Pre-Fix
| Funding mechanism | Network Innovation Allowance (NIA) |
|---|---|
| Duration | Oct 2021 - Jan 2024 |
| Project expenditure | £1,841,000 |
| Research area | Optimised Assets and Practices |
Objective(s)
The objectives of this project are to:
- Develop and validate a process to enable pre-fault capable devices from different manufacturers to contribute information onto the same platform
- Develop and validate process’s to enable pre-fault information to be drawn out of this platform
- Develop and validate standard reports that enable a consistent and effective pre-fault policy driven decision making to be made in an operational environment.
Problem(s)
Whilst significant developments and advances have taken place at LV for fault detection and location, at present National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED) does not have a distance-to-fault or distance-to-pre-fault solution for HV networks.
Any solutions that do exist in the current marketplace are tied into specific vendors (hardware and software platforms) and their Distribution Management Systems (DMSs). It is not financially or practically viable for NGED to make use of such systems without embarking on a potential replacement programme for PowerOn itself.
Even if a platform were available, as it is vendor-specific, it would not allow data from multiple devices at multiple locations to be brought together to extra information in a coordinated and corroborative way. Therefore, the development of such a platform is required and, for game-changing performance in RIIO-ED2, the way to BaU adoption needs to be paved in RIIO-ED1 via development and demonstration.
It is likely that NGED’s supply chain will eventually offer bespoke devices that are dedicated to pre-fault management only. From experience to date, the use of bespoke or additional devices tend to have the following disadvantages:
- Each vendor tends to have its own platform and user interface for a device. This can be a barrier to scaling up technology for use within standard operational procedures whilst retaining competition in the supply base.
- Because each vendor tends to have its own platform, it is hard to co-ordinate signals from diverse devices as a means to improve knowledge about the location or urgency of the defect.
- The use of additional or bespoke devices for pre-fault capability means that the unit cost rate to deliver pre-fault capability on a circuit will rise. In comparison, customers would be better served if an adequate pre-fault capability can be delivered using devices that have more than one business case.
Developing a HV pre-fault intervention capability that can be managed at scale will be of significant benefit to customers.
Method(s)
Over an 18-month project duration, Pre-Fix will deliver a roadmap that will help embed the benefits of pre-fault and disturbance information into operational processes. This project will be delivered using the following work packages:
WP1 Specification: This work package records the requirements that must be delivered from all of the systems to be developed within this project
WP2 Design/Development: This work package conducts the deeper design requirement to deliver WP1, including design documentation and operational protocols, which will explain: (i) Deployment and application guidelines; (ii) Design and setting documentation (for permanent fit devices); and (iii) Communication philosophy and requirements.
WP3 Build and Install: This work package constructs the systems required to deliver the functionality, installs the trial infrastructure and tests ahead of trial.
WP4 Testing: This work package tests the components and system ahead of trials
WP5 Trial: This work package conducts a system trial prove the system requirements in an operational context.
WP6 Learning and dissemination: This work packages will encapsulate learning into a manner that could enable further progress towards operational exploitation by NGED and other DNOs.