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Monitoring
residential and
industrial power
consumption on a
large scale can be
an overwhelming task
that stresses the
exposure of hidden
power leakages. An
automated system
that monitors all
major appliances in
residences or
offices is required.
Such system should
be capable of
recalling
consumption history
of each appliance,
and transmitting it
to some central
control station
(CCS), equipped with
the necessary tools
to receive and
analyze this data.
Relying on extensive
experience with
energy auditing and
monitoring projects,
ASD developed its
own line of hardware
and software power
consumption
monitoring products.
Integrating these
tools together, ASD
provides a fully
functional Power
Consumption
Management (PCM)
scheme. The PCM
system uses a
detailed data
capture method from
the main power line
to the house and
multiple data points
inside the house.
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SYSTEM HARDWARE |
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The system’s
functionality
depends mainly on
the combined
operation of
multiple measurement
modules. These
modules communicate
locally with a
remote terminal unit
- gateway (RTU);
through the power
lines at a baud rate
of 600bps
(EN50065-1), or via
radio frequency for
wireless
communication. Data
transfer between the
RTU -Gateway and the
remote CCS occurs
through the
telephone line modem
with rate of
33.6Kbps. This
remote communication
occurs on daily
basis through an
automatic dial –up
procedure. We note
that all modules are
enclosed in similar
black boxes.
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▪ PM 2-100 Module |
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The ASD’s PM 2-100
is a light portable
device that monitors
single phase
appliances. This
micro-controller
driven device
measures Kilowatt
and Kilowatt-Hour at
accuracy of 1% based
on IEC
61036standard. Each
PM 2 unit reports to
the RTU at regular
adjustable time
intervals.
Accumulated
watt-hour is stored
in an internal
EEPROM every one
minute as a backup
in case of power
failure.
PM 2 units are
available as
measurement units or
as measurement and
control units. The
user can form a
computerized
schedule to manage
the appliances’
operations. As the
schedule runs, the
RTU sends the
commands to the PM2
units controlling
the operation of
each appliance.
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▪ Voltage
Measurement Module |
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This Module measures
true RMS voltage
with an accuracy of
1% and reports data
to the RTU-Gateway.
It differentiates
continuously between
the locally
generated power and
that provided by
utility.
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▪ Temperature and
Humidity Module |
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This includes a
temperature and
humidity sensor. The
temperature sensor
measures temperature
between -3°C to 60°C
with an accuracy of
+/-3%. The humidity
sensor detects
humidity between 10
and 95% with an
accuracy of
+/-5%.Similar to
previous modules;
local communication
is available via
power lines.
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▪ Three Phase
Measurement And
Control Unit |
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Taking all details
into consideration,
ASD designed another
light portable
device to monitor
appliances with
three phase mode. As
PM2-100, this unit
is applicable to
residential &
industrial areas.
It’s also available
as a measurement
unit or as a
measurement and
control unit. The
unit interacts with
the whole system
exactly as PM2
units. It
communicates locally
with RTU and
remotely with CCS
via the same links
and specifications.
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▪ Control Unit
(optional) |
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ASD introduces a
sole control unit
that handles the
operation of single
or three phase
appliances according
to a user defined
schedule. This
schedule evokes the
RTU to give the
appropriate orders
to the control unit.
This unit is
required for
applications where
no measurement is
needed.
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▪ Telephone Line
Module (optional) |
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ASD continues
providing further
flexibility to the
system by
introducing this
module. Such module
is the exact
solution to those
who suffer scary
telephone bills. The
PC sends a user
specified duration
to the module
passing through the
communication unit
and power lines.
Whenever a phone
call exceeds the
agreed duration, the
module directly cuts
the Phone line
terminating the
call.
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SYSTEM SOFTWARE |
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ASD’s PCM software
is a windows based
tool that manages
the configuration
and analysis of
multiple data. It
can monitor as many
residential, office
and industrial
setups by accessing
the different RTU-gateway
addresses, in
addition to online
monitoring options
for all devices and
appliances. The
software provides
pre-programmed
alarms for equipment
failures, tempering
with the measurement
devices and modules. |
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▪ Database |
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On the control
panel, two different
locations can be
monitored and
plotted on-line. Any
one of these
locations can be
changed using a
provided drop-down
list box, and the
relevant data will
be displayed on the
graphs in the
appropriate color
key. A graph at the
bottom is used to
compare similar
appliances in two
locations. The
software will store
a comprehensive file
on the residence
being monitored,
complete with
locations, area,
number of residents,
insulation, utility
tariff information,
utility transformer
ID, meter
information, and
much more. |
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▪ Graphical Analysis |
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The operator can
delve into the
specifics of which
devices are
available, and
monitor the
consumption of each
one individually. A
status bar indicates
all incoming
communication from
the collection of
RTU-Gateway. A
schematic drawing of
the home being
monitored can also
indicate the
location of each of
the appliances in
the home. A
graphical analysis
package is provided
to make visual sense
of the numeric data.
The operator can
choose to compare
and contrast the
consumption of
different appliances
within the home,
over a given period
of time, as seen in
the pie chart
(right). Another
useful plot is the
total consumption
for that particular
home over a given
period of time. This
can be a day, a
week, a month, or
even a whole year’s
worth of online
energy consumption
data.
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CUSTOMIZED OPERATION |
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ASD can customize
its systems upon
request. Another
mode of PCM
operation is
introduced; where
the operation of RTU
is omitted. PM2
units communicate
locally with a
communication module
through power lines
at a baud rate of
1.2kbps
(EN50065-1).The
user’s PC reads from
units according to a
user defined
schedule. The
communication module
transfers schedules
to the corresponding
units. Data transfer
between the
communication module
and the remote CCS
occurs through the
telephone line modem
with rate of
33.6Kbps.
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Upon
your request, ASD
can also customize
your existing
diagnostic system or
automate any
outdated system.
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