Background

The City of Springville NY, has been using QEI SCADA (QSCADA) along with QEI’s other field-proven hardware devices, such as ePAQ-9425, Status Input Module (SIM) and Remote Operator Panel (ROP) in their substations.

As a part of its grid modernization initiative, the utility decided to upgrade their legacy electromechanical relays with the modern microprocessor based relays. While the new intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) offered significantly more operational data and event information, the objective was to seamlessly integrate the new protection relays into the existing QEI Automation Control System and SCADA software while making the additional operational data available to system operators without disturbing daily operations.

Challenges

Unlike legacy electromechanical relays, modern microprocessor based protective relays provide significantly more operational data including detailed measurements, status indications, protection information, alarms and event records. While this additional data improves system visibility and operational awareness, the SCADA system needed to acquire, process, organize, and display significantly more telemetry.

The City of Springville required a solution that would:

• Communicate with the newly installed microprocessor-based protective relays using industry-standard communication protocols.
• Collect the expanded set of relay measurements, status indications, alarms, and event information.
• Update the existing SCADA database to accommodate additional telemetry points.
• Present the new information through intuitive operator displays without disrupting established system operations.
• Preserve the utility’s existing investment in its QSCADA and Automation Control System while supporting its substation modernization objectives.

Solutions

At the core of the solution is QEI’s ePAQ-9425 Automation Controller, which enabled seamless integration between the utility’s modern microprocessor based protective relays and the existing QSCADA system. Designed to support industry-standard protocols including Modbus and DNP3, the ePAQ-9425 served as the intelligent interface between the SCADA master and the field IEDs. It acquired the expanded telemetry provided by the new relays, exchanged supervisory control commands with the field devices, and delivered the information to the QSCADA system.

Designed for scalability, the QEI QSCADA system readily supported expansion of the SCADA database to accommodate the increased number of telemetry points generated by the new Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs). QEI engineers configured the additional measurements, status indications, alarms, and protection information within the existing database structure and developed new WorldView displays that provided operators with clear, real-time visibility into the expanded relay data.

Following system configuration and validation, the utility successfully incorporated the additional relay telemetry into its operational environment, enabling operators to remotely monitor and control the modern protective relays through the familiar WorldView interface.

Conclusion

The successful integration of modern microprocessor based protective relays demonstrates the flexibility and longevity of QEI’s Automation Control System and QSCADA platform. By supporting industry-standard communication protocols and scalable database architecture, QEI enabled the utility to modernize its substations while preserving its existing automation investment.