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Renewable generation, energy storage, plug-in electric vehicles, interconnects, and increasing demand are just some of the challenges grid owners face today. These challenges require increased flexibility and new measurement technology to improve grid control and asset use. The Grid Automation System helps utility companies and utility suppliers with the intelligent grid information they need now and in the future as new problems emerge.
The Grid Automation System is a customizable intelligent electronic device designed to simplify substation monitoring and upgrades while improving measurement visibility. This approach to grid instrumentation uses a common set of hardware with software-designed measurements and communication protocols. With this approach, the Grid Automation
System can deliver new measurements to operators and power system engineers while integrating with existing systems. Additionally, the software-based measurements can be upgraded in the future as standards, research, and needs evolve. ni.com/gridautomation
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Decisions from the control room that rely on information gathered from the grid are limited by the capabilities of deployed instrumentation. With the Grid Automation System, capabilities can change as the needs of the grid change. Full access to the streaming waveform data is available for inline processing, online monitoring, and storage on the device. You can program the Grid Automation System to intelligently select which data to monitor, store, or transmit to reduce storage and bandwidth requirements. The analog input channels that are designed for potential transformer and current transformer inputs use high-speed, high-resolution converters that sample at up to 1,000 samples per cycle with 24 bits of resolution. The quality of this system goes beyond the specifications because NI has nearly 40 years of experience in measurement instrumentation.
Using a hybrid, customizable device like the Grid Automation System can help simplify the transition between technologies by bridging your existing setup with new technology and minimizing the need for excess equipment. For example, the Grid Automation System programmed as a remote terminal unit can collect data from slave devices communicating over one protocol and output to the SCADA/EMS system over another. This prevents upgrading more equipment than needed and allows power engineers to selectively replace systems that are legacy or outdated.
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Your
You can use the Grid Automation System as a ready-to-run device with a default personality, a ready-to-program “clean slate,” or anything in between. This is possible because of the open approach to software. NI applications feature code that is freely available for modification with a current version of LabVIEW and the LabVIEW Electrical
Power Suite installed on a development machine. If you need a ready-to-run personality without the development, NI and NI Alliance Partners deliver turnkey solutions designed to contract specifications. Contact NI today to learn more about these solutions. ni.com/gridautomation
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Voltage Input
Channels
ADC Spec
Input Range
Thermal Withstand
8 (2-bus configuration)
24-bit, 50,000/sec/channel
0-250 V
RMS
nominal, 500V pk.
500 V
RMS
(continuous), 600 V
RMS
(10 seconds)
Current Input
Channels
ADC Spec
Input Range
Thermal Withstand
8 (2-bus configuration)
24-bit, 50,000/sec/channel
0-20 A
RMS
(continuous), 100 A
RMS
(10 Seconds)
500 A
RMS
(1 sec), 1250 A
RMS
(1 cycle)
Binary Input
Channels
Input Range
Crossing Threshold
8
0 – 250 VDC
Ratiometric. Set at (2/3) * V
DC
Input
GPS, Power, Processing & Comm.
GPS Type-F connector, 5V supply for antenna
Power Input
Comm. Ports
Comm. Protocols
Universal: 110-300 VDC, 100-240 VAC 50/60Hz
Dual ENET (1x Fiber, 1x Copper)
Software Defined: DNP3, 61850, EN 60870, C37.118, Modbus
Core Processor 667 MHz dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 Processor
Co-Processor (FPGA) Xilinx Artix-7
Standards Testing
The NI Grid Automation System was designed and tested to EMC standards such as IEC 61000-
4-X and C37.90.X. See the hardware manual online for the full list.
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The Grid Automation System is shipped with phasor measurement unit capability that makes the system ready to install/commission as a PMU out of the box. The software code for this personality is available from NI for modification.
PMU Software Features (inclusive of HW capabilities)
C37.118.1a-2014 Compliant
TVE < 1%
GPS time synchronization to within ±100ns
Power measurements – RMS, P, Q, S, PF
Symmetrical Components - Positive, Negative, and Zero Sequence
Digital reporting
Up to 1 frame/cycle reporting rate
2-bus configuration (single reference frequency)
The Grid Automation System PMU software uses a web-based configuration utility. For non-web configuration and multidevice commissioning, a standard format JSON file is used for all device settings. You can configure this file offline and then transfer it to the device.
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The core technology of the Grid Automation System is a CompactRIO reconfigurable embedded control and acquisition system from NI. CompactRIO systems combine advanced processing components with modular input/output circuitry to help embedded designers build intelligent control or measurement systems. NI and third-party companies offer more than 200 input/output modules to connect CompactRIO to a variety of sensors, signals, actuators, and networks.
Processing and Controller Specifications
Core Processor 667 MHz dual-core ARM Cortex-A9
Co-Processor (FPGA)
Operating System
Storage
Memory
Supported Development Languages
(processor)
Supported Development Languages
(FPGA)
Xilinx Artix-7 FPGA Fabric
NI Linux Real-Time (open source, email license@ni.com)
1 GB (nonvolatile)
512 MB DDR3 RAM
LabVIEW, C, C++, Linux-supported scripting languages
LabVIEW ni.com/gridautomation
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National Grid UK, the transmission system operator for nearly 20 million people in the UK, is deploying an advanced, upgradable grid measurement system to provide better operational data for the state of the UK grid. With the challenges of today and the unforeseen challenges of the future, National Grid UK is focusing on developing a flexible solution that can be upgraded with new software as the measurement needs of the grid and amount of data available evolve.
National Grid UK selected the NI platform to develop a flexible, powerful, and connected measurement system capable of gathering and analyzing large amounts of data to better detect grid-wide trends. Compared to its existing infrastructure, implementing a smarter, more connected system allows National Grid UK to manage change, optimize energy sources, and plan for the future grid. The new system also takes advantage of the highprocessing power of CompactRIO to offer grid-wide visibility while providing more indepth data then the previous system.
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LocalGrid Technologies, a spin-off of National Instruments Alliance Partner Prolucid
Technologies Inc., along with National Instruments, is leading the development of “smart” distributed power generation and MicroGrids. Changing to a decentralized approach to power management enables distributed generation by making renewable energy available that is either utility or state owned, or available through feed-in-tariff (FIT) programs.
Toronto Hydro-Electric System Limited (Toronto Hydro) has been a participant in this project. Toronto Hydro is one of the largest municipal electricity distribution companies in
Canada and has approximately 1,600 feeder lines and 719,000 customers, according to their website. Making the most effective use of multiple generation sources requires a dynamic and flexible distribution grid. This is a key driver for grid modernization. Toronto
Hydro hopes to use intelligent monitoring and control to help overcome many restrictions, and the Intelligent Node Project with LocalGrid is their first effort in this important area.
Bob Leigh, CEO LocalGrid Technologies
Using the NI cRIO-9068 controller and LocalGrid DataFabric software built on the NI
LabVIEW platform, utilities and power providers can now quickly and cost-effectively deploy MicroGrid solutions that are modular and standards based so they can be easily customized for future growth and expansion. This solution enables secure and highresolution communications over existing and low-bandwidth networks seamlessly, and can be used to manage distributed grid assets, develop better network “stress” insight, and optimize generation dispatch. ni.com/gridautomation
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• Power and Energy Calculations (IEC 61000-4-30)
• Unbalance (IEC 61000-4-30)
• Flicker (IEC 61000-4-15)
• Event detection and aggregation (IEC 61000-4-30)
• Harmonic Analysis (IEC 61000-4-7)
• Phasor Measurements (C37.118.1a-2014 PMU)
• COMTRADE File Format
• Protection Curves (50, 51,27, 59, and custom)
• DNP3
• IEC 61850 (MMS, GOOSE)
• IEC 60870-5
• C37.118.1-2011 (PMU)
• Integrate applications from the Linux community
• Run compatible scripting code
• Open source code available from license@ni.com
• Run C code, LabVIEW, or both on the core processor
• Use Eclipse, or preferred IDE, to develop, debug and deploy to device ni.com/gridautomation
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For nearly 40 years, NI has worked with engineers and scientists to provide answers to the most challenging questions. Through these pursuits, NI customers have brought hundreds of thousands of products to market, overcome innumerable technological roadblocks, and engineered a better life for us all. If you can turn it on, connect it, drive it, or launch it, chances are NI technology helped make it happen.
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• 2013 Revenue :
• Global Operations:
• Employee Count:
• Customer Base:
• Diversity:
1976
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Offices in nearly 50 countries
Approximately 7,100 employees
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©2015 National Instruments. All rights reserved. CompactRIO, LabVIEW, National Instruments, NI, and ni.com are trademarks of
National Instruments. Other product and company names listed are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies. A
National Instruments Alliance Partner is a business entity independent from National Instruments and has no agency, partnership, or joint-venture relationship with National Instruments. ni.com/gridautomation
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