TITLE:
A Maintenance Optimzation Policy for an Electric Power Distribution System: Case of the HV/MV Substations
AUTHORS:
Morad Mahmoudi, Abdellah El Barkany, Ahmed El Khalfi
KEYWORDS:
HV/MV Distribution Substations; Maintenance Strategy; RCM; Optimization; Asset Management
JOURNAL NAME:
Engineering,
Vol.6 No.5,
April
4,
2014
ABSTRACT: Today, in the
modern era, and under the pressure of rapid development around the kingdom regions,
electric utilities are confronted with a myriad of challenges that include
aging infrastructure, enhanced expectation of reliability, reduced cost, and
coping effectively with uncertainties and changing regulation requirements.
Indeed, for distribution systems, HV/MV substations represent a complex and
critical physical asset that requires a careful evaluation of their maintenance
practices aiming at more cost-effective tasks. The first concern of the
electric power distribution company in Morocco is the optimization of the
distribution network maintenance scheduling, to minimize system operating
costs and ensure that the system is running most economically. There is
significant pressure on power providers for greater system reliability and
improvement of customer satisfaction, while similar emphasis is placed on cost
reduction. These cost reductions focus on reducing operating and maintenance
expenses, and minimizing investments in new plants and equipment. However, the
present of the electricity distribution, influenced by a number of technical
restrictions and strict regulatory requirements to meet, leads distribution
utilities to search new ways of optimizing the maintenance management, make an
effort to maximize profit by reducing their electricity supply and operation
costs while maintaining their reliability, developing more effective
activities, with lower costs. Furthermore, maximal HV/MV substation asset value
and minimal maintenance cost are typical economic objectives of the electric
utilities. The optimization of maintenance is one possible technique to reduce
maintenance costs while improving reliability and utilities need to implement
new strategies for more effective maintenance techniques and Asset Management
(AM) methods programs to manage inspections and maintenance activities in
order to control HV/MV substation equipment conditions. However, development
of strategies to make sound decisions in order to effectively improve equipment
and system reliability while meeting
constraints such as a maintenance budget is a challenge. Finally, this paper
describes the application of a new approach based Reliability Centered
Maintenance (RCM) methodology to optimize maintenance resources and to the
development of maintenance plan for HV/MV distribution substations. For this
purpose, a case study was performed on the equipment of power distribution
systems for the benefit of a holding company (ONEE Electricity Distribution) in
Morocco. The present study was conducted in Oujda Exploitation Maintenance
Service (OEXMS), in charge of operation and maintenance of distribution
networks.