Due to the age of the San Bernardino tunnel and the sharp increase in traffic volume, the renovation of the tunnel was inevitable. Among other things, the renovation of the electromechanical equipment and the power supply was also planned, wherein the secondary technology was also considered. For the maintenance of the tunnel operation, the following indoor installations of the substations listed below have been replaced:
- Hinterrhein substation
- Aria power station
- Sasso power station
- San Bernardino substation
The power for the San Bernardino tunnel and all associated crossways, escape tunnels and ancillary structures is supplied by the feeds from the 50 kV network of the KHR (Kraftwerke Hinterrhein AG) as well as from the 50kV network of the OIM (Officine Idroelettriche di Mesolcina SA).
Our solution
The feeds from the networks of the power stations involved are designed in such a way that two independent connections lead to the two independent substations. These connections enable the supply of the transformer substations for the tunnel supply from both sides of the tunnel.
The network control centers of the network operators KHR and OIM are connected to the respective systems via gateways. Thus, all systems can be remotely controlled and monitored. Additional „remote workstations“ at KHR and OIM enable the operating personnel to remotely access system data, SOE recorder data files and configuration data of all devices.
The part of Hitachi Energy includes two station control and instrumentation systems based on MicroSCADA Pro (respectively for the KHR northern network and the OIM southern network), as well as control and protection devices from the Relion family. REx670 devices were installed at the gas-insulated 50kV switchgear. The medium-voltage part is controlled and at the same time protected mainly by REF630 devices and partly by REx670 devices.
The independent station control and instrumentation systems exchange information that have been precisely defined by the owners and plant operators during the project phase. Safe operation can be ensured through the exchange of data between the systems of Hinterrhein substation and San Bernardino substation. As requested, the Aria and Sasso systems and the 16kV system part are recorded and presented from the San Bernardino substation on the station control and instrumentation system of Hinterrhein.
On the control and instrumentation system of the southern network, transformer stations of the south ramp were implemented, so that a picture of the overall situation is available for the network operator at any time.
