Wireless infrastructure for US power plants

London -- Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) has installed a managed WiMax/WiFi wireless infrastructure -- from Invensys Process Systems and partner Apprion -- at its Lost Pines Power Park, near Bastrop, Texas.

LCRA implemented the layered wireless infrastructure as part of a recent project to merge the two plants under one functional management system. The site houses both the LCRA-owned Sim Gideon Power Plant and the Lost Pines 1 Power Project, of LCRA affiliate Gen-Tex, which together generate up to 1,165 MW.

The wireless applications include common, sitewide, mobile Voice Over IP (VoIP) system for personal communications and paging anywhere in the Lost Pines Power Park, a wireless PA system and wireless LAN via WiFi hotspots.

Invensys’ managed approach “to the new wireless technology has enabled us to unify both plants in the Lost Pines Power Park under a common communications system at a fraction of the cost of a wired solution, said David Runkle, production manager at LCRA's Lost Pines Power Park.

The wireless system also provides a flexible platform for future wireless-enabled applications, including remote equipment condition monitoring and tank farm level monitoring, continued Runkle.

Planned phase 2 applications include remote wireless equipment condition monitoring, an ammonia leak detection/alarm system as well as wireless fuel oil tank farm tank level monitoring, material transfer monitoring and remote perimeter security video monitoring.

“There’s certainly a lot of hype in the marketplace about wireless technology … the technology is still relatively unproven in many of the types of industrial wireless applications that we are considering,” commented Runkle. But, he added, based on “the track record of our 10+ year strategic technology partnership with Invensys, we are highly confident that the benefits will be sustainable.”