96. Measures for Operational Improvement at the Itaipu Binacional Power Plant Lefevre Marcos A.P., Villasanti Armindo A., Camargo L. J. Ricardo, Torino Celso V. (Proceedings, Hydro 2003, Vol. I, Croatia, pp. 243–250). Abstract This article will present three actions that have recently been accomplished with this objective: (1) Development of a Power Operation Contingency Plan; (2) Restructuring the Operational Inspections; (3) Improvements to SCADA Software. With reference to the Power Operation Contingency Plan, the article will describe what kind of operational contingencies were contemplated in the plan, how the studies were developed and what kind of products they generated. Regarding the restructuring of the operational inspections, a description is given of the reasons leading to this study, how it was developed and the obtained results. Finally, on the improvements to SCADA software, the article presents what has actually been accomplished and some ideas for further development. Some hydroelectric power plants, due to their size or responsibility, justify the adoption of additional measures with a view to increasing their reliability. In the case of ITAIPU Binacional, apart from its magnitude, its enormous responsibility for the attention of the Brazilian and Paraguayan markets, led to the adoption of a series of these measures. The experience with the identification and analysis of the contingencies to which it is subject has proven to be extremely productive. “Structural” measures were taken, Contingency Plans developed, the training of teams for confronting emergency situations has been implemented. As well as this, a permanent culture of safety has been developed. The re-engineering of Inspection Plans, with the development of the GIO, a software programme for controlling the inspection process, was revealed to be extremely important. The goals already attained characterise an improvement in the results of the inspections and the recovery of the teams’ motivation for this type of activity. With regard to the improvements in the Energy Management System (Application Software) we could observe that the basis of a digital infrastructure (SCADA/EMS system) and the experience attained during the time of operation of the power plant permitted additional functionalities to be implemented in the sense of incorporating processes that issue warnings to Operators and Dispatchers, thus protecting the Interconnected System and the equipment. New developments are in progress, including the utilization of Expert Systems, as is the case with Disturbance Analysis for System Restoration, together with others undergoing the evaluation phase, always with the aim of adding “intelligence” to the application software. Top Keywords Contingency Plan, SCADA software. Top |