How can Nuclear sites enable large-scale automated monitoring?

Utility companies and private operators of high-voltage power delivery networks are embracing the benefits derived from continuous automated infrared monitoring of critical connections and devices at substations, switchyards and generating facilities nationwide

Among the latest to adopt this leading-edge technology is Constellation Energy's Braidwood nuclear generating station in Braceville, IL serving the greater Chicago metroplex with two nuclear reactors which together produce up to 2,386 megawatts (MW).

Braidwood is the first of several generating stations to adopt the new technology as part of Constellation Energy's Smart Substation program which aims to increase reliability and reduce downtime risk by deploying proven technologies and adopting modernized best-practices across the energy enterprise.

Originally deployed as a proof of concept by Constellation's predecessor Exelon/ComEd and in collaboration with EPRI (Electric Power Research Institute) the Braidwood station has recently been upgraded to include advanced thermal/infrared analytics software that not only detects hotspots, but also performs continuous analysis of operating performance of every critical component and device in the station switchyard where hundreds of potential fault sources are analyzed minute-by-minute for changes in conductivity and thermal emissions that can provide early insight into degrading condition of disconnects, switches, splices, circuit breakers and bus connections.

Key to the successful deployment of automated thermal imaging solutions is the proprietary patent-pending technology provided by North Carolina-based Power Intelligence LLC which automatically compensates for varying electrical load and environmental dynamics which confound traditional methods of thermographic assessment, including instantaneous changes in electrical load, ambient temperature, wind speed/direction, and diurnal effects of solar loading.

According to Robin Thompson, founder and CEO of Power Intelligence, LLC these capabilities enable large-scale automated condition-based monitoring of virtually every aspect of the power delivery networks that connect generating stations to transmission and distribution networks, significantly enhancing reliability while virtually eliminating the need for periodic inspections and interval-based maintenance activities. "Our customers' experience with this technology over the last five years has proven the thesis that intelligent, adaptive algorithms can provide a higher level of safety and confidence in critical power delivery applications than has ever been available using traditional manual methods while dramatically reducing the cost per measurement and increasing visibility into degrading equipment condition far earlier than previously possible."

Traditional interval-based manual methods of measurement rely on subjective interpretation of the various dynamic factors which affect the accuracy of condition data critical to reliable assessment. Interval-based approaches rarely detect transient-based variations in conductivity and other factors that weigh heavily into the proper assessment of equipment condition.

And Constellation Energy is not alone in this realization. Numerous utilities and commercial power users including Southern Company, Georgia Power, Entergy, CME Group, Gerdau AmeriSteel, Atlanta-Hartsfield Airport, the City of New Orleans, and others have embraced the Power Intelligence solution to provide the highest possible level of real-time condition reporting.