Project Description

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Velammal Medical College, located at Madappuram in Madurai, Tamil Nadu in the southern part of India, has established a 10 MW Solar Plant Substation.

The project consists of 77 String Monitoring Boxes, each containing 21 strings. These String Monitoring Boxes are connected to Advantech and Tiny gateways inside Inverter Control Rooms (ICR-01 and ICR-02) through RS-485 cables.

There is one Main Control Room (MCR), which houses the VSAT modem, system, iGrid gateway, Advantech gateway, and RJ-45 to OFC converter, all interconnected via an Ethernet switch. The iGrid gateway is connected to the MFM meter, and the data is transmitted in IEC 104 protocol to SLDC Madurai through the VSAT modem.

Two Inverter Control Rooms (ICR) are provided, where both inverters’ RJ-45 to OFC converters are connected to the MCR’s RJ-45 to OFC converter through fiber optic (FO) cables.

In total, there are six inverters. Each ICR contains three inverters, one RJ-45 to OFC converter, one Advantech gateway, and two Tiny gateways, all of which are connected to the Ethernet switch via RJ-45 cables.

Silent features of this project

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This project involves the design and implementation of a communication network used in an industrial or power plant setting.

Includes critical components such as inverters, Ethernet switches, RJ-45 to OFC converters, and gateways to facilitate efficient data transmission using the IEC 104 protocol.

Two main sections, ICR 01 and ICR 02, are integrated with Ethernet switches and RJ-45 to OFC converters, enabling seamless communication across the system.

Gateways such as the Advantech Gateway and Tiny Gateway are deployed to ensure proper communication between different networks.

Inverters are connected through SMB units, ensuring reliable data and power conversion within the network.

The system is further extended with VSAT Router and VSAT Modem connectivity, providing integration with a satellite communication network.

The entire setup ensures that data is transmitted using the IEC 104 protocol, meeting industry standards for power plant communication.

A dedicated Communication Status panel is included to monitor the status of various connections. It displays active and inactive states along with labels for RJ45, RS485, and FO cables.

Overall, this project successfully demonstrates a robust and efficient communication infrastructure designed for monitoring and managing power plant operations.