132 KV project with OPGW
Main & standby RTUs, PDH MUX and OPGW fibre on the 132 KV line — data, tele-protection and voice.
What this project involves
A plant or substation connected at 132 KV communicates with the utility grid substation over OPGW — optical ground wire strung on the earth-wire peak of the 132 KV line. PDH / SDH multiplexers at both ends carry RTU data in IEC-101 / IEC-104, tele-protection commands and voice over the fibre, and the utility network carries the data on to the SLDC.
- Plants and substations connected to the grid at 132 KV
- Tele-protection is required between the line ends
- The utility specifies fibre (OPGW) communication for the bay
System architecture
8 stages, survey to handover
- 01
Route & system study
STEL + line contractor- Study the 132 KV line route and tower schedule from the plant / pooling substation to the grid substation.
- Fix the OPGW fibre count and type as per the utility specification; plan joint-box locations.
- Plan the approach-cable route from the terminal gantry to each control room.
Route study Fibre plan Joint-box schedule - 02
Scheme approvals
STEL + TRANSCO / SLDC- Approval of the communication scheme — OPGW, utility-approved PDH / SDH MUX make and channel plan.
- Channel plan for RTU data (IEC-101 / IEC-104), tele-protection commands and voice / hotline.
- Main & standby RTU configuration at the plant and at the grid substation.
Approved scheme Channel plan - 03
OPGW stringing
STEL / line contractor- OPGW strung on the earth-wire peak with suspension and tension hardware and vibration dampers.
- Down-lead clamps at terminal towers and joint boxes at the planned towers.
- Line shutdown and permit-to-work for existing lines; work-at-height safety throughout.
Stringing records - 04
Splicing & termination
STEL- Fusion splicing at every joint box, with splice-loss records.
- Approach cable (armoured / ADSS) laid into the fibre optic distribution panel (FODP) in each control room.
Splice records FODP termination sheets - 05
Fibre acceptance tests
STEL- Bi-directional OTDR at 1310 nm and 1550 nm on every fibre.
- End-to-end loss with light source and power meter, checked against the link loss budget.
- Re-splice any joint above the permitted loss.
OTDR traces Loss test report - 06
MUX & RTU installation
STEL- PDH / SDH MUX panels at both ends — E1 / G.703, Ethernet and C37.94 interfaces as per the channel plan.
- Main & standby RTU panels at the plant and at the grid substation.
- Channel cross-connects and configuration.
MUX configuration Channel test sheets - 07
Integration & tele-protection testing
STEL + TRANSCO- RTU data end to end to the SLDC in IEC-101 / IEC-104.
- Tele-protection command tests with the protection relays — send, receive and transmission time.
- Voice / hotline and alarm tests; changeover between main and standby RTU.
End-to-end test report Tele-protection test report - 08
Commissioning & handover
STEL + TRANSCO + SLDC- Joint commissioning with TRANSCO and SLDC engineers.
- As-built drawings, OTDR traces, splice records, channel plan and O&M manual.
- Training and Annual Maintenance Contract.
Commissioning report Handover dossier
Testing & commissioning checklist
- OTDR traces at 1310 / 1550 nm, both directions, on every fibre
- End-to-end optical loss within the design budget
- MUX alarms clear; E1 / Ethernet channels error-free over a soak period
- RTU data verified at the SLDC, point by point
- Tele-protection command transmission time measured and recorded
- Main-to-standby RTU changeover without loss of data
Documents handed over
- Route study, fibre plan and joint-box schedule
- Splice-loss records and OTDR traces
- Channel plan and MUX configuration
- RTU point list and configuration backups
- End-to-end and tele-protection test reports
- As-built drawings and O&M manual
Delivered by STEL
KSK Energy — Sitapuram Power Ltd.
Schneider main & standby configuration RTU panels at the 43 MW thermal power plant, Dondapadu, and at TS TRANSCO 220/132 KV SS Sitapuram, with the plant data carried over the fibre optic MUX network and integrated to TS SLDC Hyderabad in IEC-101 protocol through PLCC link. Shown in our brochure as “MiCOM main & standby RTU panel with MUX and OPGW fiber optic communication link — 132 KV transmission tower line”.
Next: 33 KV project with MPLS structure
RTU panel in the plant control room, IEC-104 over a BSNL or Airtel MPLS VPN to the SLDC.