TNEB to introduce automated fault reporting system

CHENNAI: The tiresome ritual of calling the local Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) official during powercuts could soo be a thing of the past, if a new experiment of the board clicks.

The system, which is part of remote monitoring of transformers being taken up by the TNEB, involves a modem attached to transformers. The modem detects repairs, if any, to the transformer and automatically sends messages to the computers and mobile phones of the assistant engineer. The first such modem has been fixed to a transformer on Bishop Hall Road off CIT Colony. The TNEB will fix modems in over 150 distribution transformer meters across the State in five feeders situated in Chennai, Villupuram, Madurai metro and in Coimbatore for the pilot study which will start from February 2010.

The Society for Applied Microwave Electronics and Research Engineering (SAMEER) is helping the TNEB in making the modems. "The messages from the modems would be sent also to the mobile phones of the local engineer and to the computers of senior officials in the TNEB. The SMS will be automatically deleted only after the fault is repaired. This facilitates early rectification of the problem and also keeps a check on the efficiency of the staff," said a senior TNEB official.

These devices will also send out messages to the officials in case the load factor in a particular transformer increases or decreases beyond a limit. When the load in a transformer increases abruptly, the officials can investigate the cause and find out if there has been any power theft. "During meetings and festivals, the power is illegally drawn from the transformer. The modem then messages the area engineer about the overdrawing and the theft can be detected and stopped immediately," said the official.

This will also help identify line loss while the generated power is being transferred from the production point to the sub-station and later to the distribution transformers. "The main aim of the research is for energy accounting. We will know how much power is supplied and how much is distributed," the official said.

The modems are indigenous and have been made to suit the specific needs of TNEB. "They are on a par with the imported modems, but costs less," said the official.

Read more: TNEB to introduce automated fault reporting system - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/TNEB-to-introduce-automated-fault-reporting-system/articleshow/5334331.cms#ixzz0ztfXTtrd