Advanced Technology for the Control of an Unattended, Hydro Power Plant

The automation of an unattended power plant, located at a remote site, requires design concepts different from those generally applied to control systems at attended locations. The usual dual, redundant computer configuration which has been proven to be satisfactory for manned control centers or attended power plants does not solve the basic problem of unattended, automatic stations, i.e., the problem of getting human assistance only when there is a definite need for intervention. This paper describes how the application of new technology makes possible a low-cost yet reliable control system which can effectively perform all of the required automatic functions and at the same time act as a permanent, full-time, plant operator, not quite as intelligent as its human counterpart but smart enough to ask for outside help when needed.