Substation Battery Monitoring Systems Evaluation

Abstract

The adoption of online monitoring in substations is rapidly increasing. There is a need for utilities to better understand the technologies prior to widespread deployment. In the absence of this knowledge, significant time and money could be wasted through trial and error. To increase the reliability of power delivery and predict the condition of substation assets prior to the onset of severe issues, several online monitoring devices have been developed by various vendors.

The key advantage to the online monitoring system is the ability to capture data continuously, which provides the utilities the possibility to detect deteriorating conditions early to prevent premature failures. But questions remain as to how effective the different vendor-specific monitoring solutions are in detecting faults and deteriorating asset conditions—and what the life cycle cost of these monitors is likely to be.

The reliability and predictability of substation equipment such as battery systems are of utmost importance. Battery-based substation backup power systems represent a strategic investment for utilities. These systems are the major component in more than 100,000 utility-owned substations in the United States. Increased power industry emphasis for more systematic asset management, enhanced reliability, and infrastructure security are motivating factors to take a closer look at these substations’ backup power.

This report presents the current results of these monitoring systems and outlines the future research, which includes continued testing on new monitors.