The suitability of the identified methods and tools, and their associated advantages and limitations, will be assessed and compared along with initial recommendations on the most suitable tool(s) to be used in the future. This activity will also consider existing resources and practices that are utilised within ScottishPower, e.g. the DIgSILENT PowerFactory GB power system model, protection settings registers and databases, ten year statement and other “outlook” documents published by National Grid (including the recently-published “System Operability Framework” document), protection settings policy documents, etc. A validation process will be proposed with the use of the identified and proposed selected tool(s) in conjunction with the appropriate existing resources.
This will act as an initial specification for a future second stage of the project, which will be concerned with population and configuration of the identified tool(s) to enable the validation process to be rolled out across the entire population of ScottishPower transmission protection schemes and utilised as a “business as usual” activity.
If possible, a demonstration and verification of the proposed process using an agreed case study will be undertaken and included in the report and presentation of findings at the end of the project, subject to availability of the identified settings validation tools(s) and appropriate resources to facilitate the execution of the case study.
The benefits of undertaking this work are that the risk of unexpected and incorrect protection operations in the future will be quantified, enabling appropriate mitigation plans to be put in place. The cost of future potential partial or total system blackouts could therefore be avoided.
Benefits
The project will be considered successful if the aforementioned project objectives are realised.
