Development of Comprehensive Monitoring and Control System for Power Plants

INTRODUCTION THE bulk of the Japanese market for monitoring and control systems for thermal and hydro power plants involves upgrades to existing equipment. The key requirements for this market are high reliability, the ability to undertake upgrade work quickly, an emphasis on compatibility with existing control equipment, and ease of maintenance. In markets outside Japan, meanwhile, demand for electric power is growing particularly in emerging economies. Furthermore, concern for the global environment is driving demand for high levels of operating efficiency. The key requirements in these markets are reductions in both construction and generation costs, networks that comply with international standards, and ease of maintenance. Hitachi embarked on the development of upgrades to the HiStation maintenance software, control panel design, and the modules that make up the HIACS (Hitachi integrated autonomous control system), an integrated monitoring and control system for power generation. The concept behind the development was to improve installation compatibility (compact and adaptable system), ease of maintenance, compatibility with existing systems, and expandability while maintaining the existing high levels of reliability and performance. “Hi” is an abbreviation for “high security × high reliability × high value added.” This article describes the features of the nextgeneration HIACS that were enhanced in the development. OVERVIEW: Hitachi offers environmentally conscious integrated solutions for generating, transmitting, and consuming electric power based around its HIACS Series, which brings together the company’s extensive experience and skills in control technology. Hitachi has now developed a new generation of integrated monitoring and control systems for power generation that form the core of these solutions. This development included updating the control panel design and the HiStation program maintenance software as well as controllers, I/O, and other modules. These new products retain the high reliability and performance that are a feature of the current HIACS generation and are designed to deliver superior installation compatibility (compact and adaptable system) and easier maintenance and expansion. Compatibility between generations was also considered to provide a system that is easier to use.