Innovation case study submitted by DEWA during 3rd Continual Improvement & Innovation Symposium organized by Dubai Quality Group's Continual Improvement Subgroup to celebrate World Quality Day 2011.

1. Innovation Storyboard
Substation Signal Analyzer Software
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority
July-2011 to September2011
DCC SCADA Support Team

2. Outline
• About DEWA
• SCADA
• Substation Signal Analyzer Software Idea
• People Involvement
• Process Work flow
• Results
• Learning
• Way Forward

3. About DEWA
• Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) is one of Dubai government
authorities. It is responsible of power generation transmission and
distribution of Electricity and Water in the city of Dubai.
• DEWA Vision: A recognized World-Class Utility
• DEWA Mission: Meeting customer satisfaction and prompting Dubai’s
Vision through delivery of electricity and water services at a world-class
level of reliability, efficiency, safety and environment by competent
workforce and effective partnerships; supporting resources sustainability.

4. SCADA
• SCADA or Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition is a large scale control
system for automated industrial processes like: electricity and water
transmission and distribution, municipal water supplies, power and water
generation, steel manufacturing, gas and oil pipelines.
• SCADA systems monitor and control these operations by gathering data
from the facility or remote station and then sending it to a central
computer system that manages the operations using this information.
• Automation: Controlling and monitoring in real time effectively for wide
ranges, large territories and long distances.

5. Substation Signal Analyzer
• The idea of developing the Substation Signal Analyzer software came after
analyzing the huge work of entering and checking substation data in a
limited time frame.
• The need to analyze substation signals is to make sure that configured signals
and alarms are correct and similar to the field.
• Checking and compare data between files that differs in format, size and
type of data.
• Each file includes thousands of lines so the process is:
– Time consuming.
– High possibility of human errors.
– Man power consuming.
• Plan to automate the process:
– Check the possibility.
– Available electronic inputs.
– Programming language & Development tools.
– Team members.
– Collecting data.

6. Substation Signal Analyzer
Software
• A software to compare and check thousands of line in each Substation
including:
– Names.
– Addresses.
– Numbers.
– Description.
• Advantages:
– It is time saving.
– Extract the needed data from files and check it.
– Help in reducing time of other activities “point-to-point”.
– Perform quality check to correct mistakes in advance.
– Overcome Human errors.
– It is standardized for all similar type of distribution Substations.
– It finds missing and extra point added in the database.

7. People Involvement
• Participation was from different units to this project.
– SCADA system support team (mainly).
– Database engineers.
– Project manager and unit head.
• Approved by the management to be completed after going through the
following stages:
– Brain storming on how to improve the work and overcome its shortcomings.
– Meeting with the unit head and with the project manager to explain the idea.
– Show samples of output to the unit head.
– Presenting the software to the section head indicating the advantages and
how it works.

8. People Involvement
• Project life was divided as 40% on planning 20% on implementation and
40% on testing (will be described in work flow).
• DEWA resources were used to build the project.
– Software development tools.
– Computers/servers.
• All costs were covered and supplied by DEWA to the team members.
• The software took 264 working hours from the duty time.

9. Process Work flow
• Project possibility was evaluated by manual check of the signals between the
input files and database data.
Work flow
Planning (40%) Implementation (20%) Testing (40%)
Understanding the new design Implementing the logic, the Modular testing
the control center system design and create Output
Study the Database structure Black box testing
Collecting available inputs. White box testing
Design a suitable output Integrated testing
representation.
Create a logic based on
available inputs.
• Manual verification were made to confirm that the result was correct.

10. Process Work flow
• Debugging tools used to debug the software and found its bugs.
• Risk: Unavailability of some signal data was identified
– Alternatively procedure was prepared to change the format manual.
– Plan B to take data from different sources (Old system).
• Program was installed on PC and reports were generated.
• Input files were generated for all stations and software was used to check
each.
• Risk of delay in implementation was resolved by working for extended
hours to complete the programming work.
• Database development team were provided with copies of reports to
check the reported errors and took necessary action for correction.

11. Results
• Results were found as expected in the plan with some minor differences.
• Lots of human error were discovered with this software and solved prior
to submittal.
• Tasks finished before the deadline.
• Standardization: it applies on all similar type of distribution Substations.
• It found missing and extra points added in the database.
• Database of the new system is well understood after developing the
software (without attending any related training).

12. Results
Before Substation Signal Analyzer After Substation Signal Analyzer
Need of point-to-point simulation No Need for point-to-point simulation
Manual check of signal list Automated check
Time: Five hours per Substation Time: 5 minutes per substation
Vulnerable to human error No Human error
Two engineers are required One Engineer is enough

13. Results

14. Results

15. Learning
problem Solution
Unavailability of some signal Procedure was developed to change the
format
Unreadable data Mapping reference were developed
Time constrain Work for extendable hours
Lack of information about the database Research and manual reading
structure
• All tasks and milestones were accomplished as per the plan.
• Important for new system to double check and supervise the contractor
database work.
• Partial testing gives different result than integrated testing.
• Sometimes tasks take more time than what is planned.
• For coming projects:
– Dedicate people for similar projects to overcome time problem.

16. Way Forward
• Team members where recognized in the department by email and thanked
for their remarkable effort.
• It is well known that it is developed by that team.
• Related ideas came in management mind to be studied.
• First of its type.
• Opens new scope of work.
• The Software is scalable which can be expanded to cover other type of
Substations under Transmission category.
• Advanced development will take place on the software to cover different
functionalities such as:
– Covering transmission substation.
– Creating Signal lists from taken data from field.
• An explanation on how to use the Software is presented to system
engineers.