those caused by grid equipment failure, downed lines or vegetation contact – and will help reduce outages in real-time. The new system, better known as Gridware, will also help expedite repair outages by dispatching crews to the exact location of an issue as well as track the wear and tear on the physical assets and prioritize maintenance schedules.
The Advanced Grid Solutions team – in partnership with Distribution Planning – first investigated the Gridware technology to learn more and then identify the best locations for a three-circuit pilot project. From there, the location of the initial implementation targeted the worst performing circuits on the grid where failures and fallen conductors occur more frequently. This included areas in Penn Hills, Edison and Raccoon.
In September, DLC line crews successfully installed the new sensors on the Logans Ferry D23921, Wildwood D23869 and Midland-Cooks Ferry D22869 circuits. Richard Saporito, consulting engineer – advanced grid, and Ian Angelo, advanced grid project specialist, helped oversee the successful installation in partnership with the Gridware team.
“While DLC has overhead sectionalizers, reclosers and fuses that can isolate failures and faults, they don’t specifically identify the location of overhead issues. This creates the need for investigators to be dispatched to find the location of the trouble,” said Saporito. “With Gridware’s sensors, precise pole numbers are communicated to us so troubleshooters and crews can be sent directly to the location of the incident while knowing the materials needed to fix the issue.”
Sensors Support Grid Modernization Efforts
Modernizing the grid is a process of increasing visibility, reliability and resiliency while reducing costs. The new sensors providing the precise location of a failure is extremely valuable to DLC's Operations Center and field crews, because it minimizes the restoration process while providing better reliability. Also, switch operation can be more quickly identified when the Operations Center is rerouting power to customers who aren’t immediately impacted by a failure but are downstream of it and without power. This provides better operational flexibility and resiliency.
Following the pilot, several educational sessions on the sensors were held by Advanced Grid Solutions to introduce the new devices to employees. To learn more about Gridware’s sensor technology, click here.