AC Power Monitoring Application Brief APPLICATION NOTE Managing and monitoring AC power usage at remote sites (cell sites, communication huts, controlled environment vaults {CEVs}, substations, cabinets, etc.) is becoming increasingly important. Service providers around the world want to understand if power companies are delivering reliable power and if the consumption they are being billed for is accurate. For instance, most hard-to-reach sites will not have actual meter readings taken on a monthly basis; the electric utility company will estimate consumption rates that may easily result in overcharging until an actual meter reading can be obtained, which could be several months away. It is important to monitor AC power for several reasons: Power-related problems or degradations can adversely impact the infrastructure and the ability to supply service Provides a real-time view of incoming power consumption and the total distribution throughout each site when monitoring multiple points within a distribution panel Can identify trends in the quality of AC power being delivered to each site powered equipment leading to a reduction of energy costs and help establish an equipment baseline for future deployments. The AC power monitoring application contains a set of network elements (NEs), dashboards, alarms, measurements, reports, and controls within the Kentrox Remote suite of products. These are managed by the Kentrox Optima Management System to provide accurate and current information. Solution design Figure 1 shows a power management solution design example including the Kentrox AC power monitoring application. In this example, the Kentrox solution is monitoring AC power, generator health, and the state of the ATS. AC power monitoring Kentrox uses the Optima Management System, Remote suite of products, and an external AC power monitoring device to obtain detailed information of AC power quality, availability, and consumption. Live View, a unique feature within Optima, is a specialized screen that provides a near real-time view of an entire site, including AC power. The Site Power section of Live View (see Figure 2) displays the health and status of overall power being provided at a site. If a power system (such as commercial, generator, or battery power) is not operating appropriately, the Health indicator will be the first indication that a problem exists. This section also identifies how power is currently being delivered to the site (commercial in this example) and the position of the ATS (commercial). Figure 1: power management solution example The AC power monitoring application, part of the Kentrox power management solution, constantly monitors AC power. Several monitoring designs can target commercial power, generator power, or power being measured at the automatic transfer switch (ATS). The intent of each design is to detect AC power faults that could lead to equipment damage, failure, or malfunctions. The application can be used to optimize AC The Commercial Power section of the Live View screen displays the health of commercial power at a site and monitors the incoming phase(s). Additional power meters can be added to the solution to monitor the power consumption and health of other AC power feeds as noted in the Tenant AC section of Live View. The detailed kwh information is derived from a smart power meter that is integrated into the AC power monitoring application. www.kentrox.com A Division of Westell
APPLICATION BRIEF Figure 2: Live View screen displaying power status and other site information The Remote suite of products (RMX-3200 or RMM-1400) monitors detailed power levels being delivered to avoid the potential for brown-outs, helps balance loads with individual phase voltage/current measurements, and monitors kwh consumption levels. Data is collected as a series of measurements and thresholds on relevant key performance indicators (KPIs) for autonomous alarm reporting (Figure 3). Figure 3: Optima AC power monitoring report The AC power monitoring application can identify when site equipment may not be operating efficiently. For example, an unbalanced load may cause a multi-phased system to operate inefficiently, leading to higher power consumption. In other cases, accurate measurements of power usage at a remote site will help identify cases where generators, batteries, or other components may be under or oversized. This data can then be used to select new equipment to more closely match the individual site power requirements or prompt operations teams to deploy technicians to rebalance site loads. The AC power monitoring application provides accurate and detailed power monitoring for both AC and DC power generation systems. The Remote suite of products collects the detailed power information from each power meter deployed at a remote site and sends the consumption data to Optima for storage and retrieval. Authorized Optima users can generate a power report (see Table 1) to provide the power consumption details for every site in the customer s network. Optima offers automated report generation that automatically triggers the creation of a specific report at a specified time/date and can email it to the responsible operations technician so the information is readily available when needed. Whether a remote site is on-grid or off-grid, it is essential to see the AC power performance statistics related to that site. This information is critical when sites are located in difficult to access locations (like on top of a mountain) or long distances from manned locations. The AC power monitoring application utilizes smart power meter integration that can either monitor existing power meters having IP, RS232, or RS485 interfaces or the Kentrox power metering solution. All data gathered will be collected within Optima and captured for appropriate alarming information and trending analysis. The Remote suite of products can act as a hybrid power manager, switching to batteries, generator, or other hybrid power sources based on time of day or specific power profiles to help the service provider or tower operator reduce related power expenses. Metering AC power sources at the site will give providers detailed consumption information on when and how much power each monitored device is using to identify potential cost savings. Kentrox also measures onsite power generation to determine the amount of power that may need to be purchased or that can be sold as revenue. By integrating detailed AC power monitoring capabilities with the comprehensive intelligent site management solution from Kentrox, service providers and tower operators can ensure that remote sites are operating properly and efficiently and suppliers are providing what is expected.
Reports, alarms, and measurements The Kentrox AC power monitoring application provides standard reports, alarms, and measurements. The near realtime and historical information available can help service providers and operators identify the quality of the power supply. Standard reports The following reports are available for the AC power monitoring application and can be customized to fit specific customer deployments: AC energy consumption AC line current AC line frequency AC phase voltage Alarms available ATS alarms Transfer switch on commercial power Transfer switch on generator Transfer switch is offline/open Power detection alarms Power failure detected Power health L1 power failure L2 power failure L3 power failure Power is available Power is partially available Power is unavailable Power meter alarms Problem communicating with meter Important note: the alarms are dependent on the power meter installed. Contact Kentrox for a complete list of available alarms for a particular meter model. Measurements available Power detection measurements Failure count Failure duration (hours) Failure duration (minutes) Failure duration (seconds) Phase power meter measurements Communication alarm count Communication alarm duration (minutes) Communication alarm duration (seconds) Average frequency Interval import energy Phase A import energy Phase B import energy SITE ID NETWORK ELEMENT IMPORT GENERATOR ENERGY (kwh) BILLABLE: IMPORT MAINS ENERGY (kwh) TOTAL IMPORT ENERGY MAX (kwh) TOTAL IMPORT ENERGY MIN (kwh) 351 Golf club cust1energy 0 1080.00 4574.30 3494.30 351 Golf club cust1power 4574.30 3494.30 351 Golf club cust2energy 0 2468.90 9826.80 7357.90 351 Golf club cust2power 9826.80 7357.90 351 Golf club cust3energy 0 2417.20 10830 8310 351 Golf club cust3power 10830 8310 351 Golf club mainspower 25513.60* 19379.40* 353 CAM station cust1energy 0 1901.30 8661.50 6757.40 353 CAM station cust1power 8661.50 6757.40 353 CAM station cust2energy 0.10 1969.10 9163.90 7191.40 353 CAM station cust2power 9163.90 7191.40 353 CAM station mainspower 17935.20* 14077.60* Table 1: sample billable power report * Additional owner equipment is using power from the AC mains.
APPLICATION BRIEF Phase C import energy Line 1-2 voltage Line 1-3 voltage Line 1-neutral voltage Line 1 current Line 2-3 voltage Line 2-neutral voltage Line 2 current Line 3-neutral voltage Line 3 current Power factor phase A Power factor phase B Power factor phase C Power factor system Total import energy Phase A total import energy Phase B total import energy Phase C total import energy Total real power Important note: the measurements are dependent on the power meter installed. Contact Kentrox for a complete list of available measurements for a particular meter model. The measurements can be collected, graphed, and analyzed within Optima. For example, actual kwh usage can be graphed over a given time period, such as a 30 day billing cycle, in an automated report (see Table 2) and then sent to the relevant personnel for analysis. This detailed data may be used for a side-by-side comparison with utility billing statements to ensure local power utilities are actually delivering the amount of power that is being billed. This is also valuable data if power is more expensive based on time of day, load characteristics, or both. AC power monitoring examples The Kentrox AC power monitoring application provides many benefits for improved network availability and energy cost savings. Below are some examples of operational level AC power issues captured by Optima and observed via the Live View screen. The following examples assume a 3-phase deployment; therefore all three (3) phases must fail before reporting an AC power failure. Example 1: single phase failure Live View in Figure 4 demonstrates a site with a single phase outage ( Phase 1 is indicating a major {orange} alarm state). Commercial power is still available (green) and operating on the remaining two phases. The Health status is indicating a major alarm (orange). This is a summary alarm and identifies that a fault has been detected within the AC power system. In this example, it references the Phase 1 outage. Note: this example requires a smart meter. Figure 4: Live View indicating a single phase (Phase 1) failure Example 2: complete commercial power outage Live View in Figure 5 demonstrates a complete AC commercial power outage. All three (3) phases are in major alarm (orange), the Health indicator is in major alarm (orange), and the Available indicator is in critical alarm (red). The Health indicator is orange in this scenario due to all three (3) phases experiencing an outage. When the Available indicator is in alarm (red), commercial power at that site has been lost. Note: this example requires a smart meter. Example 3: commercial power failure and Figure 5: Live View displaying a complete commercial power outage generator is running Live View in Figure 6 demonstrates site power being available and the load is operating on generator power (see Power Source and Transfer Switch status). Site Power health is in major alarm (orange) because commercial power is unavailable. The Available indicator is normal (green) because the generator is carrying the AC load. The Commercial Power Available indicator is critical (red) because all three (3) commercial AC phases have failed. The generator is operating normally as shown in the generator section. This example is common when there are downed power lines, a power distribution failure, or rolling blackouts. Note: in this example, there is no smart power meter connected on the generator output.
Table 2: automated billing cycle report Example 4: power failure and site is offline Live View in Figure 7 demonstrates site power being unavailable due to a commercial power failure. The transfer switch has moved to the generator mode, however the generator failed to start and is currently not running. A generator that has failed to start could be due to an overload condition, a power surge, poor generator maintenance (dead battery), and/or very low fuel. Refer to the Kentrox generator management application brief for additional information on how Live View can assist in identifying generator start failures. Generator health has a major alarm (orange) due to the generator failing to start. An operations technician can use the Optima dashboard feature (Figure 8) to carefully check the associated generator sub-systems, start battery, fuel level, and overall site loads to identify root cause prior to dispatching maintenance personnel.
APPLICATION BRIEF Meters supported The Kentrox AC power monitoring application is currently available for the following smart power meters: Elkor WattsOn (120/240VAC single and 3-phase) Forlong 301C-II (120/240VAC single and 3-phase) Virtual (when paired with a supported intelligent generator controller) Important note: please contact Kentrox if interested in deploying an AC smart power meter not included on this list. Figure 6: Live View power outage overview Example 5: commercial power returned; generator running unnecessarily The Live View display in Figure 9 demonstrates site power is available, and the load is being carried by the generator. The generator is operating and indicating healthy (green). Commercial power is also healthy and available (green). This scenario indicates an ATS failure (site power health is orange) due to the transfer switch remaining in the generator position, ultimately over-utilizing the generator and consuming additional fuel. Example 6: commercial power returned; generator failed to stop Live View in Figure 10 demonstrates site power is available and being supplied by commercial power. The generator continues to operate (orange) and is unhealthy because the generator should be idle. Possible causes include the generator being operated manually by maintenance personnel or the transfer switch has malfunctioned. Figure 8: technician dashboard in Optima indicating overall power health and key performance indicators The benefits of AC power monitoring The Kentrox AC power monitoring application allows users to access and analyze trends in power quality, power consumption per billing period, real-time power-related events, and data such as phase voltage, phase current, and frequency. This data can be analyzed to help reduce energy consumption across a network. Analyzing the data can improve the efficiency of site equipment and ultimately reduce capital expenses and operating costs over time. Power trends can be used to optimize power-related equipment and lead to reduced energy expenses. Additionally, the information can be analyzed to establish an equipment baseline for future deployments to ensure the correct size equipment is used to maximize efficiency. For example, an unbalanced Figure 7: Live View power outage overview
load may cause a multi-phased system to operate inefficiently, leading to higher power consumption resulting in an increased electric bill. In other cases, accurate measurements of power usage at the site will help identify cases where generators, batteries, or other components may be under or oversized for a given site design. This data can then be used to streamline operations by selecting new equipment to more closely match the site power requirements. Figure 9: Live View scenario displaying generator over-usage Figure 10: Live View scenario indicating generator has failed to stop running Power management solution The Kentrox power management solution provides monitoring, management, and control of several power sources including generators, commercial, battery, and hybrid power alternatives. The applications included in the power management solution work together, providing intelligent information to a service provider or tower operator. For example, the information obtained from the battery, rectifier, and DC power monitoring applications can result in a comprehensive understanding of a battery s capacity to extend the useful life of the capital investment. The fuel monitoring and generator management applications combine to provide the information required to identify the generator runtime available, facilitate timely refills, and eliminate unnecessary site visits. This reduces operating costs and improves network availability, especially during emergency situations. In addition to power-related applications, Kentrox also provides comprehensive intelligent site management including security management, environmental management including HVACs, and communications management for microwave and distributed antenna systems (DAS). Figure 11: sample of details for a power outage using Optima s event view For more information, visit www.kentrox.com, email info@kentrox.com or call 800 733 5511 or +1 614 798 2000. 04-00-003 07/13 Copyright 2013 by Kentrox, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Kentrox and Optima Management System are registered trademarks of Kentrox, Inc., a division of Westell. All other names are trademarks of their respective owners. Information is correct at time of printing and is subject to change without notice. Kentrox is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. A Division of Westell