INNOVATIVE APPLICATION OF WIRELESS ICT TECHNOLOGIES FOR TACKLING CHALLENGES IN HK ELECTRIC

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1 INNOVATIVE APPLICATION OF WIRELESS ICT TECHNOLOGIES FOR TACKLING CHALLENGES IN HK ELECTRIC Kwok Wai Shun The Hongkong Electric Co., Ltd. Hongkong Electric Centre, 44 Kennedy Road, Hong Kong, Chong Ho Yin The Hongkong Electric Co., Ltd. Hongkong Electric Centre, 44 Kennedy Road, Hong Kong ABSTRACT The integration of wireless Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) as well as the evolution of the Internet of Things (IoT) Technologies have provided the whole world a new way of living and promoted a completely new concept, that is Smart City. This paper summarizes how we use wireless ICT technologies for supporting our safe, reliable, environmental-friendly and cost-effective electricity supply in The Hongkong Electric Company Limited (HK Electric), as well as how we contribute to the sustainable development of a smart city by using such technologies. Keywords: SCADA, PROTECTION, RELIABILITY, WIRELESS, MICROWAVE, WI-FI, TETRA, ICT 1. INTRODUCTION We are now in an era of global communication technology advancement. The integration of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) as well as the evolution of the Internet of Things (IoT) technology have provided us a new way of living now and created a new concept of living, the Smart City. According to IEEE[1], a smart city brings together technology, government and society to enable a smart economy, mobility, environment people, living, and governance. A city, in order to become Smart, should include smart buildings, living, transportation, energy, communication, networks, a self-aware digital hub, and environmental awareness. To this end, the above elements should react to the changing environment and this requires a mass deployment of electronic devices, software, sensors and network connection. All these ICT and IoT equipment may be affected by electricity supply interruption and voltage dip. Thus, a reliable and safe power supply with high quality is the cornerstone of the above pillars of a smart city. Besides, the power supply has to be environmentalfriendly and cost-effective to facilitate the sustainable development of a smart city. In HK Electric, one of the solutions to provide a reliable, safe, environmental-friendly and cost-effective supply lies in the leverage of advanced technologies such as wireless technologies. Page 1 of 9

2 2. WIRELESS INFORMAION AND COMMUNICATION TECNOLOGIES ADOPTED IN HK ELECTRIC HK Electric has adopted a wide spectrum of wireless ICT technologies in the power system operations and customer services and achieved world-class electricity supply reliability of better than % for 19 consecutive years since 1997 as well as excellent customer services. The variety of the technologies adopted has also contributed to the safe, environmental-friendly and cost-effective operation of the power system. In the following parts, we will illustrate on how these technologies are used to achieve a safe, reliable, environmental-friendly and cost-effective electricity supply in HK Electric. Microwave Radio, Maritime Radio TETRA Radio Wi-Fi / 3G Challenges RF Mesh Citizen Band RFID Figure 1. The Six Wireless Technologies Adopted By HK Electric 2.1 Microwave Radio and Maritime Radio Systems Power system monitoring, control and protection systems using microwave In a power grid, Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) and power system protection systems are of paramount importance to the electricity supply reliability. On one hand, the SCADA system remotely monitors and controls the whole power grid. On the other hand, power system protection system keeps the power system stable by isolating only the faulty components in the grid. To support these mission-critical systems and ensure these mission-critical services are always available, the highest availability of communication channel is therefore required. An actual example on how HK Electric used the diversified links for one of our power circuits will be illustrated below. Signals of the power system protection and SCADA systems are carried by different communication systems. For example, for the communication links between the Lamma Power Station and Hong Kong Island, Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) optical communication system and a combination of pilot cable network and microwave radio system are used to provide a protection for the protection signaling and RTU channels. Under normal operations, the microwave radio system serves as a backup path for these mission-critical communication services. In case the optical communication system fails or the submarine communication cables are damaged, it will take up the key role in maintaining the communication of these mission-critical services. Page 2 of 9

3 Since the performance of microwave radio link is susceptible to adverse weather, the microwave radio system was carefully designed which incorporated some unique installation and diversity arrangement to provide the highest service availability. As shown in Figure 2 below, instead of using the Horizontal-polarization plane and Vertical-polarization plane for doubling the transmission capacity of the microwave radio link, the two polarization planes are deployed for diversity, i.e. one plane is carrying the working signal and the other the backup signal. With the careful design and proper maintenance of the antenna and waveguide systems, the polarization-diversified microwave radio system has not encountered any cross-polarization interference that affected the performance of the microwave radio system under heavy rainstorm. Figure 2. EM Wave Propagation Model [2] In addition, since HK is located in the typhoon region and super typhoon of speed exceeding 185km/h may visit HK in summer as well as frequent strikes by heavy rain and thunderstorms, the outdoor facility of the microwave radio system, i.e. microwave radio antenna, was designed to locate indoor at most of the microwave radio stations. With these unique and special installation and diversity arrangement, the microwave radio system delivers exceptional performance under adverse weather since commissioning Gas Pipe/Cable Damage Prevention Using Automatic Identification System (AIS) The Port of Hong Kong is one of the busiest container ports in the world. In terms of vessel arrivals and departures, and cargo and passenger throughput, it is also one of the major ports of the world. As such, vessels may anchor in the harbor from time to time and poses a serious threat to our critical assets, the submarine Transmission cables and natural gas pipes. In HK Electric, electricity is generated at the Lamma Power Station on the Lamma Island and transmitted to the load centres of Hong Kong Island via the submarine transmission cables between the two Islands. Submarine natural gas Page 3 of 9

4 pipes connecting between Lamma Power Station and the gas terminal in Shenzhen are used to supply the two gasfired combined-cycled generators. All these under-the-seabed critical assets are difficult to be seen and monitored, but extra care is needed to prevent damages by external parties. To proactively detect the possible anchorage of vessel in the reserve zones of the submarine cables and gas pipes, a maritime surveillance system called the Automatic Identification System (AIS) is deployed. The original purpose of the AIS is solely for collision avoidance. Since the AIS enables the users to identify specific vessels and their activity within or near a region/zone, this capability leveraged to report the potential anchor of vessels in the reserve zones of the submarine transmission cables and natural gas pipes and alert the duty engineers to take precautionary measures to avoid damage to these critical facilities. 2.2 TETRA Digital Trunked Radio System TErrestrial Trunked RAdio (TETRA) system is a digital trunked mobile radio standard developed by ETSI to meet the needs of traditional Professional Mobile Radio user organizations [3]. TETRA radio system has been in service since the year The TETRA system provides highly reliable and robust voice communication for operational activities. The system provides over 95% outdoor coverage for Hong Kong and Lamma Islands and covers 100% of the strategic operational areas including the Lamma Power Station and selected primary substations. During the special dates and occasions such as New Year Count Down where electric supply is critical for public safety, even though the public telecom networks are heavily loaded in this festive occasion, the TETRA system always promises to provide uninterrupted voice communication for field engineers to monitor and manage the power system. Besides the normal voice services, the TETRA system is also used in other areas, such as enhancing the safe and green operations Application of TETRA system on Safe Operations Safety for lone worker at remote site using TETRA system The data capability of the TETRA system is utilized to implement an in-house designed system called Automobile Personnel Location System (AutoPLOTS) for personnel location and fleet management. The AutoPLOTS collects the GPS information of the TETRA radios and displays it on a map. Panic button of the TETRA radio can be pressed in case the field staff, especially a lone worker, finds himself at risk and an emergency alert will be sent to the radio console located at the 24-hour manned System Control Centre. The System Control engineer can then identify and locate the worker and dispatch support to him immediately. Safety for operation in gas-fired generation plant using intrinsically-safe TETRA radio Man-down feature of the explosion-proof TETRA radio is enabled for enhancing the safety of the workforce at the gas-fired generation plant. If, unfortunately, a worker loses consciousness and falls down, the TETRA radio will transmit an emergency alert automatically to the 24-hour manned Central Control Room of the Power Station for taking immediate rescue action if necessary. Automatic broadcast of safe driving tips using TETRA system To make the best use of the voice broadcast feature of the TETRA radio system, an automatic safe driving tip broadcasting system is connected to the TETRA radio system for periodic broadcasting of safe driving tips to drivers Page 4 of 9

5 of the operational car fleet to heighten their safe driving awareness. The message will be updated from time to time to keep the information up-to-date Application of TETRA system on Green Operations Green driving and effective fleet management by smart use of TETRA system As a green initiative, the AutoPLOTS is utilized to monitor the car engine idling of the operational car fleet. In the AutoPLOTS, algorithm was specially designed to detect car engine idling by analyzing the time vs GPS location information of the vehicles. In addition, the AutoPLOTS also provides a platform for fleet management where the System Control engineer or dispatcher can mobilize the closest team to the scene requiring support, reduce unnecessary trip and eventually reduce the use of petroleum as a green initiative. Figure 3. In-House Designed AutoPLOTS 2.3 Broadband Data Wi-Fi and 3G Applications Smart Power Station with Outdoor Wi-Fi Wireless technology is well known as a cost-effective and quick-to-market communication solution and is one of the enabling technologies for enhancing productivity. An outdoor Wi-Fi system is built for the Lamma Power Station to provide connectivity for operational activities and IoT devices. IoT devices such as Wi-Fi High Definition cameras have been connected to this outdoor Wi-Fi System Smart Warehouse Management System using Wi-Fi Wi-Fi is also widely used in the warehouse for enabling the effective operations. This localized Wi-Fi system is planning to provide Wi-Fi coverage for the warehouse and provides connectivity between the Warehouse Management System and the mobile devices of the warehouse staff for real-time inventory management, report Page 5 of 9

6 management, location management and stock-taking. It will enable the modernization of the warehouse operation and significantly improve the productivity of the warehouse operations Supporting the development of Electric Vehicle (EV) in HK using 3G HK Electric plays an active role in promoting EV in Hong Kong [4]. Numbers of quick charging stations were setup so as to facilitate the growth of EVs. Data, such as electricity consumption and charging duration, is collected at the station and transmitted through 3G networks to the backend server for analysis. Results obtained are used for future planning as reference Effective communication for Electricity Supply & Meter Management System using 3G In order to satisfy the ever increasing customer expectations, the public mobile phone networks are used to provide connectivity to our site staff. The Electricity Supply & Meter Management (ESMM) system, which was developed in 2015 to replace the legacy system for managing the customer installation jobs, provides a platform for electronic job management, such as appointment confirmation and on-line job completion with inspection results. 2.4 Other Radio Frequency (RF) Applications Besides the above-mentioned technologies, other RF applications have been adopted to support a safe, reliable, environmental-friendly and cost-effective electricity supply Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Other than submarine power transmission cables and natural gas pipes, high voltage / low voltage power cables are another critical infrastructure of HK Electric. Due to the scarcity of land and high density of buildings on Hong Kong Island, power cables are usually buried underground. Although cable locators are already used for detection of the buried power cables, the location of the pot-ends cannot be precisely pin-pointed by such type of locators. To respond to this challenge, RFID identification balls are installed at the pot-ends during the construction and cable laying stage. RFID used electromagnetic fields to automatically identify and track tags attached to objects. An active cable locator transmits a signal to the buried RFID identification ball and the ball returns the signal to the locator, indicating the exact position of the cable. Power cables, which are buried under a depth of 1.5m from the ground level, could be successfully identified by this technology. With this application, the efficiency and accuracy in the identification process of targeted cable is significantly increased Safety for meter reader using RF walk-by meter reading equipment Some electricity meters are installed at high level or at some inconvenient positions, such as heavy traffic area and rural area, due to geographical constraint. Working at such locations may pose threat to the operational employees. In view of the rise, the Walk-by Meter Reading application is in place for taking meter reading over the air at radio frequency of 409MHz. Whenever the operational employees walk near to the electricity meter, the reading will be automatically recorded by the mobile devices. With the help of the system, accident due to work at height for those electricity meters installed at high level or concealed in an enclosure and dog bites incidents for those meters in rural areas have been greatly reduced. Page 6 of 9

7 2.4.3 Smart Metering Infrastructure Using RF Mesh Smart metering infrastructure, which combines interval data measurement with continuously available remote communications, provides utility companies with real-time data about power consumption and allows customers to understand their pattern of energy usage and other useful information. HK Electric started the site trial of various last mile communication technologies for smart metering infrastructure since Among those wired and wireless technologies, RF mesh network at 920MHz-925MHz ISM band was proved to be the most promising and effective communication technology for smart metering infrastructure. Access Point Figure 4. RF Mesh Communication Topology For Smart Metering Infrastructure RF mesh, as the name states, is a communications network made up of radio nodes organized in a mesh topology. Each radio node plays a repeater role in relaying and extending the radio signal to the next hop. The technology provides a dynamic multi-path communication infrastructure which is self-forming and self-healing. Additional smart meters introduced to the network will further enhance the strength and coverage of itself and provide further resiliency for the network. 3. HARNESSING THE POWER OF IoT The convergence of ICT technologies and operational technologies in the global utility industry will continue and in a faster tempo. More and more IoT devices, such as Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs) and monitoring sensors, will be deployed for the collection of operational data so as to harness the benefit of IoT, and at the same time, speed up the progress of forming a smart city. Hong Kong, well-known as a congested metropolitan, is walking towards to become a smart city. To achieve this, connectivity should be ready to cater for the huge amount of connection between IoT devices. Hard-wire could be a solution, however, there are lots of hurdles, like long approval process of cable laying, high installation cost, prone Page 7 of 9

8 to damage by external parties, rigid installation and difficult for modification/ reconfiguration in laying cables/wires etc., which appear to hinder the happening of a smart city. In view of the circumstances, wireless technology for IoT devices will be a solution to the above constraints. HK Electric, as a smart electric utility who fully supports the development of Hong Kong as a smart city, will enhance the mobility and connectivity of operations and services by capitalizing the benefits of wireless IoT. Data collected will be analyzed and stored to an integrated enterprise asset management system to support the operations, which could be used to secure the safe, reliable, environmental-friendly and cost-effective electricity supply of HK Electric, and contribute to the sustainable development of Hong Kong as a smart city. 4. CONCLUSIONS More and more electronic devices, software, sensors and network connections will be deployed in Hong Kong in the journey to Smart City. The reliability and quality of electricity supply for supporting these devices/ sensors are therefore crucial to the success of this. Innovative applications of numerous wireless ICT technologies in HK Electric have enabled HK Electric to accomplish a safe, reliable, environmental-friendly and cost-effective electricity supply. HK Electric shall continue to develop and apply innovative technologies to harness the power of IoT and contribute to the sustainable development of Hong Kong as a smart city. 5. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The authors would like to express their sincere thanks to the Senior Management of The Hongkong Electric Co., Ltd. for the permission to publish this paper. 6. REFERENCE [1] IEEE Smart Cities (2016). Web site: [2] CIRCUIT DESIGN INC. (2016). Web site: [3] ETSI TETRA (2016). Web Site: [4] Electric Vehicles - HK Electric (2016). Web Site: 7. BIOGRAPHY Mr. Kwok received his Bachelor s degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Hong Kong in 1992 and the Master of Business Administration degree from the Chinese University of Hong Kong in He is now the Chief Technical Services Engineer in The Hongkong Electric Co., Ltd., whose part of his responsibilities include the development of communication systems including optical fibre communication system, microwave radio communication system, IP-based data communication network, trunked mobile radio system, Page 8 of 9

9 optical cable network and other general electronic systems such as video surveillance system. He is a member of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers and member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology. Mr. Chong received his Bachelor s degrees in Electronic and Information Engineering and Business Administration (Management), and Master of Science degree from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2011 and 2014 respectively. He joined The Hongkong Electric Co., Ltd. in 2011 as a graduate trainee after his graduation and is now the engineer responsible for the design, installation, operation, administration and maintenance of optical fibre communication system, microwave radio communication system and IP-based data communication network. Page 9 of 9