The Tekla Xpower Distribution Management System (DMS) application is the heart of the utility's network operation tasks, especially when integrated with a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and Automatic Metering Management (AMM) systems. DMS can help a utility to reduce the length of interruptions, streamline and accelerate distribution operations, and increase customer satisfaction.
To support network operation tasks, DMS:
- Merges all essential applications, including network topology supervision, outage management, trouble call management and scheduled outage planning with a rich set of functions, such as dynamic network coloring, event logging, fault location and outage reporting.
- Forms a real-time, high performance and redundant system that is able to handle the most severe storm situations without being blocked by exceptional amount of real-time data coming from an integrated SCADA and AMM systems.
- Since the operations staff has access to real-time information concerning the substations, network and consumption sites, they can easily make quick and accurate decisions to, for example, restore power in fault situations.
- Locates short circuit faults caused, for example, by trees that have fallen on the overhead line. The system displays computed fault locations on the network map in about one minute, enabling the operator to quickly isolate the fault and dispatch a field crew to the most probable fault location.
- Includes event logging functions for recording any kind of status changes in the distribution network. Event logging, for example, supports the following actions: changing switching device states, connecting and disconnecting safety earthings, cutting and reconnecting overhead lines and cables, mounting and dismounting additional cables to create temporary connections, and connecting and disconnecting mobile power units to create temporary supply. The system executes the actions themselves partly automatically (based on switch state indications received from SCADA and by meter alarms received from AMM) and partly manually (by operators using desktop application or by the field groups using mobile devices).
- Includes tools for evaluating the operability of the network in different switching states, for example, during a difficult restoration process.
- Generates and maintains automatically outage information that meets diverse customer service requirements.
- Includes a comprehensive outage analysis tool to compute a complete set of interruption data per interruption period, report point (such as a distribution substation or connection point) and customer. The results of the analysis include, for example, standard outage indices but also more advanced results, such as interruption costs (based on disconnected powers and energies not supplied). Outage analysis meets the outage reporting and statistics requirements of various national guidelines.
The Tekla Xpower DMS Task Management application allows the operations staff to manage field crews and their tasks. Dispatchers can track and direct mobile crews using GPS information and General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) data communication. In turn, the crew can send messages to the dispatchers to notify them of the status of the work.
