British Columbia Transmission Corporation Research Articles

Automated Load Curve Data Cleansing in Power Systems

Load curve data refers to the electric energy consumption recorded by meters at certain time intervals at delivery points or end user points, and contains vital information for day-to-day operations, system analysis, system visualization, system reliability performance, energy saving and adequacy in system planning. Unfortunately, it is unavoidable that load curves contain corrupted data and missing data due to various random failure factors in meters and transfer processes. This paper presents the B-Spline smoothing and Kernel smoothing based techniques to automatically cleanse corrupted and missing data. In implementation, a man-machine dialogue procedure is proposed to enhance the performance. The experiment results on the real British Columbia Transmission Corporation (BCTC) load curve data demonstrated the effectiveness of the presented solution.

Opening Up for Interoperability

An overview of the open architecture for the control center modernization and consolidation project at British Columbia Transmission Corporation (BCTC) is discussed. The design is based on the technology strategy of creating a long-term, cost-effective, sound, and sustainable solution. The integration solution provided allows modular introduction of new applications and upgrading of individual applications without impacting the rest of the system. The approach consists of a pragmatic, real-world decision-making framework that addresses multiple conflicting requirements and constraints. The architecture creates an open and flexible framework for evolving the consolidated control centers into a scalable infrastructure for evolution and implementation of a long-term roadmap.

A Risk Evaluation Based Approach to Replacement Strategy of Aged HVDC Components and Its Application at BCTC

This paper presents a risk evaluation based approach to the replacement strategy of aged HVDC components. It includes estimation of unavailability of individual HVDC components due to aging failures, calculation of capacity state probabilities of the HVDC system, quantified risk evaluation of the power system containing the HVDC link and benefit/cost analysis for different replacement strategies. The presented approach can be also applied to other system components. The replacement strategy for an aged submarine cable of the HVDC link in a power supply system at British Columbia Transmission Corporation has been analyzed as an example to demonstrate the actual application. The procedure of the analysis has been explained in detail in the example.

Probabilistic Transmission Planning

Probabilistic transmission planning has become increasingly necessary and important in recent years. Some utilities like British Columbia Transmission Corporation (BCTC) have started their practice toward this direction. This article addresses basic aspects of probabilistic transmission planning. The probabilistic method is not intended to replace the deterministic criterion but adds one more dimension to enhance the transmission planning process. An actual example at BCTC is provided to demonstrate the application of probabilistic transmission planning.

One asset, one view - integrated asset management at British Columbia Transmission Corporation

This article provided an overview description of the recently implemented integrated asset management solution at BCTC. The solution is currently in production and is rapidly gaining acceptance from users for key functionality. More functionality is being added, and a continuous improvement path has been identified. This article shows that the asset management solutions require not only technical design and implementation work but also a close look at business processes modeling and change management within the organization. BCTC expects to do some more work on the current AMP solution to enhance existing functionality for its users.

Determining Rational Redundancy of 500-kV Reactors in Transmission Systems Using a Probability-Based Economic Analysis Approach: BCTC's Practice

This paper presents a methodology to determine a rational redundancy level of power system equipment based on a coordination among the electric energy market information, the total transfer capability (TTC) in the transmission system and the estimation of random equipment failures. The proposed approach includes the models of unavailability due to both repairable and aging failures of equipment, the calculation method of two discrete statistical distributions representing energy prices and export powers, and a probabilistic benefit/cost analysis technique. An actual example of 500-kV reactors at British Columbia Transmission Corporation (BCTC) has been given to demonstrate the procedure of the application. The results indicate that the redundancy level determined using this approach not only enables the utility to avoid possible losses in the income from energy sales and improves the profile of system TTC but also guarantees a high benefit/cost ratio in a financial justification of redundant equipment addition.

Risk evaluation of transmission system operation modes and its application at British Columbia Transmission Corporation

Risk evaluation has been applied in transmission system development planning for years. However, it has not been sufficiently addressed in selecting transmission operation modes. A basic fact is that the risk evaluation for system development planning focuses on long-term system reinforcements but does not simulate operational measures in a short period. Selecting the most reliable transmission operation mode under different conditions requires simulation of operation measures such as load transfers, generation pattern changes, switching actions and temporary network reconfigurations. The paper presents basic concepts and modelling considerations to simulate operation measures. It also addresses two other issues that have to be considered in operation risk evaluation: inclusion of dynamic ratings of circuits and a simulation capability over any time length. Selection of the lowest risk operation mode in the BCTC metro system was used as an example to illustrate the concepts and method presented.