Case Study: City Utilities of Springfield modernizes WAN communications with SEL

City Utilities of Springfield - Customer Case Study

City Utilities of Springfield, an electric utility in Springfield, Missouri, needed to improve its communications system because an aging T1 multiplexer was starting to fail and its outdated network design with eight rings and HCB relays could not tolerate the delay. Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) was brought in to help modernize the WAN communications setup.

SEL recommended upgrading to SEL-387L Line Current Differential Relays and using SEL ICON with an IEEE C37.94 interface instead of the old T1 multiplexer, which eliminated expensive copper wiring and HCB interfaces and simplified the network to a three-ring system. The upgrade reduced nodes from 61 to 49, saved an estimated $192,000, and provided the communications performance needed for protection circuits, while also giving City Utilities a modern system backed by strong SEL support.

City Utilities of Springfield

David Thompson

General Supervisor Substation Operations