T&M – a vital aspect for restructuring power DISCOMs

We need to improve the quality of the power supplied to the households, minimise the distribution losses and make the power system sustainable.

T alking about the trending issue of searching for broader opportunities for a better mechanised power supply, Imteyaz Siddiqui, Regional Area Manager – South Asia & GCC, ISA highlights how Testing and Measurement instruments can bring in consistency, accuracy and reliability in DISCOMs.

Moving away from power generation and focusing on supply.
Generation, transmission, and distribution together complete the electricity spectrum of any country. Due to the addition of non-conventional power generation sources, like solar or wind energy, more power is now pumped into the grid. In India, our generation and transmission have traditionally been strong. However, distribution or supply (as it is often called) has been the weaker link. Hence, these days more focus is being given to this sector so that the required equilibrium is maintained. We need to improve the quality of the power supplied to households, and at the same time we need to minimise distribution losses because of theft, faulty meters, or cheaper/free supply. Hence, to make the power system sustainable in the longer run, the focus is shifted toward distribution companies and their systematic reform.

How do you define the role that T&M instruments play in aiding efficient power quality?
The quality Test and Measurement equipment plays a very important role in the life cycle of any electrical asset, be it a transformer or a cable or switchgear. These assets, whether manufactured as per the design or specification mentioned by a customer, can be verified only by an excellent quality test and measurement equipment. Similarly, the condition of these assets can be verified from time to time during their field operations.

The power sector worldwide is maturing very fast, and the customers are becoming increasingly quality conscious. Field engineers are now exposed to the best O&M practices used across the globe, and are also aware of the latest products available in the market. Therefore, to ensure the quality and efficiency of their power systems, they look for testing instruments that are accurate and reliable, and yield consistent test results.

What power parameters are considered while testing and measuring transmission and distribution tools?
Important points to consider before procurement of any testing and measurement equipment are accuracy, reliability, sensitivity, and repeatability and most importantly user-friendly. If it is a software-based kit, then the software should be easy to be operated by technicians. If the equipment is imported from any other country, it should be supported by a local service establishment having qualified and trained engineers. The reason is that, if the unit requires to be sent to the manufacturing country for repair, the downtime before repair will be very high. Another important point is that the test kits should be future enabled or upgradable to newer requirements of international standards.

What kinds of predictive maintenance are in place for curbing the losses?
“A stitch in time, saves nine,” is an apt saying for our industry. These days, power utilities are moving from the Time-Based Maintenance (TBM) concept to the Condition-Based Maintenance (CBM) concept at the global level to optimise their resources as well as avoid unwanted breakdown in their system. In the case of CBM, asset managers classify the condition of their assets according to the trend achieved in test results. Based on the findings of these asset classification tests, they plan their maintenance schedule. This concept of predictive maintenance gives asset managers the required flexibility to plan their O&M expenditure (OPEX) and Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) judiciously. It also saves maintenance engineers from surprise failures resulting in unplanned outages. We, as a product supplier and service provider, work closely with our customers and proactively support them in planning their CBM.

How is IoT being implemented in T&M instruments to ensure accurate measurement?
Apart from investing in improving our technology, we are also trying to utilise IoT in measurement solution. One of the advantages about IoT is that it reduces multiple layers of interface. This technology further enables the real-time interaction between different devices, thereby, compiling and comparing their results and helping data analysts/subject experts in generating more accurate results.

Imteyaz Siddiqui, Regional Area Manager – South Asia & GCC, ISA