Power Management

LCA Energy Management Solutions (LCA) are specialists in the design, commissioning and support of industrial power management systems.

Our team has provided systems for large industrial clients incorporating deregulated, time of use, and demand response tariff. We have developed our own suite of software programs and have incorporated the software into the design of complete power management systems to suit client needs.

With LCA’s power management software you will be able to save on your electricity bills by knowing your electrical energy and demand values in real-time and then, using the LCA software, automatically adjust your load to maintain your target levels. This will ensure that you do not set new peak demands or use excessive amounts of energy when the hourly energy price is high. Knowing what the utility meter will be recording and influencing its values is a valuable asset.

The user friendly LCA software produces real-time and historical reports that are designed to be used by Engineering, operations and financial personnel and which can be accessed by standard Windows based computer equipment through the plants local area network.

The LCA software is fully supported by LCA via the internet and will be kept up to date in accordance with any utility tariff changes. In addition LCA works closely with customers providing consulting and technical services ensuring that software is always in step with plant changes.

LCA Power Management Software for Large Industrial Power Users

Consist of the following main software packages

LCA server – installed on the LCA server computer this software provides communication, prediction, control, data filing, configuration and data acquisition functions and provides real-time and historical data to the LCA Real-time and Reporting clients installed users computers through the plant’s LAN.

LCA Real-time Client – installed on users computers this software communicates with the LCA server and provides the user with real time displays of load predictions and control status and permits authorized users to change control target levels and control scenarios.

LCA Reporting Client – installed on users computers this software communicates with the LCA server and accesses the LCA database to provide the user with displays of load profiles, billing data, cost allocation, control performance.

Typical Plant Application

The following equipment is required to be installed in a typical industrial plant.

• An LCA server computer that contains the LCA software and which communicates in real time with the plant’s metering equipment and with the LCA SQL database. Interface client software, provided by LCA, runs on the plant’s workstations and interfaces with the LCA data server through the plant’s Ethernet network. Metering data is read directly from the Utility and plant sub-meters by the LCA communication software once per minute
• A locally mounted IP addressable control panel(s), contains control interface equipment designed to issue analog or digital control signals to plant equipment. The panel(s) receive control instructions from the LCA server computer via the plant’s LAN or through hard-wired cable or fiber optic cable.
• Remote support is provided by LCA through a VPN secure connection.

LCA Server Software Functionalty

The LCA software, running on the LCA server computer, reads plant meters once per minute and stores the data in one minute files in its SQL database. In addition the software predicts the Plant’s demand, activates control signals, reads energy cost data from utility web-sites and serves graphical and tabular data to plant computers running the LCA Real-time and/or LCA Reporter software.

• Communication routines read kWh and kVARh metering data once per minute from main and sub-meters or from those plant databases containing one minute data.
• Prediction software predicts the plant overall demand to the end of the current billing window.
• Control software routines issue control commands to LCA control panels to reduce demand and energy use according to configuration, prediction calculations, targets and other control set-points
• The LCA data server module, running on the LCA server, allows plant users to access Real time and Reporter data through the plant’s LAN.
• The LCA configuration module allows the system to be set up for any type of industrial plant, including tariffs, metering types, control interfaces etc.
• Notification program option allows configurable email notifications to plant personnel when demand or price set points reached.
• Provides continuous record, in the LCA SQL database, of energy and demand data for all metered points with 1,5 and 60 minute resolution.
• Reads/Writes data to plant historian systems

LCA Real Time Power Management Client

Accessing current 1 min and historical 5 min metering data, stored in the LCA server database, the Real-time Client provides displays of energy and demand data, and tracks energy use and peak demand for those meters set up in the LCA server configuration program. Installed on authorized user’s desktop computers this Client also has user-set targeting and scenario selection.

Users of the Real Time Power Management Client will be able to:

• Read and display metering data once per minute from main and sub-meters or from those plant databases containing one minute data.
• Read and display load predictions and graphically display predicted demand to the end of the current billing window together with each 1 minute plant load value.
• Provide a view of control status and which outputs are being activated .
• Provide access for setting demand targets for use by the control program.
• Provide user configurable email notifications for advising plant personnel when demand or price set points reached.
• Provide graphical user interface for real-time and historical analysis of stored 1 and 5 minute metering data
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Real Time Load Status Screen

The upper left section will display selected load profiles updated once per minute.

The lower left section will display messages concerning load control.

The bottom right section of the screen displays which control level(s) are operational

The upper right section has two tabs to select either “Values” or “Targets”

The VALUE tab provides current tabular information about selected metered points including one minute and predicted load values as available from in house metering data.

The TARGET tab allows the operator to select and display a target on the upper left sceen with the one minute and predicted load profiles.

Real Time Load Control

The one minute control graph has three components :

(a) Target – Set by the operator

(b) One minute kW value – obtained from direct meter reads

(c) Predicted kW value – calculated by LCA Real-time based upon the

utility billing window (typically 15, 30 or 60 minutes)

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Load Control Targeting

Targets may be set at any time by authorized users and the values stored in a table similar to that shown.

Targets may be set for each day of the week and for each hour in each day. At the start of a new hour the target for the next hour is automatically read in and control will commence to control to that target.

Control targets may be set for sub-metered loads as well as the main Utility metered loads.

Automatic Load Control Features

• Automatic Load Control Features of the LCA Software
• Part of Real-time product for single and multiple facility applications
• Unlimited number of control outputs, each with individual control parameters can be configured and controlled.
• Control output modules located in local LCA provided I/O panels
• Hourly price / load targets for each day of the week can be set ahead of time from remote location
• Targets are automatically read in at start of each new 15/30 or 60 min period
• Number of control stages can be set from 1-24
• System can control both shedding and reloading
• Targets can be accessed directly from remote on-line control screen
• Individual targets can be assigned to each monitored load
• Control logs show control operation
• On-line control display in Realtime program shows control operation
• Control has built-in fail safe features
• Control is configured through the LCA configuration program

Control Output Configuration

On, Off and cycle times may be specified according to the load characteristics.

Each output has individual configuration settings .

To allow the system to optimize control operation the estimated load reduction

amount on each output may be individually specified.

Start up control conditions and shutdown signal states are also specified

Interfacing Control Signals to Plant Equipment

Control outputs can be dry contact, solid state or 4-20 ma depending on the load interface.

Any number of outputs may be connected to the control system

Outputs are contained in locally mounted metal enclosures.

Watchdog devices provide known output states under abnormal plant

conditions including power loss, plant network problems.

Energy Usage Reporting

The LCA Power Management Client is capable of generating many different types of reports for the analysis of electricity use for the total facility, departments, processes and individual equipment depending on the deployment of sub-metering equipment.

Load profile graph

This graph illustrates one of the load profile reports available from the system.  The report is interactive and may be zoomed and scrolled.  The table below indicates information relating to the area of the graph being displayed.  Zooming in on a particular area of the graph will change these values and indicate number of kWh used for the zoomed period for example.

Of course multiple feeders or multiple days can also be displayed. Loads can also be aggregated as desired using a wide variety of mathematical formulas.

Multi day feeder graph

Graph shows Melter # 1 data for three different days overlaid to show comparison

Data below graph provides details of energy used each day, and max and min demand values. Points may be from different metering sources and up to eight points may be mapped.

Load Duration Curve

Load Duration Curve Analysis

The Load Duration Curve graph provides a quick visual indication of the opportunity for peak demand control.  The graph displays time from 0-100% along the bottom axis, then the load for each feeder is plotted over the time.  If a feed has a high load for a short duration of time, then controlling that load for a small amount of time may significantly reduce the peak demand level for that load.  Coincident peak demand (high load on multiple feeders at the same time) is typically the cause of the maximum peak demand that is recorded by the utility or power supplier.  Elements of the bill such as peak demand charges or transmission and distribution charges can be greatly effected by excessive peaking.

To learn more about how LCA Power Management Software can help you save money on your electricity bills, please contact us by calling 1-866-364-7042  or email us here