TopView at Brookfield Power
Advanced Alarm Notification Improves Hydro Operations
Some excerpts from the full article follow:
Sault Hydro Operations had experienced a number of challenges in waiting until an alarm condition was reported prior to mobilizing a response […] [and] implemented an advanced warning system to provide notification of potential alarm conditions, installing Exele Information Systems’ TopView Alarm Notification software to monitor values in the data historian.
TopView enables the operations group to set values for pre-alarm conditions which then sends email notifications to the appropriate personnel on specifics about a pending issue. Sault Hydro Operations encompasses a vast geographic area, and technician travel times to sites can be long. Early indications of a potential issue can mean the difference between preventing a problem and reacting to one.
The TopView system monitors every aspect of the generation process ranging from the temperature of a generator’s stator and bearings to whether oil filters need to be replaced.
“TopView provides information that helps us make decision based on the alarm type and values,” says Thomas Corbett, Electronic Technologist with Sault Hydro Operations. “This gives us the option to respond immediately or to wait to address the cause during the next scheduled maintenance. This has resulted in a better use of personnel, reduced downtime and fewer callouts for maintenance.”
Having the tools to successfully address conditions early by notifying the appropriate personnel and empowering them to respond accordingly can save a tremendous amount of time and money, and ensure undisrupted power generation.