Automation field teams of electrical companies (Rosseti)

Discuss your project

In 2020, a project to automate the activities of mobile teams based on software developed by SIGMA and installed on MIG T8X tablet computers was put into commercial operation. According to the results of 1.5 years of operation of more than 1,800 automated complexes, the efficiency of mobile teams of the Moscow United Electric Grid Company increased by 30%.

Project Background

The stability of energy supply is the most important socio-economic task of the power industry, but its solution is hindered by such factors as high equipment wear (according to the Russian Energy Strategy until 2035, the main production assets of the power industry wear up to 60%), vast territories, a large number of facilities that need to be controlled, and different conditions for their availability. Thus, electrical companies (Rosseti) operates 618 high-voltage stations and more than 43,000 transformer substations of distribution networks. The length of overhead power lines is more than 78,000 km. To increase the efficiency of monitoring equipment, reduce the risk of accidents and minimize costs, the management of the power grid company decided to introduce modern mobile technologies. The project to create and implement a solution for automating the activities of mobile teams was implemented by Mobile Inform Group, a developer and manufacturer of industrial mobile equipment, and SIGMA, a developer of IT solutions for digitalization of the Russian energy and housing and communal services sectorа. The software is designed to take into account the specifics of the customer’s business processes related to the maintenance of facilities and power grids, and allows you to organize work with data.

The system provides:

Formation of planned and unscheduled (emergency) tasks;
Registration of authorization documents linked to the task.
Manage tasks with the ability to distribute them by performers, taking into account the level of
access;
Monitoring the movement of mobile teams;
Recording the results of the task.
Monitoring the completion of tasks and deviations.
Registration of defects;
Implementation of the full cycle of work performed;
Ability to integrate with other systems for transmitting control data;
Administration of mobile devices and users by organizational structure.
Using an electronic signature.
Control of the location of mobile teams relative to the coordinates of service objects on the map with recording of deviations along the route.
Visualization of information about the location and characteristics of power grid facilities,
including substation floor plans, and the location of monitoring facilities.

Decision

MIG T8X protected tablets are used as the main tool of the automated workplace of a field engineer. Thanks to tablets, electricians can fully perform their work and keep in touch with the dispatcher at any time of the year and in any weather conditions due to:

stable operation of devices at low temperatures (- 20C and below), as well as rain and snow;
adaptability of the screen to work in bright sun, as well as to work with gloves in the winter season;
stable communication even in remote areas or areas with poor coverage.
accurate (up to 1 m) positioning of mobile teams on the map.
good ergonomics that ensure safe use of the device in different situations and on different objects.
compliance with information security requirements:
— the devices are pre-installed with an MDM system for remote administration and a ViPNet Client VPN client;
— documents are signed with a qualified electronic signature using the Rutoken electronic identifier.

In addition, one of the key conditions for choosing equipment was to meet the requirements for service and technical support in order to eliminate the risks of downtime of the automated system.

According to the results of 1.5 years of operation, the total number of service requests did not exceed 1% of the total volume of delivered devices, and the requirements for support and service for existing requests were fully met by the equipment manufacturer.

Scenarios for using the software and hardware complex based on MIG T8X

Managers of mobile teams of electricians view tasks that came from the ERP system (enterprise resource planning system), and form planned and emergency tasks. Then they distribute tasks to teams and automatically transfer them to tablets. Managers monitor the

location of mobile teams, track the time and quality of work performed, and transmit data to the ERP system.

Line staff (electricians) receives tasks on the MIG T8X tablet, marks the start and end times of

work, and fixes them if any defects are detected. Confirm the completed briefing with an

electronic digital signature («Rutoken»).

Dispatchers see the routes of mobile teams on the map, taking into account traffic jams, and monitor the team’s deviations from the route. View information about the location and characteristics of power grid facilities and track the location of electricians.

Key tasks and results of automation

Accounting and control of equipment movement, reducing the time required for conducting rounds and repairs of equipment and facilities:

reduction of the average working time at a typical facility by 25%, due to the completeness of knowledge about the work carried out, the condition and need for repair of a specific equipment object.

Increase the service life of equipment and facilities through timely repairs:
increase the service life of equipment by 10%, due to the formation of a complete service history and reference documentation of survey and repair facilities.

Transition from paper media to electronic document management, improving the speed and accuracy of issuing permits:

30% increase in the field staff’s labor efficiency;
increase the efficiency of the entire technical division.

Tracking the movement of mobile teams using GPS technology:

reduce fuel costs and maintain the fleet in working order by optimizing driving routes by 25%.
improve security at critical infrastructure facilities by monitoring the work of mobile teams in
real time.

«The experience of implementing such a large-scale project has proven the reliability and stability of our equipment. Together with our partner, we have created an advanced software and hardware package that not only reduces costs, optimizes processes and increases employee productivity, but also ensures work safety» — Anna Bogdanova, Commercial Director of Mobile Inform Group.