Brazil’s CELPE Deploys RAD’s Megaplex to Enhance its Network Quality, Reliability and Availability

Transcript:

With more than nine million people in its territory CELPE has three million customers.

CELPE is part of the NEOENERGIA GROUP, which is one of Brazil’s major electrical services company, serving 10 million consumers, more than any other corporation in the country.

We own a very large plant, and this plant has to work – and work well. 

We conducted a detailed study to define a new technology that will meet the company’s current and future needs.

We found that the best alternative would be  a technology called TDMoIP, developed by RAD, that enables smooth migration from legacy systems to IP networks, and our acquisition of RAD’s Megaplex enables us to enhance our network’s quality, reliability and availability.

There are two versions: Megaplex-2100 units, deployed in the metropolitan network and connecting two optical fiber networks that service 27 substations. By the end of the year we expect to have 40 substations connected. Another version is the Megaplex-4 unit. These units have a capacity of up to 1Gbps and connect to our backbone in the interior of the state. They support over 20 substations and also transport all the data from our regional units in Caruaru, Serra Talhada and Petrolina.

Before RAD’s solution the capacity of the PDH network in Greater Recife was 2Mbps. Now it is over 100Mbps. You can see that we have increased our capacity and data transmission speeds by 50 times over.

We have substantially increased the  reliability of our network, mainly through the implementation of optical protection rings.

The increase in capacity has made it feasible to implement new services, such as qualimetry, telemeasure of the energy at the substation, energy purchased and sold at the substation. Adjustment of protection relays, which improve electric system performance – and the possibility of implementing monitoring at substations, complying with the new IEC 61850 automation protocol over internet channels and any other service that may be  introduced that needs to be transported over communication links.

It was a bet we made. At the time we were not well acquainted with the equipment.

CELPE is very satisfied with both the quality of the equipment and the services provided by RAD.

RAD did not just sell us the equipment – the project development, equipment installation, equipment configuration, and post-sales consultations were all included, and so far, RAD has been the partner of our dreams.