| TLAMP Success Stories |
| Tucson Electric Power (TEP), electric service provider for Tucson, Arizona (U.S.), used TLAMP to update its 345-kV transmission line inspection and reporting system from a method based on paper and spreadsheets to an automated, client-server based electronic system with remote field inspection units. |
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| At A Glance |
Client
Tucson Electric Power
Tucson, Arizona, USA
www.tucsonelectric.com |
Industry
Electric Transmission and Distribution |
| Key Challenges |
- Go from paper maintenance/inspection process to GIS/GPS enabled data automation
- Integration with home-grown systems
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| Solution and Services |
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| Existing Environment |
- EAMS (home-grown asset management system)
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| Key Benefits |
- Eliminated paper inspection and maintenance records
- Reduced response time for helicopter inspections
- Integrated inspection data with asset management system
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Before upgrading to TLAMP, TEP’s inspection data was recorded on paper patrol sheets. This process was updated in 2005 when the patrol sheets were converted into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet – and later, to a Microsoft Access database. This change helped with reporting, but inspection observations still had to be entered by hand into the work order management system. The standalone system also lacked interfaces with other programs, and inspectors could not access the electric system geographic and asset information (GIS) from the field.
When TEP officials set out to standardize the collection and warehousing of data gathered from inspections of its transmission system, they sought out a product that could be used in the field as well as in the office. The field units, to be used from helicopters, trucks and other vehicles, would need to reference existing GIS and have GPS capabilities. Office users would connect to the inspection server database via workstations to generate work orders based on observations collected with the field units. The product also would have to be expandable and compatible with the company’s Enterprise Asset Management System (EAMS) and other system applications.
After more than a year of research, TEP awarded the contract to Mesa, Arizona-based activeG LLC. TEP officials hoped TLAMP would standardize its inspection maintenance data, integrate and share that data and tie into the company’s home grown asset management system.
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Aerial Inspections
activeG delivered TLAMP to TEP in April 2006, ahead of schedule and just in time for the company’s bi-annual flight patrol. During its inspection flight seasons, TEP inspects approximately 500 corridor miles of 345-kV transmission lines over five days. On the first day of the company’s April flight season, John Johnston of activeG went along to train TEP’s line patrol expert Cary Stubbs on TLAMP’s inspection observation gathering functions. In no time, Stubbs was inputting the inspection records and navigating the user interface. TLAMP incorporates a user-friendly front end with drop-down menus triggered by “hot keys” for simplicity and speed. TLAMP’s GPS interface tracks the vehicle – in this case, the helicopter – on the TLAMP line route screen, displaying detailed electric system information and the geography for the surrounding area. This allows the operator to know exactly where he is relative to the line route at all times. After the patrol was complete, the interface to the server was put to test by successfully synchronizing the TLAMP server database with the field units. |
Main observation screen of TEP's TLAMP ™ instance
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According to Jim Bennet of TEP, "TLAMP has exceeded all of TEP’s expectations in performance, time savings, expandability, and reliability. Thanks to TLAMP, TEP has evolved from paper-based collection and reporting to a cutting edge GIS/GPS driven system for its transmission line inspections...". Generating work orders from inspection observations is now automated, and accurate, up-to-date reports are now available to anyone connected to the TLAMP server database. TEP is currently working to integrate a wireless sky-card system with TLAMP, which will allow field workers to send and receive data from any location where a wireless connection is available. With TLAMP in place, the sky is no longer the limit for TEP’s line inspection capabilities.
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About TEP
TEP, now in its third century of serving residents of Southern Arizona, has a rich tradition of utility operations. TEP, a subsidiary of UniSource Energy Corporation (NYSE: UNS), provides safe, reliable power to more than 392,000 customers in southern Arizona. For more information about TEP, visit www.tep.com. For more information about UniSource Energy, visit www.uns.com.
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