OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE
PRECISE TIMEKEEPING
Here we explore how precise timekeeping can help utility substations to improve fault location, and event reconstruction in their grids
Orion is a communication and automation processor that can connect to most substations
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recise timekeeping is fundamental to the function of the power grid and is used in many applications
to improve reliability, reduce costs, predict and prevent faults, and check the operation of devices. As such, utilities are continuously
seeking ever greater precision. Luckily, advancements in satellite clock design and programming can help provide this. Currently, the accuracy is pushing towards a margin of plus or minus 20 nanoseconds.
HIGHLY ACCURATE SATELLITE CLOCKS Satellite clocks work by connecting with orbiting satellites that maintain precise time using highly accurate atomic clocks. At the substation, the satellite clock receives time from the satellites in orbit. Utilising advanced algorithms, it then accounts for external factors to provide an accurate time. To improve the speed of connection
and accuracy, some clocks provide multi-constellation support, which provides the ability to lock into any available satellites orbiting the planet. The satellites include GPS, maintained by the US but used globally by the European Union’s global navigation satellite system GALILEO; China’s BEIDOU satellite navigation system; and Russia’s GLONASS global navigation satellite system.
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Companies like NovaTech continue
to invest in research and development to achieve even incremental improvements in clock accuracy in the sub-millisecond range. The company’s flagship product,
Orion, is a communication and automation processor that can connect to nearly any substation device in its native protocol, perform advanced math and logic, and securely present the source or calculated data to any number of clients in their own protocol. “While any satellite clock can
access satellites as a time source, the hardware and software within the satellite clock can make it more precise and accurate,” says Nathan Irvin, product manager of networking products at NovaTech Automation. The latest release is the Kronos Series 3. This satellite clock provides
multi-constellation support and includes several upgraded features including antenna-cable delay compensation. The Series 3 offers increased output
flexibility for syncing devices with their optimal mechanisms, it also supports both traditional legacy formats and the latest technologies, such as Ethernet over fiber. In addition, the product supports
PTP, NTP, and SNTP. Common legacy formats also supported include modulated and unmodulated IRIG-B over twisted pair, coax, or fiber; and PPS or PPM signals as well as Parallel Redundancy Protocol (PRP) and the High-availability Seamless Redundancy (HSR) within an ethernet network. The net results of these upgrades
are more precise time with sub- millisecond accuracy.
The Series 3 offers
increased output flexibility for syncing devices with their optimal mechanisms
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