Central control system for gas distribution pipelines SIMATIC WinCC Open Architecture real time data managing corporate platform implementation Until 2010, EDP Naturgas Energia had four different SCADA systems for gas transport and distribution. As a result, information was split in several systems and databases, and it was not possible to have a global view of the entire gas network. The customer wanted to unify the telecontrol system into one SCADA system, that should be uniform at data and process level and that could be used to facilitate business decision processes in other corporate systems. For this purpose a new real time data managing corporate platform was implemented using SIMATIC WinCC Open Architecture (WinCC OA). By using different business profiles the users can visualize specific real time data to incorporate into their business requirements. Ultimately this new platform is giving support to customer's different business departments. End user EDP Naturgas Energía EDP is a global energy leader and one of the main operators on the Iberian Peninsula. EDP is a vertically integrated utility company; it is the largest generator, distributor and supplier of electricity in Portugal and has significant operations in electricity and gas in Spain. EDP is the third largest electricity generation company and one of the largest distributors of gas in the Iberian Peninsula. EDP has a relevant presence in the world energy outlook, being present in 13 countries, with more than 9.8 million electricity customers and 1.2 million gas supply points and over 12,000 employees around the world. On December 31, 2013, EDP had an installed capacity of 23 GW, generating 60.9 TWh, of which 67 % comes from wind and hydro plants. System integrator Sindosa Sindosa is an engineering company with 30 years of experience in offering turnkey solutions and services in the field of electrical engineering automation and control for companies and institutions, with whom they walk hand in hand for continuous improvement, innovation and progress.
Realization 2010 2011 Technical data Six different communication protocols were developed, in order to communicate with the existing RTU s and allowing operators to supervise and control the whole system from the same platform. This makes operation much easier. During the first steps of the project, communication protocols, platform infrastructure and platform configuration were developed. Once the platform was operative and the communication infrastructure was ready, the migration of the RTU s started. This migration lasted several months and during this time the new platform and the old systems co-existed without any problems. Today the platform is alive, and is growing and adapting to EDP market needs, growing or shrinking when necessary. By the end of the project more than 1,000 RTU s were migrated, far away from the initial estimations. More than 150,000 I/Os processed, from more than 1,000 RTU s all over Spain. The platform is divided in 3 central servers, with a common database and common communication server. All these servers are redundant. The Telecontrol room has 4 operator desks with continuous access to the platform 24/7, all year round. Other business departments may visualize vital and critical data through a non redundant terminal server. Special features / options It was necessary to develop 6 special communication protocols to connect the different types of RTUs. They were developed by the system integrator, because no drivers were available. Advantages / Benefits EDP conducted a previous study in order to select the best platform for their needs in which WinCC OA was the ultimate choice. They selected WinCC OA because of its technical characteristics. WinCC OA allows the integration of all systems into one platform, which is of extreme use for telecontrol operators. Other departments can also visualize the needed information for their business easily (network analysis, invoicing, maintenance, etc). Now all the development efforts can be focused in one single up-to-date, flexible and scalable platform which perfectly fits their market and business requirements.
The end user is very satisfied with the system, the project execution and the service. WinCC OA is currently being used as a vertical solution for their gas business. In fact they are promoting their platform within EDP and at this time they are integrating EDP Gas Portugal using the same platform. Siemens is developing this project with the system integrator Sindosa and Sindosa has been awarded with WinCC OA maintenance contract. Pictures / Panels Architecture
Distribution and Transportation network diagram Natural Gas Distribution station
Natural Gas Pressure Regulating and Metering station