Remote - December 2011 - (Page 14)

SCADA - Products & Services American Innovations Releases Bullhorn RM4012 Remote Monitoring System American Innovations has released the Bullhorn RM4012. This remote monitoring product measures the induced AC voltage, AC current and associated current density that can be present on oil and gas pipelines near high voltage AC power lines. Data collected helps pipeline operators protect personnel, comply with regulations and ensure overall pipeline integrity. The RM4012 monitors pipelines by utilizing the Inmarsat geostationary satellite network for low latency, reliable communications. Users access measurement data through the Bullhorn Asset Tracker (BAT) Website, which also provides notifications on equipment status including user defined alarm conditions, via email, voice and/or SMS text notifications. The six-channel unit features four analog inputs and two digital inputs and measures AC amperage, DC voltage pipe-to-soil, AC current density on test coupons and AC voltage pipe-to-soil. It can be connected to a test point, grounding mat, DC decoupler or similar device. The unit is solar powered with a battery backup, which eliminates the need for an on-site power source. for various data exchange methods is provided, including the latest CIM standard and specific extensions used by regional transmission and market operators such as ERCOT. Additionaly features inlcude added support for expanded FACTS devices, enhanced solution speeds for extra large networks (20,000+ buses), NERC state estimator performance monitoring, expanded diagnostics for localized problem identification, automatic/dynamic rendering of the network graph using CIM and/or native model format, enhanced voltage stability analysis, situational awareness key performance indices for reactive, voltage and active violations and near-violations. “This new release of our Network Analysis suite represents a significant breakthrough in terms of available tools for System Operators. Enhancements to the speed, user-friendliness and dynamic functionality, along with the added support for very large networks, poise this suite to vastly improve the operational reliability of transmission utilities. In the face of increasing regulatory demands for reliability improvements across the industry, OSI’s users are able to enhance their operations with one of the industry’s best suite of tools,” said Dr. Baofu Gao, OSI’s principal consultant, Transmission Engineering. Remote access to industrial applications and cloud computing are hot topics as more companies are looking to save time, energy and resources. With this in mind, HMS can now offer a remote management solution for industrial applications based on cloud technology, the Netbiter. Cloud-Based Netbiter Solution from HMS Enables Remote Management of Industrial Applications The Netbiter remote management solution is a all-in-one solution including communication gateways, secure hosting servers and a web user interface. Netbiter solution can be used by anyone wanting to monitor and control equipment remotely. Early adopters use Netbiter to monitor power generators, water/wastewater plants, tanks, building/HVAC installations, telecom base stations and renewable energy. The system features a gateway that sends information via a secure Ethernet or GSM/GPRS connection eliminating the need for VPNs or static IP addresses. The solution is configured on the Web at www.netbiter.net without the need for any programming. A dashboard tool makes it easy to create graphical displays with gauges and tables of the most important parameters in real time. Historical data is stored on parallel servers in the Netbiter Argos data center, allowing users to create reports and statistics regarding the equipment. Open Systems International, Inc. (OSI) has released a new version of its monarch Transmission Network Analysis software package, in support of new transmission and reliability initiatives throughout the electric utility industry. This latest release of OSI’s Transmission Management Suite (Release 5.6.0) includes a comprehensive set of new feature enhancements, including the added support for symmetrical multi-processing/parallel processing capabilities for handling a large list of contingencies, phase angle measurements and Phasor Measurement Unit data in State Estimation. Support 14 www.RemoteMagazine.com OSI Releases New Version of its Transmission Management Suite for Transmission System Operators Texas Instruments, Inc. has released two new system solutions for smart grid and metering applications, enabling designers to further accelerate time to market for PLC-based and low-power wireless products. To help advance complete solutions for power line communications (PLC), TI introduced the PLC Development Kit (TMDSPLCKIT-V3) that recently received PRIME certification. Coupling the TMS320F2806x Piccolo floating-point microcontroller and AFE031 analog front end (AFE), the kit combines the best of analog and digital to deliver all of the key components required for today’s advanced smart grid applications. It also offers new services that reduce device maintenance costs while increasing system reliability. The AFE031 offers a complete and flexible PLC analog front end that integrates the analog circuitry required for many PLC applications allowing customers to optimize the total bill of material (BOM) costs and board space in their designs, and significantly reduce design time and system complexity. The kit’s Piccolo microcontrollers have a smaller package and feature hardware acceleration for PLC algorithms providing system cost and power consumption optimization. Lastly, TI’s PLC modem solution is capable of supporting multiple standards and modulation schemes such as PRIME, G3-PLC, FlexOFDM and PLC-Lite libraries including CENELEC bands A, B, C and D and (FCC) band, enabling application compatibility with a wide variety of international requirements. Recognizing the need for solutions for the Smart Grid Infrastructure (SGI) and for data concentrator developers, TI also introduced the PLC data concentrator reference demo on the SGI evaluation platform. TI’s data concentrator supports various PLC standards including PRIME, G3, FlexOFDM libraries and more, on the same hardware. With this concentrator developers now have the option to add PLC communication supporting different protocol standards in one design, rather than change hardware as previously required. The system is based on TI’s PLC solution (AFE031+Piccolo MCU) for the PLC Physical layer (PHY) and lower Media Access Controller (MAC). On Linux-operatingsystem-enabled AM18x ARM9 microprocessors or the pin-for-pin compatible OMAP-L138 DSP + ARM processor the data concentrator is fully supported by TI’s software solutions and free hardware reference design schematics, BOM and layout gerber files. TI Demonstrates Commitment to Smart Grid Technology With New Solutions http://www.netbiter.net http://www.RemoteMagazine.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Remote - December 2011

Utility Telecom Spending Could Reach $3.2 Billion by the End of 2011
Securing Remote Substations for a Smarter Grid
Maximize Range While Minimizing Power Consumption in Wireless Digital Transmission
CMS Deploys Energy Smart Grid Project
Satellite Technology – The Key to Remote Communications for Government Agencies
American Innovations Releases Bullhorn RM4012 Remote Monitoring System
ProSoft Releases Modbus TCP/IP to IEC 61850 Gateway
Pelco Introduces the New Digital Sentry
CEITEC S.A. Releases RFID Chip for Logistics Application
C&D Technologies Introduces Liberty MSE 2 V VRLA Line
Industry News
Calendar of Events
Washington State Archives Keeps Cool with Environmental Monitoring

Remote - December 2011