IntroductionIntroduction
• About NB Power• Our PI history• Current PI status• Specific PI applications• Future PI applications• Observed benefits• Conclusions & questions
• About NB Power• Our PI history• Current PI status• Specific PI applications• Future PI applications• Observed benefits• Conclusions & questions
About NB PowerAbout NB Power
• Founded in 1920• Provincially owned (crown corporation)• 2500 employees• 6,600 km transmission lines• Serves over 300,000 customers• Net generation - 4119 MW• $1.2 billion sales in 1998-1999• 15 generating stations: nuclear, oil,
Orimulsiontm, coal, gas turbine, hydro
• Founded in 1920• Provincially owned (crown corporation)• 2500 employees• 6,600 km transmission lines• Serves over 300,000 customers• Net generation - 4119 MW• $1.2 billion sales in 1998-1999• 15 generating stations: nuclear, oil,
Orimulsiontm, coal, gas turbine, hydro
NB Power TodayNB Power Today
Increasing challenges...
• Transmission deregulation• Increasing competition
Increasing challenges...
• Transmission deregulation• Increasing competition
NB Power TodayNB Power Today
… create a need for:
• Paying down debt• Greater efficiencies• Emphasis on the “bottom line”
… create a need for:
• Paying down debt• Greater efficiencies• Emphasis on the “bottom line”
DeregulationDeregulation
• Transmission has been partially deregulated
• Generators can sell “through” or “out” but not “in”
• Division into business units:> Generation> Nuclear> Transmission & Distribution> Customer Service & Marketing
• Transmission has been partially deregulated
• Generators can sell “through” or “out” but not “in”
• Division into business units:> Generation> Nuclear> Transmission & Distribution> Customer Service & Marketing
NB Power’s PI HistoryNB Power’s PI History
• First PI installation 1992 in new Belledune generating station:> PI 2 system provided by Westinghouse> 20,000 points
• First PI installation 1992 in new Belledune generating station:> PI 2 system provided by Westinghouse> 20,000 points
NB Power’s PI HistoryNB Power’s PI History
• Bulk tag purchase made in spring 1999 as Year 2000 replacement and standardization of historian platforms
• Four new PI servers installed in summer 1999> three power plants> Energy Control Center
• Belledune PI 2 server to be upgraded to PI 3 in April 2000
• Bulk tag purchase made in spring 1999 as Year 2000 replacement and standardization of historian platforms
• Four new PI servers installed in summer 1999> three power plants> Energy Control Center
• Belledune PI 2 server to be upgraded to PI 3 in April 2000
Current PI StatusCurrent PI Status
• 65,000 tags across five servers• 87 ProcessBook users• 76 DataLink users• Users access servers locally and
across our WAN• Applications growing..
• 65,000 tags across five servers• 87 ProcessBook users• 76 DataLink users• Users access servers locally and
across our WAN• Applications growing..
Specific PI ApplicationsSpecific PI Applications
• Shared ProcessBooks• Transmission system monitoring• Opacity monitoring• Web page captures• Web applications• Equipment running hours tracking• Report scheduling• Electricity marketing
• Shared ProcessBooks• Transmission system monitoring• Opacity monitoring• Web page captures• Web applications• Equipment running hours tracking• Report scheduling• Electricity marketing
Shared ProcessBooksShared ProcessBooks
• Plants and business units have developed their own and most share them across our WAN
• General process overviews, trends
• Plants and business units have developed their own and most share them across our WAN
• General process overviews, trends
Transmission MonitoringTransmission Monitoring
• NB Power oversees the Maritime Control Area
• Standards for responding to loss of load or generation
• NB Power is responsible for maintaining 60 Hz frequency on grid
• We adjust the frequency by raising/lowering load on units
• PI used to demonstrate compliance, prepare reports
• NB Power oversees the Maritime Control Area
• Standards for responding to loss of load or generation
• NB Power is responsible for maintaining 60 Hz frequency on grid
• We adjust the frequency by raising/lowering load on units
• PI used to demonstrate compliance, prepare reports
Opacity MonitoringOpacity Monitoring
• Provincial regulations stipulate that our Dalhousie plant must report an exceedance if we exceed 20% opacity in any 4 minutes of a 20 minute period> Very difficult to calculate using DCS> Many spikes due to rapping
Solution - PI-API!
• Provincial regulations stipulate that our Dalhousie plant must report an exceedance if we exceed 20% opacity in any 4 minutes of a 20 minute period> Very difficult to calculate using DCS> Many spikes due to rapping
Solution - PI-API!
Opacity MonitoringOpacity Monitoring
• NT service written in C• Runs on PI server• Tracks opacities for each unit• Should an exceedance occur, it
> generates a report of opacities during the period
> alarms the unit operator
• NT service written in C• Runs on PI server• Tracks opacities for each unit• Should an exceedance occur, it
> generates a report of opacities during the period
> alarms the unit operator
Web Page CapturesWeb Page Captures
• Our Generation Marketing group requires market information to make energy purchases and sales
• Current information is generally available on the Internet
• Historical information is either lacking or poorly organized
Solution - put it in PI!
• Our Generation Marketing group requires market information to make energy purchases and sales
• Current information is generally available on the Internet
• Historical information is either lacking or poorly organized
Solution - put it in PI!
Web Page CapturesWeb Page Captures
Software written using Visual Basic and PI-API
Captures web pages at predetermined intervals
Scans page source for certain strings, e.g. “Current Cleveland Weather via PI”
Downside - dependent on page format not changing
Software written using Visual Basic and PI-API
Captures web pages at predetermined intervals
Scans page source for certain strings, e.g. “Current Cleveland Weather via PI”
Downside - dependent on page format not changing
OSI DevNetOSI DevNet
The DevNet home page shows the current temperature in ClevelandEasy to capture and put into PI
The DevNet home page shows the current temperature in ClevelandEasy to capture and put into PI
OSI DevNetOSI DevNet
<strong><small>Current Cleveland Weather via PI</small><br><small>Temp. 39 F </small><small>Humidity 57 % </small><small>Wind 2 MPH</small></strong>
<strong><small>Current Cleveland Weather via PI</small><br><small>Temp. 39 F </small><small>Humidity 57 % </small><small>Wind 2 MPH</small></strong>
Web ApplicationsWeb Applications
• Some users require only a snapshot of the process
• DataLink or ProcessBook is overkill
Solution - Web pages on Intranet via PI-API
• Some users require only a snapshot of the process
• DataLink or ProcessBook is overkill
Solution - Web pages on Intranet via PI-API
Equipment Running HoursEquipment Running Hours
• Machinery needs periodic maintenance (lubrication, vibration testing, etc.)
• Machinery needs periodic maintenance (lubrication, vibration testing, etc.)
Equipment Running HoursEquipment Running Hours
• Done in past with PIM (Periodic Inspection and Maintenance) work orders> Time-consuming> Manpower-intensive
Current maintenance done on a running hours basis
Some equipment not attached to DCS
Solution - PI with manual entry
• Done in past with PIM (Periodic Inspection and Maintenance) work orders> Time-consuming> Manpower-intensive
Current maintenance done on a running hours basis
Some equipment not attached to DCS
Solution - PI with manual entry
Equipment Running HoursEquipment Running Hours
• Modern plants can calculate running hours from DCS points
• Older plants perform manual entry into PI using Manual Point Data Entry Control
• Visual Basic program (using PI-API) to extract data from PI
• Microsoft Access front-end for users
• Modern plants can calculate running hours from DCS points
• Older plants perform manual entry into PI using Manual Point Data Entry Control
• Visual Basic program (using PI-API) to extract data from PI
• Microsoft Access front-end for users
Report SchedulingReport Scheduling
Needed automatic report generation solution
Replacement for ReportWriter and other reporting systems
Want to email reports to save paper
Solution - Visual Basic and PI-DataLink
Needed automatic report generation solution
Replacement for ReportWriter and other reporting systems
Want to email reports to save paper
Solution - Visual Basic and PI-DataLink
Report SchedulingReport Scheduling
An NT service monitors:• date/time• digital trigger pointsLoads Excel spreadsheets (with PI-
DataLink calls)Prints and/or emails themVisual Basic front-end for configuration
An NT service monitors:• date/time• digital trigger pointsLoads Excel spreadsheets (with PI-
DataLink calls)Prints and/or emails themVisual Basic front-end for configuration
Electricity MarketingElectricity Marketing
NB Power sells energy to Eastern Canada and into the New England power market
Our Marketing group uses PI to track• energy prices• actual sales• unit availability• air temperatures• billing
NB Power sells energy to Eastern Canada and into the New England power market
Our Marketing group uses PI to track• energy prices• actual sales• unit availability• air temperatures• billing
Outage CostingOutage Costing
Unit outages (trips) result in:• increased fuel cost for replacement
power• lost revenue and/or opportunities
Marketing uses PI to tie lost megawatts and lost sales together to put a dollar value on an outage
Unit outages (trips) result in:• increased fuel cost for replacement
power• lost revenue and/or opportunities
Marketing uses PI to tie lost megawatts and lost sales together to put a dollar value on an outage
Outage CostingOutage Costing
PI provides critical information:• actual costs of an outage• cost of restoring unit quickly vs. lost
revenue/opportunities
PI provides critical information:• actual costs of an outage• cost of restoring unit quickly vs. lost
revenue/opportunities
PI ApplicationsPI Applications
• Shared ProcessBooks• Transmission system monitoring• Opacity monitoring• Web page captures• Web applications• Equipment running hours tracking• Report scheduling• Electricity marketing
Use of PI-API, DataLink, ProcessBook
• Shared ProcessBooks• Transmission system monitoring• Opacity monitoring• Web page captures• Web applications• Equipment running hours tracking• Report scheduling• Electricity marketing
Use of PI-API, DataLink, ProcessBook
The FutureThe Future
Integration of more stand-alone systems (interfaces)
Performance monitoringInvestigate other products:• PI-BatchView• PI-ActiveViewSAP integration?More Internet applicationsMore PI servers
Integration of more stand-alone systems (interfaces)
Performance monitoringInvestigate other products:• PI-BatchView• PI-ActiveViewSAP integration?More Internet applicationsMore PI servers
Observed BenefitsObserved Benefits
• Much more data stored• Unifies diverse data stores• Widely accessible• Faster and easier analysis
• Much more data stored• Unifies diverse data stores• Widely accessible• Faster and easier analysis
ConclusionsConclusions
• PI selected as standard historian platform for NB Power
• Provides a robust platform on which to build applications
Endless applications...
• PI selected as standard historian platform for NB Power
• Provides a robust platform on which to build applications
Endless applications...