Critical power with the Penguins
Friday, January 7, 2011 at 8:06AM End User: Ministry of Defence
Location: South Atlantic
As the infrastructure in these three critical remote sites had reached the end of its life, a project was undertaken to provide new power supplies. The power was provided by 4 LV generators which operated in a 2N configuration. A Triple Channel PLC control system (sometimes referred to as Triplex) was supplied to control the generators and LV load shedding automatically. This control system was designed to have "No Single Points of failure"
When the power demand was low the system automatically sheds a generator in order reduce site fuel consumption. In times of heavy demand (or conflict) two generators are run to provide the necessary security of power for these crucial sites. Duty rotation of the generators is also taken care of by the control system.
Full diagnostics and control of the system is achieved from HMI's located in the LV switch room and the living accommodation - a vital feature when the winter weather features high winds and deep snow.
And the penguins? Once the system was operational with a resilient multi-channel design keeping the lights on, there was time for a little site seeing.