Challenges

• Minimizing the risk associated with operator errors by providing systematic training on the virtual model.
• Improving the electrical system's performance, productivity, and reliability by delivering knowledge about functional principles, rules, and the operational environment.
• Ensuring smooth and successful startup after shutdown. Sequencing these crucial processes to find typical and repetitive operations. 
• The main challenge was ensuring and validating a Safety Integrity Level environment (SIL), which refers to the specific requirements and standards used in people transportation to mitigate hazardous situations. It is a crucial aspect of safety management. 
• To be ready for emergencies and improve the electrical operators' and supervisors' competency in critical cases.
• Improve the whole level of analysis of cases, optimize operations, enhance HMI, handle alarms and trends, and report with a solid understanding of processes.
• Creating a training platform that integrates real-time data from the area to enhance understanding of processes and simulate work and decision-making in actual conditions.
  

Selected applications

ETAP eOTS (Operator Training Simulator) utilizes the unified ETAP Digital Twin, a virtual model of a real-world power system. The system is integrated with Schneider Electric SCADA servers and HMI.

ETAP Real Time Server with eOTS creates a Team-Based Training Environment.

Main Customer Benefits

• eOTS Digital-Twin representation uses online data from the field I/O. Thanks to this, trainees and instructors have the same data and can learn the same procedures as in the Control Room. In other words, the Virtual Control Room and the Real Control Room have precisely the same environment.
• The instructor can review the historical data (from the last week, 10 days, 20 days, one month, or any specific day) and discuss tripping or another electrical incident with trainees.
• High-fidelity electrical power simulation data helps train and understand processes very well. Instructor can simulate any disturbances and scenarios, to evaluate the trainee knowledge and to be sure that trainee can do maintenance in the real environment.
• Instructor can make scenarios (increase or decrease loading, tripping, islanding...) with sending operating conditions, to evaluate trainee performance on real and potential network issues. The eOTS system answers by using alarms and alerts and simulated operator actions (alarm management, protective equipment open or close).
• eOTS for Mumbai Metro Railway Corridor offers one trainer console, and five trainee consoles using 10000 to 15000 tag points. Digital-Twin representation using online data from the field. Ability to provide various levels of training to employees using OTS, including new electrical engineers, operators, and advanced users. Customized modules and progressive learning paths ensure that each user group receives training tailored to their level of expertise.
• Accurately represent the metro's energy operation in training by including responses from the load system, generation system, protection system, machine behavior, and a complete list of simulations.
• Automatically evaluate network information with easy validation and visualization enabling students and instructors to cover an actual situation.

Opinions

The first point on the ETAP value proposition is the design-to-operation. We are providing a design-to-operation where the exact model is a precise replica of the electrical network environment that they can use to do the simulation, and the same model can be used in the operation.
By Mr. Sushil Ojha, Assistant General Manager ETAP India

In other words, you should validate every new operation in the model before operating on it. You can run a testing operation in ETAP and use the "what-if" scenario. They're prediction engines accessible that you can use to run the application.
By Mr. Sushil Ojha, Assistant General Manager ETAP India