Case Study: Radio Application in a Smart Grid System for a Brownfield Onshore Dispersed oil Field: Copyright Material IEEE, Paper No. PCIC-2018-40

Smart grid systems for onshore oil fields use real-time, high-speed field data from intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) to make fast and intelligent decisions that increase power system reliability and minimize power outages. For an efficient smart grid system, a reliable communications network to the IEDs and centralized controllers is critical for high-speed control and data collection. Communications networks that use conventional fiber networks are not always cost-effective for large dispersed oil fields, which have hundreds of miles of medium-voltage overhead distribution systems. This paper discusses the implementation of a smart grid system for a large dispersed oil field using radios as its communications network. The solution includes high-speed load shedding, online monitoring, event reporting, oscillography, and engineering access. This paper also discusses the process used to design and test the radio technology, including the evaluation of its success metrics, network security, radio path study, and optimization.