When necessary, we coordinate with municipalities, distribution, and transmission stakeholders
throughout the project. We can also take a project from Concept to Commissioning, providing project
management for the secondary plant systems, erection of panels, and laying of secondary plant
cables.
Control Plant Design
Simplicity is one of the key elements of a good Relay Protection System design, together with
Reliability, Selectivity, and Speed. However, with the evolution of the protection relays,
protection schemes have evolved to be described as anything but simple.
Protection Systems Design
Khopower is an expert in the field of relays and system protection. We bring more than 25 years
of
high-quality experience providing support from distribution system to generation system
protection.
We provide the following services:
• Designing new protection system
• Review an existing protection system
• Modifying or upgrading an existing protection system
Our relay and system protection expertise covers:
• Protection scope: For transmission lines, substations, and distribution
system,
generators,
motors, transformers, capacitor, and reactor protection.
• All types of relays: Electromechanical, solid-state device, and
microprocessor-based
relays.
• Relay communication Protocols: IED to SCADA using MODBUS, DNP3, and IEC
61850.
• Protection standard: Meet or exceed the recognized industry and client’s
standards.
Our design steps are as follows:
a) DigSilent based System studies to determine load and faults at various buses:
• Load Flow
• Voltage Drop
• Fault Analysis
• Protective Device Coordination
• Arc Flash and Shock Hazard Risk Assessments
• Power Factor Correction
b) Deciding the type of relays and performing relay settings calculations
c) Coordinating protective devices throughout the system
d) Programming the relay logic and control logic
e) Integrating protective relays with peripheral systems and other IEDs
f) Simulate and testing of relays according to the designed logic
g) Documentation (Including Protection Drawings) and Reports
h) Support and Maintenance
Khopower provides both engineering and technical support for SCADA and telecommunication
systems.
Our engineering and technical support personnel have worked shoulder-to-shoulder with
municipalities, distribution, and transmission stakeholders to develop these essential
systems.
We assist clients in all phases of SCADA projects, including design, bid specifications,
procurement
contract oversight, installation and commissioning management, and field technical
support.
Communications being the backbone of any SCADA system, Khopower’s engineering staff is well
experienced in the analysis, application, design, upgrade, and integration of all communication
systems ranging from Power Line Carrier (PLC), radio, and fiber optic networks. Our knowledge
and
experience have proven extremely valuable in avoiding and resolving compatibility issues among
the
various equipment vendors typically involved in an integrated system.
Our design steps are as follows:
Planning
Before implementing a SCADA system, it’s important to assess the clients’ needs and
expectations
to
create a plan for the best possible SCADA system to achieve their goals. During this phase,
it
is
crucial to consider factors such as operation, process requirements, budget, resources, and
more.
Analysing these factors will lead to a SCADA system plan that offers comprehensive services
to
all
users.
Development
This phase involves the development of your SCADA system. A SCADA systems manufacturer will
work
with Khopower to design the new product and incorporate the necessary components to achieve
the
goals outlined in the planning phase.
Commissioning
During the commissioning phase, the SCADA system is put into operation. This stage involves
testing
and validating the client system’s data and functionalities and optimising where
necessary.
Support and Maintenance
Once commissioning is completed and your SCADA system has been implemented into your
operations,
it’s essential to prepare for maintenance and support. Throughout the lifespan of your SCADA
system,
it may need upgrades or system maintenance. During this phase, it’s essential to document
all
system
changes and settings, new requirements, and operational goals.
DC Systems Design
We advise on UPS systems, battery chargers, battery banks, and D.C. boards. We perform D.C. load
requirements for new installations and substations. We also deliver a compilation of A.C. and
D.C.
reticulation interface designs.
Metering Systems Design
We provide metering and measurement services to the utility markets, including Generation,
Transmission, and Distribution, and most recently to Renewable Power Plants (RPP). We have
extensive
experience in turnkey metering and measurement systems and industrial and large power user
metering
in post-paid and pre-paid environments.
Furthermore, we provide auditing and
investigative
services
through revenue protection audits, configuration, and programming of solid-state energy meters
and
related equipment. We strive to be the leading metering and measurements solutions provider by
constantly reviewing and equipping our teams with the latest technologies deployed.
Control Plant Testing & Commissioning
The commissioning process helps to achieve project goals. Each project is different, and our
engineers and technicians have a unique plan to achieve the desired outcomes.
Commissioning Planning
Several activities take place off-site before our commissioning team mobilizes to the site
during
the design and construction phases of a project. During design and construction, the schedule
and
sequence of activities during commissioning are used to define the required construction
milestones
and plan the project schedule.
The construction milestones then determine the
necessary
design
milestones. From this sequence of milestones, the project team is then aware of what activities
need
to be completed and by when to ensure all the project components come together as a final system
for
testing.
Factory Acceptance Testing
During the design and procurement phase of the project, a critical step before equipment
delivery to
the site is Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT).
FAT verifies that the equipment is
designed
as
per
specifications before leaving the factory, where any issues discovered are much easier and
cheaper
to fix, rather than delaying testing until equipment is installed on-site.
Our team is
capable
of
either witnessing or performing control plant FAT at the factory level.
Mechanical & Electrical Completion
Mechanical & Electrical completion occurs at the end of construction once the equipment is
installed. Our technicians will perform a walkthrough to inspect the installation and confirm no
deficiencies.
Any deficiencies are noted and added to the deficiency list, with
associated
classification. Confirmation of basic installation is confirmed, including all wiring
point-to-point
checks and megger tests completed.
Protection, SCADA, DC System, and Metering
drawings are
traced in
the field to ensure all cables and auxiliaries are available.
Our technicians will also
verify
that
drawings are marked up (red-green drawings) to indicate the as-installed condition.
On-Site Commissioning
Our technicians shall perform pre-commissioning activities consisting of panel energization,
communication checks, loop checks (internal and external), and verification of any wiring to the
control room.
More detailed electrical checks of automation or control/protection
circuits
are
performed to confirm the correct protection settings are applied to protection devices. Current
injections are done on any current transformers to verify correct polarity and calibration
before
applying primary power to major equipment.
Pre-commissioning checklists are completed for
each
piece
of equipment.
Commissioning is the on-site process to verify that equipment has not been damaged during
shipping
since the FAT was completed. Field wiring is confirmed to be correct, and a subset of FAT tests
are
repeated to ensure the equipment can communicate to all field devices and that equipment is
calibrated.
Electrical commissioning consists first of pre-energization safety. When equipment is first
energized as a system, equipment racks are powered up, and system integration can occur. The
field
devices are verified to be correctly reflected on HMI screens, and that control of field devices
can
be done from the control room. End-to-end communications are verified as accurate and
reliable.
Once all mechanical and electrical components are complete, system commissioning can begin,
where
all the electrical and mechanical equipment works together as a system for the first time.
Auxiliary
systems are brought online, followed by major apparatus, and verified interfaces for all
equipment.
It is now that all the systems are available and ready for the plant’s start-up.
Plant Start-Up
At this stage, the plant can now be started. Electrical interfaces are verified, and power is
slowly
ramped up to operating levels. The equipment undergoes analysis at each stage to ensure the
plant
process is operating as specified. Our Engineers and Technicians verify the correct operation of
the
plant.
Performance Verification/Optimisation
The commissioning team conducts any fine-tuning of the plant operation in consultation with our
engineers and technicians. Once tuned, the contract may require a trial period or dry-run test
where
the plant is expected to operate uninterrupted for a period of time. This could be 24 hours or
30
days, depending on the contract requirements. The plant is ready to be handed over to the O&M
team.
Power System Analysis and Studies
Power system studies are essential tools in understanding the expected performance of an electrical
system and determining the severity of a fault or other unexpected event.
The data contained within a power system study can be used to safeguard workers by calculating the
level of personal protective equipment involved and reduce damage to equipment by optimizing the
fault clearing capabilities of protective devices.
Khopower performs analysis to ensure the safety of site personnel and equipment, presented in an
easy-to-understand format.
The following ate the system studies that we perform:
• Load Flow Studies
• Short Circuit Studies
• Coordination Studies
• Stability Studies
• Harmonic Analysis Studies
• Arc Flash Hazard Analysis
