Unmanned Substations: A New Step in Digital Technology

Xuan Tho transformer station, from 10 operators now only needs 1 person

• 1 INSTEAD OF 10

Engineer Pham Trung Kien - Director of Lam Dong High Voltage Grid Enterprise, the unit directly managing and operating transformer stations and 110 kV lines, recalled the past: “In the past, 110 kV transformer stations required a lot of workers to operate. The station had to ensure that there was always someone on duty to operate, 3 shifts, 4 crews, each station had to have 8-10 workers working regularly. Now, each station only needs 1 worker, mainly to manage, protect assets, prevent unexpected accidents such as falling trees... It has really changed a lot, reducing a lot of human resources for the unit”.

Engineer Pham Trung Kien shared that Lam Dong has a very long terrain, so developing the power grid is more difficult than in the plains. Building transformer stations is necessary to expand the power grid to new areas. "Previously, Lam Dong's electricity industry only had 5 transformer stations, now 12 stations have been built throughout the province. And in the coming time, with the increasing demand for electricity, new transformer stations will continue to be built to serve the development needs of the locality. Therefore, automating the electricity industry is extremely necessary to improve labor productivity and increase safety in electricity supply," engineer Pham Trung Kien assessed.

Currently, Lam Dong High Voltage Grid Enterprise with a small number of workers is managing a high voltage line system of approximately 300 km and 12 transformer stations, 110 kV lines running through mountainous areas. Mr. Pham Trung Kien affirmed: "High voltage lines running through mountainous areas are very susceptible to electrical incidents, requiring daily supervision and protection by the electricity industry, especially during the rainy and stormy season. Fortunately, the transformer station has been completely unmanned, helping the enterprise reduce a lot of manpower. Otherwise, we would be under even greater pressure to ensure power supply for customers throughout the province. This can be said to be a very strong step forward in automating power supply activities.

• REMOTE CONTROL HUNDREDS OF KM

“From a distance of hundreds of kilometers, the Remote Control Center of Lam Dong Power Company can control and operate transformer stations very accurately and smoothly. Our 12 stations have applied Scada technology, helping to automate operations effectively. This is the effort of the electricity industry over many years and has given truly encouraging results,” said Mr. Ngo Dang Lam Vien - Head of the Control Department, Lam Dong Power Company. According to Mr. Ngo Dang Lam Vien, the change in technology from manned transformer stations to unmanned stations began in 2016, with the efforts of the entire electricity industry. Changing technology, applying machinery, and applying Scada technology to transformer stations requires a huge amount of funding. This is an effort to change, apply new technology, change most of the old technology as well as upgrade the human resources of the electricity industry.

“The Scada program is a remote data collection and control monitoring program. We built a remote control center right at the company headquarters. From here, we can monitor all transformer stations across the province. The actual operating parameters of the station are displayed directly on the screen, and the center's engineers monitor and supervise very closely. You can monitor operating parameters and remotely control devices such as power cutting and powering. Remote control reduces the risk of incorrect operations, causing incidents and reducing the risk of unsafety for workers. We can also monitor the station with a modern camera system. In particular, the data is stored electronically so it can be retrieved very quickly, reducing the time to search for data when decisions are needed,” Mr. Lam Vien introduced the Remote Control Center of Lam Dong Electricity Company.

To apply the Scada Program, in addition to changing the facilities, engineers of Lam Dong Power Company had to study a lot, upgrade their qualifications, get familiar with the program, quickly grasp new technology, and meet the requirements of the job very well. Applying automation is not only about changing facilities and upgrading equipment, but also about improving the quality of human resources, an indispensable part in improving the quality of operations.

“Unmanned transformer stations have helped improve worker safety, electrical equipment safety as well as increase the reliability of power supply. This can be said to be an achievement of our electricity industry, meeting the changing requirements of society. In particular, the Scada Program also helps technical staff to detect future risks through monitoring. When capturing online operating parameters, technical staff can detect risk numbers to predict possible incidents, and have quick and immediate solutions. With over 30 years of working in dispatching, I have found that the Scada Program for unmanned transformer stations is truly a huge change, bringing direct effectiveness to the Lam Dong electricity industry," Mr. Ngo Dang Lam Vien shared.

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/xa-hoi/202504/tram-bien-ap-khong-nguoi-truc-buoc-tien-moi-trong-cong-nghe-so-6e17c8c/