Protection Control
& Automation

In our increasingly interconnected world, the security of critical infrastructure data has become a growing concern for the power systems industry. The NERC CIP standards are a set of compliance requirements covering the security of assets involved with operating the bulk electric system. Quanta Technology offers automated solutions to quickly analyze large volumes of CIP information and determine compliance with compliance requirements, including reviews of protection communications settings and adherence to setting update processes. Our experts provide a unique combination of power systems experience, compliance knowledge, and software development expertise to assist Protection and Control engineers in developing and utilizing the tools and methodologies necessary to evaluate and meet their NERC CIP compliance requirements.

Although microprocessor-based protective relays are commonly deployed at modern substations, the monitoring and communications capabilities of these devices have typically remained untapped for analysis. Quanta Technology’s experts are at the forefront of the power systems industry on the practical utilization of this field data, offering software-assisted automation capabilities to combine IED information and power systems models to provide engineers with more reliable and up-to-date grid analytics than possible with traditional studies alone. We have worked closely with utilities to leverage these capabilities for advanced fault location analysis, identification of field issues, event reporting, monitoring of instrument transformers, and other applications to improve engineering, operations, and maintenance efficiency.

Quanta Technology has developed a proprietary software platform, The CORE™ System Analyzer, that can significantly reduce costs and improve the quality and efficiency of protection studies for sensitivity, coordination, wide-area coordination, and regulatory compliance through automation. The CORE™ System Analyzer utilizes raw data from standard software packages such as CAPE and ASPEN, providing a customizable report that summarizes the issues. Quanta Technology conducts studies on behalf of utilities as a service, and we also license the tool to our client partners.

Quanta Technology conducts compliance studies for NERC Protection Reliability Standards (such as CIP-10, PRC-023, and PRC-027), covering a full range of offerings to assist utilities in meeting PRC requirements from start to finish, for any size transmission network. For larger projects, our suite of automation-based solutions interface seamlessly with other protection software such as CAPE and ASPEN, including Primary and Protection Model Setup and Validation. Our software tools may be applied as a complete integrated process or used in part to support existing compliance programs.

Emerging technologies can offer an impressive level of control and monitoring detail on the performance and operating characteristic of a power system. Although this represents a significant opportunity for advanced system operation functions, the volume of potential data can pose challenges in its utilization and management. Quanta Technology’s industry and technical experts can assist with these efforts, providing practical expertise on the optimal way to utilize and manage the data to achieve customer goals. Our unique approach, combining technical expertise with process and software tool development capabilities offer our customers a complete solution to data management and utilization.

Distributed Energy Resources (DER) have proliferated in recent years, and the collective impacts of high levels of DER are known for a profound effect on system protection. Quanta Technology performs studies to assess the impact on system protection as short-circuit levels vary under different scenarios of DER penetration and production levels.

Quanta Technology’s industry-recognized experts can assist utilities in reviewing protection system misoperations. Utilizing relay and SCADA fault and sequence of event information, Quanta Technology can develop comprehensive summaries and develop recommendations for future mitigation of events.

Quanta Technology has -industry-recognized experts working with utilities to revise their protection-related processes. Examples include: review or consolidation of protection philosophy, creation of templates, automation of tasks using CAPE macros or ASPEN scripts, and definition of new processes such as PRC-027 compliance.

Quanta Technology has completed numerous projects with utilities involving the practical application of Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs) to solve critical issues. Examples include large-scale synchrophasor system deployments, advanced R&D projects, roadmap development, development of remedial action schemes (RAS), and specialized applications for transmission and distribution such as detection of downed conductors, PMU engineering applications, and other topics. Quanta Technology can assist in all aspects of the project, including System Design and Technical Specification, Deployment Planning, Procurement Support, Implementation Support, and System Expansion Support. Quanta Technology can use an RTDS for architecture and scheme validation using system simulations.

Quanta Technology performs studies to review relay coordination across the entire transmission grid or a selected region or voltage level with testing for sensitivity analysis, evaluation of protection performance under numerous fault cases and contingencies, and generation of actionable reports for utility engineers to rank issues found based risk levels. Quanta Technology’s engineering summary greatly facilitates the ease of quickly identifying the most critical issues.