Evaluating IT Implications in Substation Maintenance at SEC, Saudi

This report analyzes the implications of Information Technology (IT) in substation maintenance at the Saudi Electricity Company (SEC). It highlights the evolution from electromechanical devices to advanced IT solutions like SCADA systems, microprocessor relays (IEDs), and PMUs. The report discusses various IT systems implemented by SEC, including phasor measurement units (PMUs), battery monitoring systems, power circuit breaker monitoring, and power transformer monitoring, evaluating their impact on maintenance staff and system performance. It also emphasizes the importance of better information flow, the integration of Common Information Model (CIM), improved substations with IEC 61850 equipment, and enhanced communication systems for dependable power delivery services, cost savings, and improved reliability for SEC.

Running head: IMPLICATIONS OF IT
IMPLICATIONS OF IT
Name of the University
Name of the student
Author Note

1IMPLICATIONS OF IT
Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................1
Discussion..................................................................................................................................2
Better information flow of Substations..................................................................................3
Various IT systems and its implications................................................................................4
Better performance and system activities..............................................................................7
Better information layer.........................................................................................................8
Better substations...................................................................................................................9
Better communication system................................................................................................9
Conclusion................................................................................................................................10
References................................................................................................................................11

2IMPLICATIONS OF IT
Introduction
The implication of IT in the substation maintenance at SEC or Saudi Electricity
Company is profound. Compared to the other industrial sectors, the power delivery system
was way behind in terms of technology in the late 2000s. Innovative IT solutions such as
HMIs or human machine interfaces, advanced sensing devices, servomotors and PLCs or
Programmable Logic Controllers were already implemented in the other industrial sectors in
Saudi Arabia. At that time, the Saudi Electricity Company was using age old
electromechanical devices and oscillographs which needed to be maintained periodically.
Solid state devices were also used which were installed in the last decade.
In the following assignment, the implication of IT technology on the substation
maintenance section at SEC or Saudi Electricity Company has been discussed and evaluated.
Several IT Technology implementation has been discussed (currently used and future use)
and their consecutive implication on the maintenance staff has been evaluated. Other than
several IT Systems, the report also discusses about the SCADA system that has been
implemented in the Saudi Arabian Company. The implication of this new IT technology on
the mentioned sector has been assessed and evaluated in the following sections of the report.
Discussion

3IMPLICATIONS OF IT
Figure 1: Logo of SEC
(Source: "Saudi Electricity Company", 2018)
With the introduction of IT technologies such as SCADA or Supervisory, Control,
and Data Acquisition systems and microprocessor relays (first generation), the technological
innovation in the substation maintenance of SEC evolved geometrically. With the dawn of
the information age, SEC has implemented protective relays as IEDs or Intelligent Electronic
Devices. The result of this installation was that the system became much more able to
perform all types of protective functionalities for isolating faults from the healthy system
parts (Murphy, Twaha and Murphy 2014). Another implication of this implementation is that
it will be able to communicate, perform and collect logic data with other devices such as
processors of modern SCADA systems to allow dispatchers to control and monitor the
substations remotely. Analog signals such as voltage, power and current are some of the
example of data that are collected with the help of protective relays.

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Better information flow of Substations
Figure 2: Information flow for the substation maintenance
(Source: Murphy, Twaha and Murphy 2014)
Better IT system for the substation maintenance in SEC will result in better
communication to address maintenance issues in the power station. The new system consists
of SA applications, IED integration and IED implementation. The most important level is the
operational level as it directly sends data (amps and volts) to the SCADA system. The non-
operational level helps to collect data to the data warehouse such as event logs ("An
Introduction to SCADA for Electrical Engineers - Beginners", 2018). The final implication of
the new system is the remote access that opens up the network connection in both ways.

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Various IT systems and its implications
Several new IT methods have been implemented in SEC that had a wide variety of
implications in the Substation maintenance section at Saudi Electricity company (SEC) for
generating, distributing and transferring electric power to differently categorized consumers.
The first is PMU or Phasor Measurement Unit. In SEC, for measuring the currents
and voltages at certain points and synchronizing with the help of GPS systems,
synchrophasors or PMUs are used. PMUs are often incorporated with another Protective
relay or IED to act as a dedicated device. The implication of this instalment is that the
synchophrasor data could be allowed to flow up to the dynamic limit off the line rather than
the worst case scenario limit (during extra load r weather conditions) as the synchophrasors
are located in various substations with their own GPS systems. The dynamic rating also
allows the operator with the actual ability of the transmission line to transmit power within
the design limits. This new technology will allow Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) to
improve their electrical energy flow, its protection and congestion within the grid.
Next comes battery monitoring. The monitoring system is used by the DC battery
system that resides with the relay in the same building. For a control and protection system,
the DC system of the Substation of Saudi Electricity Company is very important. For SEC,
the battery checking system makes sure that the battery bank and charger maintains a right
voltage. The electrolyte level in every battery cell can be monitored by the monitoring
system as well as letting the dispatchers know that the levels need to be changed by sending
an alarm to the Supervisory, Control, and Data Acquisition or SCADA System (Lee & Heng
2016). Another implication of using this IT technology in SEC will be that the crews need to
be rotated back by the utility companies to check the battery cells on a monthly basis.

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Next, comes the monitoring of the power circuit breaker. SEC has recently
installed a monitoring systems for the power circuit breakers that are insulated from SF6 or
sulphur hexafluoride. For the substation maintenance, the immediate implication of this
technology will be better monitoring ability to track tank temperature and gas pressure of
SF6. This will allow the maintenance team to repair and detect leaks before they can turn
into dangerous problems. The SF6 is required in SEC to insulate the breaker’s energized
parts. This IT system allow the substation maintenance to inspect circuit interrupters to
become preventative (condition based) instead of routine (time based). The CBS or Circuit
breaker sentinel is one such monitoring system that is used by SEC. It allows to detect
unnecessary maintenance of interrupters. Without this interrupter wear, the standard
procedure is to check the interrupter maintenance in every ten years ("Local smart grid with
global implications | Energy Central", 2018). The interrupter needs to be disassembled, the
tank needs to be opened and the breaker needs to be removed from service in the standard
maintenance. Most of the times, the interrupter is found to be in prime condition but he
dismemberment and reassembly procedure introduces new metallic particles in the system
leading to its breakdown after a while. Using the monitoring system of the circuit breaker will
definitely lead to the avoidance of this problem in the long run.

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Figure 3: Construction of SEC
(Source: "Saudi Electricity Company", 2018)
Next comes the monitoring of the power transformer. One of the most important
parts of the infrastructure of SEC is the power transformers. They are important for
delivering the power supply to the customers from the generators. Most of them take long
time to replace, has a very long lead time and are very expensive. The transformers that are
present in SEC cost millions of dollars and takes several weeks to install. With the new
installed monitoring system for the power transformers to check the characteristics of its
operation ("Privacy Challenges and Implications of an Electric "Smart Grid" System ...",
2018). The substation maintenance can now monitor the load temperatures, dynamic
loadings, cooling controls, dissolved gas, moisture in oils, hot spots, load currents and oil
temperatures. Another implication will be that this data can be studied by the maintenance
team to understand trends for saving maintenance costs, overload performances, better
reliability and decreased failures.
Better performance and system activities
The new monitoring system in SEC will serve as a hub for management data that can
be used by concerned authorities for business operations of SEC. The increased
expandability, security, response time, maintenance and availability will improve the system
performance of SEC. The SCADA system will improve the redundancy and reliability of the
software as well as the hardware. In case of any natural calamities, the system operations will
be taken up by the master station ("What is SCADA? Supervisory Control and Data
Acquisition",2018).

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When the operating constraints and load are satisfied, the system stays in the normal
state. As the main system performances are met, the system does not respond but when the
conditions are not satisfied, the system automatically goes into emergency mode. In this state,
the basic functions are retained but the system performance is allowed to degrade with lower
response time ("Implications of Smart Grid Innovation for Organizational Models in
Electricity ...", 2018).
Another implication of the new SCADA system in SEC is that the new system
restricts access to certain group of staffs. For example, the substation maintenance staff gets
to see only the display functions whereas the operators can all the control functions.
During system expansion, the substation maintenance team can conduct preventive
measures, updates and hardware as well as software repair without any complications.
Better information layer
Figure 4: Information model for the electric company
(Source: Lee & Heng 2016)

9IMPLICATIONS OF IT
With the integration of CIM or Common Information Model in SEC, it will allow
software applications to check status information and exchange configuration with the
electric network of SEC. For specific applications. CIM supports some profiles. The subsets
of classes are known as profiles. Topology profile and Schematic Layout Profile are some of
the profiles that are supported by the new information system of SEC. Presently, EMS
applications are used by CIM to exchange information about the states of current
transmission of power by the substation maintenance at SEC ("Security Implications of the
Electric Smart Grid | 2014-09-04 | Security Magazine", 2018.). In the future, the implication
of utilizing CIM will be to exchange vital informations from anything related to the energy
systems and their management systems such as markets and workforces.
Better substations
Figure 5: Power grid and substation
(Source: Lee & Heng 2016)
Most of the energy companies of Saudi Arabia including SEC has adopted the latest
IEC 61850 equipment. At first, there was a concern about the interchangeability of devices

10IMPLICATIONS OF IT
among several manufacturers with this technology. After extensive research with six
manufacturers and nine product platforms, it was concluded that the IEC 61850-based
substation can in fact support various manufacturers in a single transmission grid ("The
Future of the Electric Grid", 2018). The implication of integrating this technology is that
interoperability will no longer be a problem for the substation maintenance.
Better communication system
The communication layer of Saudi Electricity Company serves as the heart of the
monitoring system. The implementation of the SCADA system in SEC will allow the data to
be sent to the backup servers and allow the operational data to be collected from the field
devices. It will allow the substation maintenance team to send commands to the control units
from the control centre. The implication of the technology will be used for properly
identifying traffic flows of communication, understand the system topology, address timing
issues and failover, performance requirement, address device schemes understand the
network traffic characteristics and the operational requirements ("electricity - How does load
affect frequency on the power grid? 2018).
Another important implication of the new IT system will be the substation automation
architecture and integration that will allow interoperability with the legacy equipment of SEC
and various components of vendors. As many vendor are not SCADA oriented, SEC can
utilize the open communication protocols such as DNP 3.0 for better integrating with
equipment manufacturers ("Status Enterprise SCADA System Software - B-Scada, Inc.",
2018).

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Conclusion
To conclude the report, it can be stated that with all the accumulation of data from all
these mentioned IT technologies, the implications of this data analysis will lead to better and
dependable power delivery services from the SEC of Saudi Arabia. It will also allow the
substation maintenance team to save cost of the SEC and improve its reliability. The
implication of IT in the substation maintenance of SEC has been discussed adequately in the
report. The better flow of information in the substations has been discussed and analysed. A
number of IT systems has been discussed and their implications on the substation
maintenance has been evaluated. Moreover, the positive implications of IT on the system
activities, information layer and the communication system has been widely discussed.
The transformation of SEC to condition based maintenance from time based
maintenance will affect it positively in the long run. With the implementation of these
systems, the implications will be significant as the number of outages will reduce and the
failure of equipment will gradually become less. The substation maintenance team will also
become efficient in addressing these issues with time. Other implications of adopting a new
monitoring system has been discussed as well as implications of building better substations
and better communication systems.