Industrial Grade Surveillance Solution for Power Plant

Keywords: monitoring system solution, monitoring system, monitoring project, power plant monitoring

1. System brief introduction

Not long before, people base unmanned transformer station as remote-measure, remote-communication, remote-control and remote-call. Due to dispatcher being hard to get details of spot situation, failing to solve spot flame-proof, explosion-proof and dust-proof, so that many "unmanned stations" are practically "few mans station". With development of computer tech, multimedia skill and communication skill, the digitalized processing of multimedia signals like video and audio, as well as remote transmission, are gradually becoming a matured skill. Accordingly, a new sector---Remote View, appears on the former "4-remotes". Thus 5-remotes (remote-measure, remote-communication, remote-control, remote-call and remote-view) will be essential to truly realize "unmanned station".
As networking skill developing and gradual increasing of city networking construction, it is has been a new tendency in monitoring system to transmit video signal with networking or specified WAN. At first, with user gradually using specified network (WAN) which replaces specified line (optical fiber/E1/DDN/PSTN), user expects to transmit data and video signal, which not only saves cost on device and transmission line but also is easy to manage. Next, it makes networking video transmission possible with bandwidth enlarging, PC performance's enhancing and codec skill developing. In such cases, we develop IP-based network monitoring system which applies for wider fields.
Remote monitoring system can not only monitor the unmanned stations but also easily integrate various security functions, realizing multilevel and thorough automation system.
Remote image monitoring system has good functions, high cost-performance and high reliability, having been applied for many fields, such as electric power system, post office, bank, transportation and customs.

2. System designment principle

Some a power plant monitoring solution (industrial grade) principle: set up a multilevel video monitoring system, based on 110KV transformer station and control center, also serving all main departments of output & management, furthermore equipped with alarm appliance, finally forming a real "unmanned transformer station". In the precondition of meeting demand, ensure system's stability, saving cost and making system take notable efficiency. Details as below:
☆Reliability
Hardware reliability: system adopts high performed industrial grade computer and video capturing devices, meanwhile matches with specified encrypted hardware, which ensures 24-hour operation.
Software reliability: in monitoring system, the operation system adopts Windows-2000 of super stability. Adding time or address on picture by software can effectively prevent illegal operation to video file.
Power stability: video monitoring devices are powered by UPS, which means that system can be powered even though existed power is unstable.
User management: user authority rank & passwords management, and different persons have different permissions, over-authority forbidden. User operation will be logged with error operation filtered.
System self-test & self-restore: the front-end sector of system can automatically operate no needing maintenance by field workers. System monitors all video sites and codec sites operations by many methods like software encryption, hardware encryption and remote scheduled auto test. Besides system will automatically alarm as soon as fault happens, ensuring system 24-hour working. Guarding procedure will auto monitor operation of picture codec site and auto restore in case of failure. User can also rerun picture coding site, or manage it remotely with control software. System failure can be separately coped by 3-rank mode ("single camera","single site" and"single control center"), partial failure not affecting whole system. Video monitoring system failure will not affect the whole transformer station's normal operation.
☆Advancement:
Advanced video compression format: adopt H.264 stream. Ensuring picture quality, reduce bandwidth greatly. Frame format 352×288, 24 digits color, frame speed 25 frame/second, mean bandwidth 400 kbps; frame format 768×576, 24 digits color, frame speed 25 frame/second, mean bandwidth 1200 kbps. Picture delay is shorter than 0.5 second.
☆Flexibility:
Balance picture quality and bandwidth occupancy: in light of software codec adoption, picture quality (frame count, resolution, picture quality) can be adjusted for user's demand.
Flexible topology mode: whole system is based on WAN network, so it has a very flexible method of topology. As long as there is enough bandwidth and authority, any user can view any station's real-time picture by client software or WEB browser.
☆Expandability:
Flexible networking form makes convenient to add monitored stations.
Multiple monitoring systems can be formed into a new bigger system
Easily embed into other systems

3. Analysis of demand for electric system

3.1 Key points
Transformer station monitoring functions shows at below aspects:
Using video surveillance, security (burglar-prevention, rob-prevention) system and fire-fighting system, protect staff & devices in unmanned or few-manned transformer station.
With the advantage of combination between video surveillance and local worker's experiences, avoid operation errors.
With video surveillance, light control and ambient surveillance (e.g. switch status, voltage, current, frequency) monitor field devices operations cases, realize pre-warning and protecting.
Assist other systems
Video surveillance system can complete all the above functions, in the same time of completing video surveillance, realizing manual or auto control output.
3.2 Standard of user's demands
3.2.1 Monitoring object
Inside environment of transformer station
Main-transformer's outline, oil level and neutral-point grounding status
Monitoring to all main devices of transformer station (e.g. main gate, enclosure, control room, high-voltage room, power container room, resistance room, etc)
Electronic protection of entrance and enclosure
3.2.2 System functions
Remote transmission of audio & video stream
Surveillance system can communicate in LAN or WAN, with no more than 1.5 Mbps bandwidth transmitting data and bandwidth being adjustable.
Monitoring and recording function
Using related cameras monitors and records manufactured devices & environment. With E1 channel, the monitored pictures can be transmitted to control center which will send them to monitoring server so as to realize various control.
Control center or transformer station's staff can use multimedia PC and specified monitor to monitor objects and devices in coverage area, meanwhile, complete the controls for camera (left/right, up/down, far/near, zoom), picture switch and recording.
Control center can view, by system's support, pictures of control center or remote transformer station.
Alarm function
Alarm directory: fire-fighting alarm, burglar alarm, industrial accident alarm
When alarm happens, monitoring server can auto record and save, mean time transmit alarm signal and related information, even auto indicate at map or chart, showing alarmed context and specific position.
When alarm happens, can link to related devices like opening light, warning bell, etc
Can connect to fire-fighting server and monitoring system, even link to the pictures of alarmed objects (including fire alarm, protection reaction, operations and devices changes)
When alarm happens, can send alarm signal to specified mobile phone.
Control function
The any authorized client can control any camera, realizing adjustment of camera angle, direction, focus, aris and depth of view. Preset and control pan/tilt.
Operation should be ensured sole, which means others can not control device together with somebody.
3.2.3 Skill requirement
Product accords with relevant standards
Reliability requirement
The application of monitoring system should not affect the normal operation of equipments monitored.
The partial failure should not affect the whole monitoring system
Monitoring system should be strong enough against interference
Expandability
The software & hardware for video surveillance system should be modular structure so as to expand and upgrade system easily.
In order to meet the further demand for multilevel surveillance, video monitoring system should be flexible to multilevel networking
Real-time ability: the duration from alarm happening to alarm receiving is no more than 500ms.
Power supply: UPS (uninterruptible power supply)
Hardware: anti-interference, anti-lightning, stable working long-term
Software: with simple operation and modular structure, suitable for suchlike Windows-2000 systems.

4. System designment solution

4.1 Whole structure of system
Some electric firm's remote monitoring system comprises of 10 control centers and 78 remote clients of transformer station. Stations are linked to control center by E1 mode, each center takes charge of 7~8 stations, control center is composed by 10 Ethernets.
4.2 Instruction of system composition
☆Control center:
Networking monitoring center's equipments include IDRS central server, IDRS map/alarm server/digital matrix (TV-wall mountable if needed), IDRS video site, printer and networking devices.
4.2.1 Central server is composed by an industrial computer of IDRS-NVMS mounted. As the core part of net-video-distribution-management-system, central sever can configure all PC-based DVRs and video sites, including settings such as IP address, user authority, decoding, channels connected, picture quality, and settings of manual recording or auto recording. Using central server can anytime add, delete or modify the parameters of front-end equipments.
4.2.2 Electronic map, alarm server and digital matrix server are the important part in IDRS net video management system, which can exactly reflect alarmed information to map. Besides, they support 1-24 channels TV-wall's switching-in, directly switching many channels between each other.
4.2.3 Video site mainly connects to NVS, DVR and suchlike front-end devices, storing the transmitted audio & video signal and backuping the video files needed. At the same time, it is also responsible for remote picture's display, record, PTZ control and for the video resource of other net clients, in charge of transmission of audio & video signal.
4.2.4 "E1/10BaseT converter" functions as an Ethernet bridge. Using "E1/10BaseT converter" expands Ethernet to each 110KV station, thus whole monitoring system forms a LAN system.
4.2.5 Monitoring system adopts Ethernet switch avoiding data interference of different data streams.
4.2.6 Router: be in charge of connecting monitoring system to IP network of electric firm. Router's Ethernet port connects control center to the IP network of electric firm, so the firm can directly view the real-time video of transformer station. If the electric firm has connected to higher rank firm with IP net or E1, it can transmit video there. The provincial-wide 10 control centers and 78 transformer stations form into an IP WAN with the same construction of city-wide monitoring systems, finally realizing non-blind framework.
☆Remote client:
Compose by IDRS-6000S DVR, video camera, electronic fence, access control, alarm input linkage appliance and network devices.
IDRS-6000S DVR is responsible for real-time monitoring, recording, PTZ control, alarm signal (IR / door magnet) capture and networking picture transmission.
Alarm input linkage appliance and decoders use RS485 bus line to switch into IDRS-6000S DVR. Software completes encoding so as to realize relevant control functions.
☆Power supply
All devices in system are powered by UPS, supplying power after power off, with anti-surge skill isolating interference from outside power.
☆System designment for anti-interference
This system's interferences mainly source from inner & outer electromagnetic interference, system power interference and lightning interference.
Adopt speed dome camera powered by DC motor; reasonably build wire, avoiding paralleling between video cord and power cord, overcome the interference sourced from inner.
Local devices (IDRS-6000S DVR, alarm box, net bridge) are placed at cabinet with well-grounding, blocking the electromagnetic interference sourced from inside of transformer station.
Adopt anti-surged UPS power, overcome the problem of outside power's interference; meantime, adopt anti-surged aux communication port, blocking the lightning interference sourced from circuit.
Anti-lightning & over-voltage devices are installed at video input terminal, alarm input & output terminal, communication appliance and RS485 control line.

This monitoring solution belongs to Beijing Backbone Computer Technology Co., Ltd. (China). We provide various monitoring devices and solutions of remote monitoring system, having come into IDRS series and Bernee series products successfully.