Connectivity Updates Boost Performance

Mar 1, 2006 12:00 PM
by Joseph Turk, PacifiCorp

PACIFICORP HAS ALWAYS BEEN DILIGENT IN GATHERING UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION on its distribution infrastructure. However, updates to its computer-aided distribution operations (CADOPS) outage management system (OMS) were so convoluted, cumbersome and time consuming to perform that they were only being posted on a monthly, sometimes even quarterly, basis.

Network operators at PacifiCorp are responsible for 1.6 million customers in Utah, Washington, California, Oregon, Idaho and Wyoming. When postings are delayed, the accuracy of the data can no longer be taken for granted. Operators cannot feel confident the data they have corresponds with the as-built network, which hurts the precision and efficiency of outage-restoration efforts across the system.

Clearly, PacifiCorp needed to update its outage database on a more regular schedule. Unfortunately, its update process was a time-consuming, bulk-load approach that made the OMS inoperable while updates were being performed. The only existing solution for providing more accurate OMS data was to run this inefficient bulk-update process more frequently. Although more frequent updates provided better data, they were costly and required considerable downtime.

PacifiCorp decided on a new strategy to enhance the accuracy of its network information, bolster the confidence of its system operators and, ultimately, improve overall customer reliability. Through a collaborative effort, PacifiCorp's IT department, the developer of the installed OMS and the company that provided the data management technology developed a better update process.

The resulting system provided more precise data on customer-to-transformer connections to CTL data, transformer types and locations, phasing and other features that allowed for more efficient dispatch of crews and equipment and more effective responses to outages and damage caused by storms, traffic accidents and fallen trees.

THE OLD WAY

The old update method for the outage information required a bulk update, which involved a wholesale replacement of the data in the OMS. The established method called for completely replacing the existing production data with updated data on a weekly basis. This method worked in theory but was dependent on a single IT person who was already overbooked with tasks. Often the updates slipped and fell behind more pressing priorities.

The volume of data changes also impacted the bulk-update process. This data had to be reviewed each time, and temporary states in CADOPS had to be transferred so they wouldn't be lost in the update process, a process that made it impossible to go back to a previous version. All of this was labor intensive, and the resources needed to do weekly CADOPS updates were stretched thin. These factors contributed to the data model in production being out of sync with reality in some network locations. This was especially true in the Salt Lake City metro area, where circuits were never formally field surveyed and where many changes had taken place in the preceding two years.

PacifiCorp has three CADOPS control centers to update, and updating a single control center using the old update method took up to 24 hours. Updates were typically performed off peak, usually after midnight. Even so, during the update process, the CADOPS station in question was entirely nonoperational for several hours.

TEAM EFFORT

An innovative method of providing updates was devised through the combined efforts of personnel at PacifiCorp, ABB and Osmose Utilities Services, which provided the FastGate database to house critical circuit connectivity data used by the CADOPS system.

The crux of the solution was the development of a transaction-based “change order” method of updating only data items that had been collected as new changes — not the entire CADOPS database. This streamlined method of updating information used by the outage system permitted fast updates that could be performed weekly, or even more frequently if desired, and did not require any downtime of the outage system.

The team worked together to perform a complex integration of two software packages from different vendors and to re-evaluate PacifiCorp business processes related to its outage management operations. The project team was comprised of subject matter experts from various disciplines, including mapping, data management, dispatch, systems support and IT, and was effectively overseen and directed by a project manager from PacifiCorp's Power Delivery group.

PacifiCorp engaged in the effort necessary to design the new business processes and rules to ensure successful adoption of incremental updates into its outage management operations. Wherever applicable, these new business processes and rules — specifically, eliminating downtime for dispatchers and the need for intervention by IT staff — became functional requirements and design components of the delivered incremental update system.

The use of the transaction-based update method — in which the only items to be updated are those that had been changed, deleted or added — was made possible largely by the “change order” functionality of Osmose's FastGate software. This software identifies only items that have changed and limits update processing to those items. This functionality was integrated with the transactional-processing capabilities of CADOPS to implement the technical part of the solution.

THE PAYOFF

Some of the practical improvements made possible by the incremental update approach include the following:

The turnaround time for updates improved to weekly from quarterly (including general updates from the field as well as switching orders).
The backlog of updates to the CADOPS system have been eliminated.
Updates can be performed quickly and easily without the need to shut down the entire OMS.
The CADOPS system can project a more reasonable assumption of the probable outage cause as a direct result of improved data accuracy.
The personnel needed to prepare data for updating the system have been reduced from three full-time equivalents to one.

A less quantifiable but still significant benefit is that dispatch personnel and field crews generally feel more confident about the accuracy of the outage data and the overall reliability of the OMS. They now trust that timely and accurate updates will occur, so they are more willing to spend the time needed to provide input on field and system conditions.

The improvement gained by increasing the frequency of facility updates without system downtime and extra man-hours will provide a positive impact on employee morale and customer satisfaction. In addition, PacifiCorp now has a more accurate OMS to report outage performance (SAIDI, SAIFI and MAIFI numbers) to regulatory authorities.

Joseph Turk is the supervisor of the data management department at PacifiCorp. The department is responsible for supporting the facilities and outage management data needs for field operations, grid operations, asset management and engineering. In his six years with the company, Turk has served in several key roles in operations support and engineering. These roles include mapping supervisor and the data conversion team leader for the Incident Management and Analysis Program, which implemented PacifiCorp's connectivity model, outage management and automated outage-reporting systems. Joseph.Turk@PacifiCorp.com

CADOPS AT PACIFICORP

PacifiCorp's implementation of the computer-aided distribution operations (CADOPS) distribution management system integrates real-time data with a connected model of the utility's electrical network. At PacifiCorp, CADOPS is used to automate outage analysis, monitor distribution feeders, determine fault locations, manage field crews, facilitate effective dispatching, and support general distribution and outage management.

The system helps provide the following functions: