automatic meter reading technologies and strategies howard a. scott, ph.d. cognyst consulting,...

AutomaticAutomatic Meter Meter ReadingReading

Technologies and StrategiesTechnologies and Strategies

Howard A. Scott, Ph.D.COGNYST CONSULTING, L.L.C.

Technology and Customer Service for the Utility Industry

AMR Training, February 1, 2005

Copyright 2005 by , Pequannock, NJ 07440. All rights reserved.

Introduction Introduction • Introductions• Agenda• Expectations• Ground rules• Contact Information

Howard A. Scott, Ph.D.Managing PartnerCognyst Consulting, [email protected]


Why Believe a Guy From the U.S.?

• My focus is on worldwide projects and trends

• I am here to talk technology, not politics• I know a little something about this subject• Because of my position in the industry, I get to

hear and influence people that others can’t reach


Would Lessons from U.S. Work Here?

• Your challenge is to:– Identify key business needs– Ensure that your approach also serves

the operational needs of the utility

• Mostly Yes– Remote Metering Technologies Require Similar Efforts – AMR, Prepayment & Submetering primarily differ in

technology– The greatest challenges are usually related to people

and their needs


AgendaAgenda• Introduction to Metering• What is Advanced Metering?• Terminology• What Drives Utilities to Deploy Advanced

Metering?• Advanced Metering Technologies• AMR Worldwide Statistics


Introduction to Introduction to MeteringMetering

• What is a meter?

• Why use a meter?

• How does it work?

• What does a meter record?

• Electric Power Terminology


What is a Meter?

• “Meter” – from Greek word “metron” – measure• Many different meters

– Distance (39.37 inches)– Weight (e.g., postage meter)– Rhythm (cadence or beat in music, poetry)– For this conference – a device to measure:

• The amount of energy consumed• Volume of water or gas consumed


Why Use a Meter?

• Revenue Billing• Time-of-use metering• Real-time pricing• Load aggregation• Energy use diagnostics• Power Quality• Emergency Response• Planning and reporting


How Does a Meter Work?

• Water or gas meter – – Usually, the flow of water or gas applies

pressure against a rotating device; – Meter counts number of rotations; – Display shows these counts converted to

express volume consumed


How Does an Electric Meter Work?

• The rotor suspended magnetically• Current through wire coil induces magnetic torque on rotor• The higher the power, the faster the disk rotates• Display shows # rotations adjusted by conversion factor

• All digital meters just use a pickup coil

Source: www.themeterguy.com


What Does a Meter Record?

• Water and gas meters:– Volume of water or gas flowing through meter

• Electric meters:– kWh– TOU– Load Profiles– Demands

– Current and voltage per phase

– Power factor– Errors– etc.


Electric Power Terminology

• Kilowatt (kW – 1,000 Watts) – Power measurement or actual power available, e.g. 100 kW motor

• Kilowatt-hour (kWh) – Energy consumed over time measured by meter, e.g. 100 kW motor running for 3 hours uses 300 kWh

• Demand – Highest kW measured during billing period for a time interval (typically 15, 30 or 60 minutes)

• Kilovolt amperes (kVA) – Apparent power available


More Electric Power Terminology

• kVAR – Reactive power (non-working power) lost by reactive properties of equipment [ (kVA)2=(kW)2+(kVAR)2 ]

• Power Factor – ratio of kW to kVA• Load Profile – A drawing showing kWh usage over

time• KYZ – 3 wire pulse output from a metering device to

drive external control or recording equipment (re: Handbook for Electricity Metering)


Meter Components

• Mounting

• Measuring element

• Circuit board (logic and storage) (optional)

• Display register

• Communication interface (optional)

• Meter case


What is Advanced What is Advanced Metering?Metering?

• Many different definitions

• Usually viewed as the integration of communication into basic metering platform

• Can be one-way or two-way

• Permits much more data to be collected than traditional manual reads


Some Re-Definitions

• Advanced Metering (AM) – automating the metering process to include any or all of AMR, Prepayment, Submetering, Outage Management, Revenue Protection, and Active Load Control– AMR – automatic meter reading at a distance from

the meter– Prepayment – paying for a product before it is

consumed• The integration of these services is already

underway


What is a Submeter?

• Reads consumption by one tenant

• Often sits behind a bulk meter that records consumption on entire site

• Is used to allocate charges to tenants that consume the resource


Advanced Metering Applications

• Monthly meter reading – total consumption• Off-cycle meter reading – total consumption• Monthly kW demand read• Static time of use (e.g., peak, off-peak, shoulder)• Real-time pricing (passive load control)• Curtailment or interruptible service• Theft and tampering• Power quality monitoring• Outage detection


TerminologyTerminology• 1-way, 1½ way, 2-way

– Any link can be 1-way or 2-way

• Inbound versus outbound (which end initiates the transaction)

• Carrier versus architecture versus protocol• System characterized by “last hop”• Meter: pulse initiator, dial-position encoder, digital

signal processor• Gateway• Transmit only, data storage, processing• AMR related to prepay, outage management


Applications

• AMR (Automatic Meter Reading)

• Hard disconnect

• Active load control

• Prepay metering

• Outage management

• Submetering


Advanced Metering Advanced Metering Drivers Drivers • Poor access to meters – on-

cycle, off-cycle• Problems associated with

estimates (customer service, adjustments)

• Revenue protection, theft of service

• Poor working conditions, safety, high turnover for meter readers

• Expense of manual reading

• Conservation• Aging population of

meters• Growth in system• Deregulation,

privatisation• Competitive services


For Most Utilities, Advanced Metering Is A High Impact Project• Large capital and human resources investment• Changes the way you do business• Changes relationship with customers• Impacts a relatively large number of jobs• Reliance on telecommunications technology• Eliminates regular physical contact with meters• Alternatives (remotes, MR productivity, etc.) dilute

AMR business caseFull-scale AMR is not appropriate for every utility.

There are some meters at virtually every utility for which AMR is appropriate.


Revenue Protection/Energy Theft Is a Major Problem Worldwide

• Some utilities’ losses >20%• Can prevent utility from operating profitably• Safety and risk to public (electrocutions, fires)• Liability issues for utilities• Critical when supply is limited• Not always indigent

that steal power• Cultural and economic

aberrations (economicsof theft “business”)


Examples of Electric Power Theft

South America Africa


TechnologyTechnology


Don’t Just Focus on the Technology!!!

• Most engineers get excited about technology – A rare opportunity to use their education

• It’s not brain surgery; anyone can do it!!!• The real benefits are:

– Having reliable usage data– Using that data to reduce losses– Improving efficiency – Providing better service to your customersBoring stuff, but the purpose of your business


Communication Communication TechnologiesTechnologies

• Power Line Communications• Radio • Telephone• Cellular (GSM, CDMA, GPRS, etc.)• Cable• Pager, Satellite• Internet• Other Broadband• Mixed, hybrid


How do Utility Meters, Submeters Differ?

Submeter

ANSImeter

IECmeter

Prepaymeter


Advanced Metering Sys. Components

MeasuringDevice

TIUCom

Link 1Com

Link 2

Hardware

ApplicationSoftware

DatabaseCIS/Billing

Host Controller

“LAN” “WAN”

Receiver

Encoder

Transponder

MIUDataColl.Unit

Other Apps.

• Meter Interface Unit

• Local Area Network, Wide Area Network

• Data Collection Unit, Data Concentrator


Power Line Communications (PLC) Systems

123456

DataCollec-

tor

Concen-trator

123456

123456

SubstationBilling

System

HostController

Data-base

Trans-former

MeterInterfaceUnit

• Zero-crossing• Carrier• Broadband


Radio Frequency Systems• Mobile and fixed systems• Specialty options: phone, paging, digital data loggers


Some Radio Frequency Considerations• Frequency, band• Bandwidth• Low-power, unlicensed versus higher-power licensed• Power, duration and interval between signals• Packet switching protocol, network architecture• Noise rejection techniques (e.g., spread spectrum• Interference, attenuation, fading• Antennae • Power supply (collectors, gas and water MIUs)


Telephone Systems Can Be Outbound or Inbound

123456

SignalInjector

TelcoSwitch

BillingSystem

HostController

Data-base

NetworkInterfaceDevice

MeterInterfaceUnit

RJ

RJ

Inbound:Read

InitiatedHere

Outbound:Read

InitiatedHere


Pre-Pay Metering Systems

123456

Con-troller

ATM,Kiosk,

Vendors

Utility

CustomerInterface(display,card readeror keypad)

MIU

123456

BankClearing-

house

Data-base

Card

Recpt.

Data-base

TOKEN


AMR Worldwide AMR Worldwide StatisticsStatistics


USA Has Greatest Number of AMR Devices, Followed by Italy and China

81.5 Million Installed as of 1/04

Europe

Asia

Middle East

C/S America

Australia/NZ

Misc.

Africa

North America

7,88381,450,328Total:

3665,603Africa

1485,042Misc.

2992,187Australia/NZ

49161,426Central & South America

24271,728Middle East

1483,982,956Asia

36015,658,270Europe

7,22361,133,116North America

# Projects# ShippedContinent

7,88381,450,328Total:

3665,603Africa

1485,042Misc.

2992,187Australia/NZ

49161,426Central & South America

24271,728Middle East

1483,982,956Asia

36015,658,270Europe

7,22361,133,116North America

# Projects# ShippedContinent


RF Systems Dominate USA, But PLC Systems Most Common Elsewhere

81.5 Million Installed as of 1/04 20.3 Million Installed as of 1/04

Excluding North America

Other

Mixed

Power Line

Comm.

Telephone

Radio Freq.

RF

Telephone

Smart Card

Mixed

Other

Power Line Comm.


Total AMR Shipments by Vendor81.5 Million Installed as of 1/04

Itron

Echelon

CellNet

SchlumbergerDCSI Badger

Hunt

AMCO/Elster

Sensus

Neptune

Nanjing Sanneng

RAMAR

Keli Gen. Elec.

Forture

Others


Advanced Metering Technologies Will Eventually Merge

• Some new projects need multiple application features

• Vendors will be unwilling to maintain parallel manufacturing lines with similar capabilities

• Utilities will want flexibility in providing services to customers

• Software vendors will offer applications that can flexibly serve different applications


Summary• Described metering and gave several basic

definitions• Introduced Advanced Metering (AM) and related it to

AMR, prepay metering, etc.• Discussed drivers for AM and the impact of such

projects on the utility• Addressed the technical components of AM systems

and gave examples of communication technologies that are used

• Presented statistics on the extent that AM is used worldwide

• Briefly discussed the future direction of AM

automatic meter reading technologies and strategies howard a. scott, ph.d. cognyst consulting,...

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