New plant to old: Can we talk?
A presentation at this June’s annual ISA/EPRI Power Industry Symposium provided a peek at the promising future of PDNs at fossil-fueled plants. It describes how Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) integrated the digital control and communications infrastructures of a state-of-the-art plant it had recently acquired with those of a nearby power plant it had owned and operated for 40 years.
Three years after acquiring the two-year-old Lost Pines Power Park in 2003, LCRA integrated its facilities (and staff) with those of Sim Gideon Power Plant, whose three units were commissioned between 1965 and 1972 (see POWER, June 2007, "Old plant, new mission"). Eventually, LCRA would like the two plants to share the same communications infrastructure, so the combined staff can conduct day-to-day operations at both sites.
The first step toward that goal was the installation of a layered WiMax/WiFi wireless communications infrastructure covering both plants. The protocols were chosen largely to “future-proof” the system against technology obsolescence. The system—developed jointly by the asset performance management specialist Invensys Process Systems (www.ips.invensys.com) and the industrial wireless networking specialist Apprion Inc. (www.apprion.com)—is reportedly the first of its kind deployed at a large power station.
The system has the following features:
- A 360-degree WiMax “umbrella” plantwide wireless network accessible by the entire site. It is powered by wide- and medium-bandwidth transceivers, logical integration terminals (which physically connect to the existing fiber IT systems at both plants), and WiFi access points.
- A wireless plant intercom system with “push to talk” capabilities. It integrates with a PBX (private branch exchange) using VoIP (voice over Internet protocol).
- The use of wireless communication badges and noise-cancelling headsets by staffers.
- WiMax connectivity to a remote fuel oil tank farm.
Although the initial deployment simply focused on providing a common communications infrastructure for the staffs of two plants of very different vintage, LCRA’s plans for future use of the wireless PDN are what make it noteworthy. The following functionalities are currently envisioned: noncritical closed-loop level controls and alarming for auxiliary plant equipment, equipment health and condition monitoring, and remote video surveillance. Others will undoubtedly follow, after the system demonstrates what it can do best.
Only the beginning
With digital systems now common in new and old power plants alike, the need to collect and communicate more information reliably continues to grow. One way to make a plant more competitive is to seek new and better ways to improve the performance of equipment and the productivity of personnel.
Recent history makes clear that digital controls and wireless communication are quite capable of helping plant owners achieve both goals. If they are to support the digital systems, digital networks must no longer be treated as afterthoughts by utility management; they should be designed and managed with the same care that other plant systems receive because they are equally important. Although digital networks are new by power industry standards, they are maturing quickly and now command more attention during the design and operation of both fossil-fueled and nuclear power plants.
—Timothy E. Hurst, PE (timh@hursttech.com) is president of Hurst Technologies (www.hcinc.com), a consulting engineering firm specializing in instrumentation and control systems for nuclear and fossil-fueled power stations. He also is a POWER contributing editor.
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