PG&Es Identifying Wire Down

Conditions Using SmartMeters

Presenter: Eric Schoenman

Diagnostic Center Lead, Emerging Grid Technology
Pacific Gas & Electric
February 2, 2017
 Presentation Agenda

Company Overview

Energized Wire Down Concern

New Approach to Detection

What Comes Next

#4 ACSR failure on May 17, 2013 at 3:35pm Fortunately no injuries! 1

 PG&E Overview
Energy services to 15 MM people:
5.1 MM Electric customer accounts
4.3 MM Natural Gas accounts

70,000 sq miles with diverse topography

18,610 miles interconnected transmission lines

142,000 miles electric distribution lines

23,000 employees

A regulated, investor-owned utility

2
 Distribution Overview

4 kV
2,376
Longest
Average
Single
2%
Circuit Feeder Total
Circuit
Voltage Count Customers Circuit
Miles
Miles 21 kV
17 kV 30,863
22%
4,596
4.16kV 408 350K 6 34

12kV 2,294 3,697K 45 362 3%

12 kV
17kV 47 119K 98 357
103,898
21kV 489 1,281K 64 494 73%
Total 3,247 5,450K - - Miles by
Voltage Level
3
 PG&E Leading the Way
PG&E piloting $100M in projects to support the Grid of Things

Situational
DERMS
Intelligence

Grid Volt/VAR
Diagnostics Optimization

Fault
Detection Smart Line
and Sensors
Location
4
 The Grid of Things
New data availability leading to increasing grid visibility and
building each new technology on a common platform
SmartMeter Advanced Data
External Hazards Data Analytics

Improved Network OMT SmartMeters Machine Learning

Mapping 5
 Existing Wire Down Identification

Detection process relies solely on customer calls, emergency hazard

calls, or field staff reporting.
In remote areas, wire down conditions may not get reported.
Or reported as just an outage.
Most reported wire down events are not energized.
PG&E has over 3000 wire down outages each year.
~2000 wire downs are on single phase taps that are potentially
energized
Safety is a key factor in identifying wire down locations quickly
6
 Fault Detection and Location Project

5M+ SmartMeters in service for 4-9 Years

Currently using SmartMeter outage notifications
in OMT to scope outages but only to determine
Outage or No Outage.
Part of PG&Es 2013-16 $12M SmartGrid Pilot
The Question: Can SmartMeters be used to
find wire down conditions?
7
 Using SmartMeters Smarter
The SmartMeter team had identified
unexplained SmartMeter states during known
outages
High count of SmartMeter last gasps and reboots
and/or
No outage reported by SmartMeter

8
 Using SmartMeters Smarter
Deep dive analysis on dozens of recorded wire
down events.
3W and 4W circuits
Mainline and taps

Lab testing of meters at range of service outage

conditions and voltages.
Single and 3 phase meters, 4W Wye, 3 and 4W Delta
Loss of phase
9
 Using SmartMeters Smarter
Discovery:
SmartMeters remain energized in Part Out conditions when
primary wire down.
And/Or
SmartMeters cycle through energized and de-energized state
(high last gasp/reboot count) based on secondary loading
fluctuations.
Energized state can be determined via remote interrogation of
SmartMeters.
High cycle meters can be identified via last gasp counts.
10
 SmartMeter Outage Determination

Service Voltage Energized Wire Down

Percentage - Determined Condition Determination
By Meter Energized State
95-105% Power On No

75-95% Sag (Usually Possibly 1 of 3 down. Identified

momentary) by multiple reboots/last gasps
25-75% Part Out Yes (Single Phase, 1 of 3 down)

0-25% Full Out Possibly 1 of 3 down. Identified

by multiple reboots/last gasps

11
 Large Impact to Safety

4 kV
2,376
Circuit Feeder Total 2%
Voltage Count Customers
21 kV
17 kV 30,863
4.16kV 408 350K 22%
4,596
12kV 2,294 3,697K 3%
17kV 47 119K 12 kV
21kV 489 1,281K 103,898
73%
Total 3,247 5,450K
Miles by
Voltage Level 12
Examples
 Energized Wire Down Example (Wire Down Load Side)

Single Phase
Single
Wire Down
Phase FULL VOLTAGE
Tap (1 of 2 Phase)
No fuse
blow
Load side
down PARTIAL VOLTAGE
SM in PartOut State

14
 Energized Wire Down, Loadside Down, Backfeed

Source

1 Ph
1 Ph

No Outage Part Out

15
 Energized Wire Down Example (Wire Down Source Side)

Single
phase tap
Single fuse
blown
Source
side down

16
 Energized Wire Down, Source Side Down, Back Feed, Fuse Blown

Source
Blown 1 Ph 1 Ph
Fuse

Part Out Full Out

17
 Conclusion
Using SmartMeters, energized wire down service
conditions can be identified real time through
measuring meter state and identifying high count
last gasps.
The challenge is how to process the large amounts
of data.
Requires the use of Big Data analytics.

18
 Next Steps

Further enhance processes to pinpoint outage location

and type.
Work with Electric Operations IT team and SmartMeter
vendor to operationalize identification during real time
events.

19
 PG&Es Identifying Wire Down
Conditions Using SmartMeters

Presenter: Eric Schoenman

Diagnostic Center Lead, Emerging Grid Technology
Pacific Gas & Electric
Eric.Schoenman@pge.com
February 2, 2017