Bpl o&m applications in electricidad de caracas

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BPL O&M Applications in C.A. La Electricidad de Caracas
Alfredo Florio and Fernando Murillo 1

explains the principal concept on BPL as follows [1]:
Abstract—This article explains how the BPL (Broadband Over Power Lines) technology can serve as an alternative medium of communication for electrical network tasks on Operations and Maintenance at C.A. La Electricidad de Caracas. Index ofTerms— Automation, Communication equipment, Communication systems, SCADA systems, Substation, Transport Protocols. I. NOMENCLATURE

ADSL, AMR Systems, BPL, EDC, GSM, PLC, TCP/IP, TDM, WiFi, XDSL. II. INTRODUCTION

“BPL, also known as power-line communication, utilizes electric power distribution wires for the high-speed 2 transmission of data by transmitting high-frequency data signals throughthe same power distribution network used for carrying electric power to household users. In a common form of BPL, the broadband connection is provided over the electrical wires that enter a house; a customer can obtain Internet access by plugging a BPL modem into any residential electric outlet served by the BPL system. In another form of BPL, Internet access is provided using a wireless device(such as a WiFi access point) connected to a BPL distribution system outside of the home that communicates with the customer’s computer or other equipment inside the home” During the early stages of BPL technology development, data transmission speed was only a few kbps. Now, it is close to 200 Mbps, which means that electrical networks are now transformed on noticeably broader band networks. Anexample of this is XDSL, which competes with regard to quality and reliability, offering communications services such as IP telephony, internet access, video conferences, data transmission and control supervision, among other applications. In the mid 90´s, EDC developed BPL solutions for AMR (Automatic Meter Reading) Management & Automation, as well as for distribution circuit & transformeridentification. BPL technology has great potential for EDC, given that TCP/IP-based protocols are easily implemented. These protocols provide straightforward low level interconnections with the SCADA ( Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition ), AMR ( Automatic Meter reading ) and automatic billing systems, paving the way for asset management procedures in the area of O&M. This enhances the performance ofprocesses such as Metering, Connection and Disconnection, boosting service quality and customer satisfaction. III. TECHNICAL WORK PREPARATION The area served by the EDC & Affiliates distribution business encompasses five states in Venezuela: Distrito

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he objective of this paper is to explain how new BPL technology projects have been implemented in C.A. La Electricidad de Caracas (EDC) in theareas of Operations & Maintenance. The paper emphasizes the applicability of this technology in the following processes:      Monitoring and control of network status in real time Energy Losses control Preventive maintenance Outage detection and energy recovery AMR systems

The Broadband Over Power Lines (BPL) technology or Power Line Carrier (PLC) is based on data transmission using powerlines. This technology has been developed over one decade in the USA, Western Europe and Japan. The Broadband over Power Lines (BPL) Task Force of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners
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Alfredo Florio is with manager & consultant in energy saving and power quality topics for AES Gets Company subsidiary of C.A. La Electricidad de Caracas. San Bernardino, Av. Vollmer,Caracas 1010 A, Venezuela. ( e-mail: alfredo.florio@aes.com ) Fernando Murillo is with manager & consultant in BPL technology topics for AES Network Company subsidiary of C.A. La Electricidad de Caracas. San Bernardino, Av. Vollmer, Caracas 1010 A, Venezuela. ( e-mail: fernando.murillo@aes.com )

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Capital, Miranda, Vargas, part of Aragua and Yaracuy. The landscape in these states is a...