S&C's IntelliTeam® CNMS Improves Communication System Reliability at ENMAX

CHICAGO, March 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- S&C Electric Company, a smart grid leader shaping the future of power delivery, today announces the successful deployment of an IntelliTeam® CNMS Communication Network Management System at ENMAX Power Corporation, one of the largest power distributors in Alberta, Canada. IntelliTeam CNMS is helping ENMAX quickly troubleshoot communication system issues, reducing the system's operating costs.

ENMAX, which operates a large distribution automation system in Calgary, relies on mesh radio communications to ensure proper performance of the automation system. With over 500 S&C SpeedNet™ Radios deployed on their power system, ENMAX sought a dependable network management solution to better manage and monitor these radios. IntelliTeam CNMS is making it easier and more cost-effective for ENMAX to detect and proactively manage issues that could impact communication system performance, such as impending performance issues with older backup batteries. 

"Reliable communication systems are an important ingredient of our distribution automation system, for which response speeds are critical," says Graeme Cowie, Engineering Systems Automation, ENMAX. IntelliTeam CNMS complements the utility's advanced, automated smart grid, which already uses S&C's IntelliTeam® II Automatic Restoration System, S&C automated overhead and underground switches and IntelliRupter® Pulseclosers.

IntelliTeam CNMS offers a real-time, web-based solution for monitoring and managing radios applied on utility power systems. Its intuitive interface has many views including a deployment view integrated with Google Maps. Authorized users can monitor current and archived data on SpeedNet™ Radio networks of all sizes, as well as manage each individual radio and effect configuration changes. The software displays a chronological list of different level alarms and events, and can alert users via email when they are not logged in. All of this is accomplished through standard browsers without the need to install specialized software on client PCs.

"As smart grid deployments expand, utilities require new tools to manage these critical systems," says Mike Edmonds, vice president—Strategic Solutions, S&C. "The IntelliTeam CNMS installation at ENMAX demonstrates how communication management systems can improve the reliability and operating costs for smart grid systems."

Citing a recent example at ENMAX, Cowie says, "We were having difficulty communicating with an automated switch, but IntelliTeam CNMS helped us identify the cause of the issue in about five minutes. With our previous method, that would have taken at least 30 minutes more, and we would not have known the root cause or duration of the equipment malfunction."

About S&C Electric Company

S&C, headquartered in Chicago, IL, is applying its heritage of innovation to address challenges facing the world's power grids and is thus shaping the future of reliable electricity delivery. The mission of employee-owned S&C is to continually develop new solutions for electricity delivery, fostering the improved efficiency and reliability required for the intelligent grid. Additional information about S&C is available at www.sandc.com.

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SOURCE S&C Electric Company