Case Study
AMP-Ohio: Utility/SCADA Applications
For a utility company, a satellite upgrade to its aging leased phone lines provided a more reliable, cost-effective and efficient network to support its SCADA infrastructure.
Requirement
AMP-Ohio, a non-profit association representing member municipal electric communities, needed to replace its aging Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) infrastructure. Their leased phone lines, used as a means of communicating with substations, were unreliable, expensive and moving toward obsolescence. These “landlines” had a seven-percent outage rate, which meant their technical staff was called out frequently to resolve problems related to poor telephone service.
Solution
Spacenet provided a smart-meter VSAT upgrade that included connectivity to 117 transmission substations and generation locations, replacing the aging leased phone lines. AMP-Ohio’s SCADA Upgrade Task Force evaluated several connectivity options, including Frame Relay, radio, and high-speed satellite, known as VSAT. Radio did not meet their performance requirements and Frame Relay was determined to be too expensive and would likely result in many of the same reliability issues as leased lines. AMP-Ohio’s search for a highly reliable and economical solution led them to Spacenet’s VSAT solution.
Success
The VSAT upgrade has resulted in faster data transmission, increased uptime and quick VSAT installation, which leads to increased revenue and customer satisfaction. Other benefits include:
- Faster data transmission – up to eight times faster – from the substation to the Energy Control Center (ECC)
- Data is provided every 15 seconds instead of every five minutes, enabling more accurate planning of power requirements
- Uptime increased from 93 percent with the leased-line network to 99.99 percent
- Installation of a VSAT data-point requires only two weeks, compared with two months for a landline, which saves time and aggravation in the deployment process
- Superintendents for the member communities are able to track the load better and forecast their need more precisely, which leads to lower costs
- The collection of real-time meter data with the VSAT network enables it to bill and receive payment from their members in a more efficient manner, reducing interest costs
Case Study
Oil Refinery: Industry Grade Stand-by Communications
For a large gas and oil company, a satellite network provided a long-term continuity of communications solution that integrated with their standard wireline network.
Requirement
A large gas and oil company needed to quickly restore communications to one of their gulf coast refineries after Hurricane Katrina. With power and telecom services in the region down for weeks, it needed a longer term continuity of communications solution that would integrate with their standard terrestrial lines. The ultimate objective was to ensure employee and local resident safety near the refinery by maintaining communications with local authorities and corporate headquarters.
Solution
To meet the requirement, Spacenet developed a custom hybrid network utilizing the Cisco VSAT Network Module. Spacenet offers the industry’s only Cisco® certified and integrated satellite networking solution, the Cisco VSAT Network Module, enabling seamless integration into select models of Cisco’s ISR and Access routers. The Cisco router was preconfigured for automatic fail-over to their satellite link in the event of a wireline outage.
Success
The seamless custom network enables the customer to switch from grid communications to an independent satellite link in 3 minutes. In addition, the solution supports all of the customer’s voice, video, and data applications.
