Network Upgrade Provides Self-Healing Capabilities

Originally published in TPO Magazine

Problem

The City of Monroe, North Carolina, needed to add fast, automatic self-healing capabilities to its SCADA fiber network. Their distribution network spans a 40-mile area, including electric and gas transmission plus water control and monitoring.

Solution

Upgrade the city's existing H&L Instruments 561-based fiber network to a 570-based fiber network. Configure the network in a loop using two redundant masters 15 miles apart, with four 22-mile spans between masters. Additionally, configure separate 2-mile and 15-mile radial network branches out to water towers/lift-stations, and leverage the model 570's 126 communication channels and remote master/slave configuration options using H&L's FiberPanel software.

Result

According to Teresa McBrayer, member of the City of Monroe's Energy Services group "A few months after upgrading to the 570-based network, we experienced two simultaneous fiber cable dig-ins. The 570s instantaneously switched the main portion of the network from single-loop mode to two radial networks. The FiberPanel alarms sounded, and we saw immediately where to dispatch crews to begin repairs. Due to the fast self-healing, we never lost a beat in monitoring and control of our SCADA network."