ABB and Viola Systems Teamed up to Introduce a New Wireless Solution to Help Power Utilities Save Costs and Improve Distribution Management

Turku and Vaasa, Finland (June 21, 2006) - ABB Distribution Automation introduces a new solution to more efficient distribution management. A GPRS -based Arctic IEC-104 Gateway adds efficiency to fault restoration and maintenance at utilities. The product is jointly specified with Viola Systems, a leader in industrial-grade wireless M2M (Machine-to-Machine) connectivity solutions.

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Koillis-Satakunta Power Utility in Finland needed to remotely control a large number of disconnector stations scattered over a wide and challenging geographical area. The GSM data delivered poor usability with high price tag. "Viola and ABB offered us a total end-to-end solution that is both secure and always-on yet easy to use," says IT Manager Jari Hakala from Koillis-Satakunta Power Utility.

Remote controlled disconnector stations divide the network into smaller, more manageable sections. They disconnect faults, re-route the power supply, and perform scheduled outages controlled by a network control system, i.e. ABB MicroSCADA Pro system. In case of a network failure, the fault is first located by means of the ABB Open++ Opera DMS 600, a high-level distribution management software that runs on top of MicroSCADA-technology.
"Also a section subject to scheduled maintenance and repair can now be separated from the distribution network at minimum effort, thanks to the disconnector stations remotely controlled via the Arctic IEC-104 Gateway," says Aimo Rinta-Opas, Operations Manager of Koillis-Satakunta Power Utility.

The Arctic IEC-104 Gateway is an industrial-grade serial-to-GPRS gateway featuring IEC-101 to IEC-104 protocol conversion, a built-in firewall and VPN technology for secure communication. The Arctic IEC-104 Gateways can be delivered preconfigured to make the installation and deployment a lot easier.

The on-site installation at a disconnector station takes less than 30 minutes. "First, a SIM card is inserted into an appropriate SIM slot, then an external antenna is attached, and finally 12 V power cables are connected. And that's all," explains Hakala. The ABB DTU Control Cubicle holds all the required equipment for retrofitting remote control capability to the installed disconnectors. This includes ABB's REC523 Unit that actually controls and monitors the disconnectors. After the installation has been completed the Arctic IEC-104 Gateway automatically creates a secure VPN tunnel to the Viola M2M Gateway located at the Network Control Center.

The distribution network of Koillis-Satakunta Power Utility covers a large area, over 100 km in diameter, in a hilly terrain with numerous lakes and rivers. Substations, disconnectors and transformers are scattered over the area and are often located in difficult to reach places.

[an error occurred while processing this directive] The related case study including a network diagram and product images are available at http://www.violasystems.com/press.

ABOUT ABB
ABB (www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 105,000 people.

ABOUT VIOLA M2M SOLUTION(TM)
Unlike many competitors who sell boxes, Viola delivers a total secure end-to-end connectivity solution that seamlessly integrates remote devices and sites to centralized management systems such as SCADA or HP OpenView. No changes to existing systems are needed. Viola M2M
Solution(TM) is an install-and-forget-it, hassle-free approach. In addition, Viola M2M Solution(TM) is operator-independent; it allows customers to implement two-way data communications in a similar manner all around the world.

ABOUT VIOLA SYSTEMS
Viola is specialized in advanced, industrial-grade wireless M2M
(machine-to-machine) connectivity solutions that seamlessly link remote devices and sites together. Reliable remote access to device information leads to increased productivity and enables new maintenance business.
Viola's solutions are used in a wide variety of applications from substations and distribution transformers in the electricity networks to base stations in the telecommunications networks to the transfer of video feed from remote surveillance cameras. Viola's solutions are sold through a global network of sales partners. Viola's customers include ABB, RFI - a division of the Italian State Railways, Vattenfall, Freescale Semiconductor, EBV Elektronik, Digita, and the Finnish Road Administration. Viola's headquarters are located in Turku, Finland. For more information, please visit www.violasystems.com.
 

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