TECHNICAL/OPERATION BENEFITS

Distribution Automation offers a number of potential benefits to electric utility companies.

Examples include minimizing revenue requirements, facilitating meeting of regulatory
requirements, providing improved system operation, and permitting improved engineering and
planning decisions.

In order to determine these benefits, it is necessary to understand the capabilities and

requirements of the various Distribution Automation functions which may be implemented.

The benefits of the Distribution Automation functions will impact the distribution,
transmission, and generation areas of the utility.

A necessary step in determining the benefits of Distribution Automation is to identify the

potential benefits of each function and determine the input quantities necessary to calculate
the benefit for the specific utility.
 Benefit determination is an important part of making an economic evaluation of Distribution Automation.

The other key area of the economic evaluation process is determining the costs of Distribution Automation.

Different automation systems may offer varying degrees of benefits for the same automation function.

Differences of this nature must also be identified by the utility.

For example, there may be technical gaps which, if overcome, permit fuller achievement of the automation
potential benefits.
TABLE :EXAMPLES OF DISTRIBUTION AUTOMATION CANDIDATE AREAS
DISTRIBUTION AUTOMATION BENEFIT CATEGORIES:

Capital deferred savings.

Operation and maintenance savings.

Improved operation.

Capital Deferred Savings :

Capital deferred savings are the investment savings that are achievable through Distribution Automation. These

savings are produced by the elimination of the need for certain purchases of equipment or by the deferral of

purchases for one or more years.

Example: The elimination or deferral of new distribution substation and feeder capacity made possible by more

effective utilization of existing system through Distribution Automation.

OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE SAVINGS:

Operation and maintenance potential benefits include the following types of savings:

Interruption related savings

Customer related savings

Operational savings.

IMPROVED OPERATION :

Another area of potential benefit of Distribution Automation is that of improved operation. In this category a
number of benefits can be identified, which are difficult to quan tify . An example is the potential benefit of
being able to adaptively change digital protective relay settings in response to changing system condi ti ons.
POTENTIAL BENEFITS FOR FUNCTIONS:
A number of the Distribution Automation functions together with identification of benefit areas from that appear to be applicable. The function
abbreviations are given below:
FDS &AS Feeder Deployment Switching and Automatic Sectionalizing
FL - Fault Location
FI - Fault Isolation
SR - Service Restoration
FR - Feeder Reconfiguration
IVVC - Integrated Volt/Var Control
BVC - Bus Voltage Control
STCCC - Substation Transformer
Circulating Current Control
LDC - Line Drop Compensation
FRPVC - Feeder Remote Point Voltage Control
FRPC - Feeder Reactive Power Control
SRPC - Substation Reactive Power Control
LC - Load Control
RMR - Remote Meter Reading
TD - Tamper Detection
AR - Automatic Reclosing
ABS - Automatic Bus Sectionalizing
FUNCTION SHARED BENEFITS:

A number of the Distribution Automation benefits may be shared by two or more functions.

An example is the possible deferral of new generation and transmission capacity through feeder loss reduction
made possible by the coordinated action of the Feeder Reactive Power Control function and the Feeder
Reconfiguration function.

This is achieved by the functions jointly as Feeder.

Reactive Power Control might be directed to hold reactive power flow on the feeders to approximately zero
while the Feeder Reconfiguration function balances load among the involved feeders.

Substation Transformer Load Balancing might also contribute to this benefit by reducing substation
transformer load losses.
EQUATIONS FOR CALCULATING POTENTIAL BENEFIT GENERIC CATEGORIES:

Category A: Capital For Electrical Plant From Substation Out Onto Distribution System Deferred Due To
Displacement In Time (Years).

A=PVRR for Equipment T (Capital+ O_&M) | - PVRR for Equipment T (Capital+ O&M) |

Where, PVRR= Present Value of Revenue Requirement evaluated over time displaced instead of purchasing in
year N, the purchase is deferred to year c, thereby gaining the use of money from years N through c

Equipment T=Power Equipment From Substation Out Onto Distribution System

Year = N<c<d
 Category B: Capital For Control/Protection Equipment Deferred Due To Displacement of Conventional Equipment By
Distribution Automation Equipment In The Same Year

B = PVRR [Conventional System - Distribution Automation system] |

Where: PVRR=Present Value of Revenue Requirement evaluated over time displaced

System =Hardware Purchase $ + First Cost to install

Year= N<d

Category C: Operation And Maintenance Due To Control/Protection Related Hardware Dependency

C =PVRR [Base System O&M - Distribution Automation System O&M] |

Where: PVRR = Present Value of Revenue Requirement evaluated over time displaced

Base System= Conventional Control/Protection equipment

Year= N<d
Category D :

D= PVRR [Base System O&M affected by automation - Distribution Automation system O&M] |

Where, PVRR = Present Value of Revenue Requirement evaluated over time displaced

Base System = Conventional Control/Protection equipment

O&M = Operations affected by automation

Year = N<d

Category F: Generation and Transmission Operational Savings Due To Reduction In kWh Due to Demand Reduction
(Energy)

F=PVRR [(kW Reduction)(Hours/ Year)( Appropriate Generation and Transmission Cost/kWh)]|

Where, PVRR = Present Value of Revenue Requirement evaluated over time displaced

% kWh shifted = from on-peak to off-peak

kWh=Heat Losses ( I2R) of electrical plant, not energy delivered to customer

Hours/Year =Hours in Operation per year

Year= N<d
Category G: Operational Savings Due To Reduction In kWh Due To Displacement In Time (Energy)

G = PVRR [(kW Reduction)(Hours/Yr)(% kWh shifted)(Differential fuel costs/kWh)] |

Where, PVRR = Present Value of Revenue Requirement evaluated over time displaced
Year= N<d
% kWh shifted = From on-peak to off-peak
Differential fuel costs = on-peak to off-peak
Hours/Year =Hours in Operation per year
Year =N<d
BENEFITS:

Benefit= (NO. CUST)(kW/CUST)(HR/YR/(D))((% SHIFT) /100)*($/kWh) vN

Where, NO. CUST = Number of customers affected by Load Control function .

kW/CUST = Average controllable load (kW) per customer

HR/YEAR/(D)=Number of hours per year Load Control function is in effect

% SHIFT= Percent total kWh shifted off-peak due to Load Control Function

$/kWh = Difference in costs ($/kWh) on to off-peak

vN= Single sum present worth factor for year N

IMPACT ON DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM:

Distribution Automation is expected to have significant impact on distribution system operating practices,
configurations, and capital equipment implementation as systems are implemented and benefits are realized

Better Control of Distribution

Heavier Loading of Substation Transformers and Feeders

Increased Switching to Reduce Losses and Defer System Investment

More Rapid Service Restoration

Utilization of Higher Distribution Voltages

Improved Data Collection

IMPACT ON DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM CONFIGURATION:

Additional Feeder Sectionalizing Points.

Additional Feeder Tie Points and Ties Between Substations.

Longer and More Heavily Loaded Feeders.

Fewer Substation Transformers.

SOME REQUIREMENTS FOR BENEFIT ACHIEVEMENT:

Distribution Automation is an evolving technology. The potential benefits achievable with Distribution
Automation implementation will depend upon factors such as proven performance, hardware reliability, cost of
Distribution Automation hardware, communication systems availability and viability , etc.

The bidirectional communications systems must be economically feasible, reliable, and provide high speed.

Communications system performance must be demonstrated during both normal and abnormal distribution
system conditions.

Development of structured software designs is required so that normal updates and modifications by utilities
can be accomplished without major reprogramming.
 Standardized well defined interfaces must be developed for hardware and software.

Development of flexible and compatible Distribution Automation architecture is needed so that a utility can
implement automation on a step-by-step basis in the most economical fashion.

Generalized control algorithms, which have broad applicability to various distribution substation and feeder
configurations, must be demonstrated