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Highlights

  • RipEX, 50 kHz/ 16DEQAM
  • RipEX2, 200 kHz/256QAM
  • Power distribution
  • Remote meter reading
  • Two levels backhaul
  • Base Driven Protocol
  • TCP/IP
QUESTIONS ?

Celesc, the largest power distributor in the state of Santa Catarina in Brazil with more than 3 million customers, is one of the leaders in innovation in the field of AMR (Automated Meter Reading) and AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure). The city of Araranguá has been selected for a pilot project to remotely collect data from power meters in order to automate metering. In total, approximately 35,400 meters were connected.

The tender was won by Wasion, a manufacturer of power distribution equipment such as electricity meters, WiSUN gateways, balance meters, etc.

Waison’s search for a reliable communication solution resulted in the choice of RipEX radio modems, which Celesc has been using in other applications for many years.

The AMI project in Araranguá consists of the following parts:

  • Smart meters
  • Smart set for measuring electrical values in transformers
  • FAN (Field Area Network) – a communication network to connect the end points to the concentrators. Realized by using RF Mesh WiSUN equipment in the free 900 MHz band.
  • Backbone Network – communication network for bidirectional secure data transmission between the FAN concentrators and the MDC system in the centre. Realized by using RipEX and RipEX2 radio modems in the 400 MHz licence band.
  • Network device management system
  • MDC (Meter Data Collector) – system responsible for receiving measurement data and processing events to ensure the security and integrity of field data.
  • MDM (Meter Data Management) – a system responsible for metering data management

Wasion engineers, together with RACOM technical support, designed a tree-structured communication solution. The end meters were divided into 120 areas. In each area there is one concentrator to which approximately 300 meters are connected via WiSUN.

The concentrators are grouped into 12 clusters, where in one cluster there are about 10 concentrators that communicate to the cluster center via RipEX radio modems. Since the data volumes transferred from the clusters are high, the clusters communicate to the center in the city of Araranguá via RipEX2 radio modems, which have a capacity of up to 1.7 Mbps. The network centre in Araranguá is connected to CELESC’s control system in Florianópolis via an IP network.

As it happens in real life, installation and commissioning was not problem-free. Before the installations, a study and theoretical network design was carried out. In practice, however, it turned out that in some places the theory did not correspond to practice (metal shelters near the antennas, new high-rise buildings, etc.) and the strength and quality of the signals were not sufficient. Fortunately, RipEX radio modems are very flexible and the endpoints can work as repeaters for others at the same time, which has been used in several cases, saving significant investments.

After storms, which are very frequent and strong in the Araranguá area, some radio modems were damaged. Our technical support engineer in Brazil, in collaboration with our local partner Utili, found on site that the source of the problems was insufficient grounding on the installed sites. After implementing our recommendations, the problems no longer occur and the network has a long-term availability of 99.9%.

The AMI project in Araranguá is an example that even when problems occur in practice, RACOM and its partners resolve them quickly.

Highlights

  • RipEX2, with Cellular module
  • 400 MHz, 25 kHz, D8PSK – 256QAM
  • Modbus TCP
  • Flexible protocol, up to 6 repeaters
  • Report by exception
  • Sleep mode
  • Solar powering
QUESTIONS ?

RACOM radio modems can be used in many different ways. One of the less typical ones is data transfer from remote, tectonically active places.

Laguna del Maule, a glacial lake of volcanic origin located in the Andes Mountains on the border between Chile and Argentina at an altitude of 2,165 m, is an important water reservoir in the area. Its water level was raised by a dam in 1957.

Tectonic plates are shifting in these area and the land surface is uplifting at a rate of up to 25 cm per year, with a total increase of 1.8 m between 2016 and 2020. This uplift is one of the largest of all volcanoes that are not actively erupting. It is therefore not surprising that the area is under permanent monitoring and continuous measurements are carried out.

RipEX2 radio modems were chosen for the data transfer from the measurement sites after a careful selection and testing process. Radio coverage of the extensive and hilly area was not easy and the most remote sites are connected via 6 repeaters, which is only possible with Flexible protocol from RACOM.

There is no infrastructure in the mountains, so the radio modems are powered by solar panels and batteries. To minimize power consumption, Sleep mode is used, another of our unique features.

Most of the sites where the modems are installed are only accessible by helicopter, so great attention has also been focused on their reliability. This year 4.5m of snow was in the area, so access is really complicated.

Surprisingly, there is LTE coverage in some places, so we deployed RipEX2 with mPCIe Cellular module and used the LTE network as a backup route, taking advantage of another one of the unique features of our modem.

Thanks to the collaboration with our local partner MT Ingeniería y Construcción, the end user Management of Hydraulic Works, Maule Region is very satisfied with our network and data transfer went smoothly even during this year’s very tough winter.

Highlights

  • RipEX2, 400 MHz
  • DMR Tier 3
  • Voice Network
  • Base station interconnection
  • Full duplex p-t-p links
  • 50 kHz channel, 64 QAM, 250 kbps
  • Mountain area, NLOS
QUESTIONS ?

New Zealand is one of the countries where RACOM products are very popular. Since 2011, RipEX Radio modems have been installed here, which were later complemented by RAy Microwave links.

In recent years, our latest RipEX2 Radio modem has also been making its mark on the local market. Thanks to its high data speed of up to 1.7 Mbps and the possibility of full duplex operation, it is also deployed in applications where the use of VHF/UHF radio modems was previously not possible due to their limited data capacity. One example is the interconnection of base stations for voice DMR (Digital Mobile Radio) networks.

Ashley Communications provides voice mobile communications throughout the South Island of New Zealand. Ashley is steadily expanding its VHF DMR Tier 3 network and new interconnections between base stations are IP based.

Holland Communications, a long-time RACOM partner in New Zealand, offered Ashley our RipEX2 radio modems to test the possibility of connecting three remote sites to a central point on their DMR network.

The trial proved to be very successful and Ashley purchased new RipEX2 hardware to connect sites 50 km from each other in the rugged southern Alps of New Zealand. The full duplex links operate in the licensed 400 MHz band with 64 QAM modulation and 200 kbps on 50 kHz channels.

Compared to other options, building and then operating duplex links with RipEX2 is more economical than using microwave links, for example. Therefore, Ashley plans to use our radio modems to connect other base stations as well.

Highlights

  • RipEX2, 400 MHz
  • Power distribution
  • Full duplex p-t-p links
  • 1.6 Mbps
  • 99,9% availibility
  • 19‘ rack installation
  • Rio de Janeiro
QUESTIONS ?

RACOM has been active in the Brazilian market for many years and has hundreds of RipEX radio modems installed there.

In 2022, in cooperation with our local partner Utili, we were able to win a contract to supply p-t-p lines in the 400 MHz band for a utility company that supplies electricity in the state of Rio de Janeiro and is Brazil’s fourth largest power distribution company in terms of customers, with approximately 10 million.

Similar to other utility companies, the distribution network needs to be monitored and managed. Radio modems are also used for this purpose.

The volumes of data transferred from the most important substations are so high that these substations need to be connected by separate p-t-p links with maximum reliability and availability.

Aprisa XE equipment was used for these purposes. However, the customer was not satisfied with the performance and reliability of these links in the long term, so they decided to replace them with RipEX2 radio modems.

In the first phase, three full duplex links were installed. On two of them the maximum possible modulation 256 QAM is set in the 250 kHz channel, i.e. a speed of 1.6 Mbps in both directions simultaneously. The distances are 9 and 10 kilometers and both links achieve 99,9 % availability over the long term. The third link is very complicated from a radio propagation point of view as it has very strong multipath propagation and reflections in a distance of 9 Km. For this reason, a more robust 16DEQAM modulation had to be used to achieve 98% availability at 1.1 Mbps.

The RipEX2 units are installed in 19’ rack cabinet using the RipEX2-RS chassis and an external duplexer.

The design, installation and commissioning of the links was carried out with the participation of our engineer Lorena, who is based in Brazil and in charge of technical support in Latin America.

We are pleased that the end customer was impressed with the performance and reliability of the full duplex links with RipEX2 radio modems and we believe that more will links be added to the first three soon.

Highlights

  • RipEX, RipEX-HS, 400 MHz
  • Wellhead monitoring
  • Hazardous location
  • Base Driven Protocol
  • Modbus TCP
  • Solar powered
  • Siemens RTUs
QUESTIONS ?

Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) is a state owned Oi l& Gas Company in Pakistan. One of their production assets is the Adhi gas field, south of Islamabad. In order to minimize the production decline rate, a Field Compression facility is now used. To support efficient operation of this facility, permanent and improved real time monitoring of the well heads is required.

A SCADA system was installed around ten years ago to automate processes, reducing manpower requirements and providing greater levels of accuracy in reporting parameters at wellheads. However, this network did not meet the full requirements of the more recent Field Compression facility. PPL realized the need to migrate to a modern, future proofed radio data network. Avanceon was contracted as System Integrator to design, install and commission the new network.

After lengthy analysis and discussion with PPL, it was agreed the following parameters and design features were key: Multiple ports, Base Driven protocol, highest possible data speed, low power for use with solar panels, approval for use in hazardous locations and fully redundant hot standby units. The only radio that met all the criteria and more was the RACOM RipEX radio modem.

It was stipulated in the tender that the migration should be completed without network downtime or data collision, with both networks using the same frequency for communication. Fortunately RACOM Migration solution meets all these requirements. Radios and RTU’s would then be gradually migrated without any outages.

During installation, other areas of concern were raised. The RipEX solution answered all with ease:

  • Using a RipEX-HS, fully redundant master station with auto switch over allays fears of downtime within the network
  • Setting radio modems in sleep/save mode allows 24/7 communications between the RTUs and the center using solar power
  • RipEX Modbus TCP server functionality and Modbus TCP to Modbus RTU conversion has proven very useful for efficient communication

Since commissioning, PPL and Avanceon have monitored the migrated network closely. They have found it much more reliable and considerably faster than the old network. In addition, the RipEX radio modems are much easier to configure than those they replaced. Planning and budgeting has already been approved for expansion to other sites during 2021.

Avanceon were grateful for the levels of input that the RACOM Support team were able to provide and are looking forward to working with them in the future on this and other projects.

Highlights

  • RipEX, 400 MHz
  • Tanker loading
  • Marine environment
  • DNP3 protocol
  • Point to multipoint
  • Siemens RTU
  • Maximum reliability
QUESTIONS ?

Jadestone energy Australia PTE Ltd is an upstream oil and gas production company operating in the Asia Pacific Region. One of their assets is the oil producing Stag Field, offshore Western Australia.

Jadestone recently changed their operational procedures, employing a mobile tanker in the Stag Field. This saves considerably on operational costs and is environmentally safer than previous practice. However, in order to fully comply with Australian Government legislation and continue to operate, they are now required to simultaneously monitor three analogue signals; the anchor cable tension, pipe pressure and solar voltages. All three signals must be monitored on both the tanker and the platform.

APautomation from Perth, Australia were contracted to design, implement and commission the new network. Because of the extremely high costs of running a production platform, the network must have uninterrupted operation. It was quickly realized that robustness and reliability were key parameters making the RACOM RipEX radio modem an obvious choice. Not only does it offer the levels of reliability required with industrial hardened design and heavy-duty industrial components, it also has a range of other features highlighted for this solution: long range transmissions [50 Km], standard TCP/IP protocol, low power consumption and wide ranges of DC supply.

The new network uses 4 RipEX radios and Siemens RTU’s communicating using DNP3 protocol in a point to multipoint configuration between the FSO [floating, storage and offloading] and calm buoy.

When it came to implementation it was decided the easiest way of achieving this would be to simply remove the old network and install a new one. RipEX is extremely easy to configure allowing APautomation to complete the work without the need of any support from RACOM.

Due to the success of the new network, Jadestone energy are already in talks with APautomation to consider other oilfields they operate and where similar networks could help improve the operation and protect the environment.

Highlights

  • RipEX, RipEX2
  • Water Management
  • Migration Solution
  • Multiple Repeaters
  • Custom protocol, Modbus TCP, TCP/IP
  • Opto 22 EPIC / Allen Bradley ControlLogix
QUESTIONS ?

Opto Solutions and sister company, Systems Integrator Perceptive Controls & Services, along with others, have recently come under the umbrella of UpT Reliability Solutions. They now combine over 135 years joint experience and expertise to provide turnkey solutions across different business sectors with a single point of contact, to manage projects from start to commissioning, saving customers time, energy, and money.

As an example of what this can offer the market, Opto Solutions and Perceptive controls have recently worked together to provide Migration Solutions to 3 separate water utility companies in the US Mid West, that provide both potage and waste water services. Within all three legacy networks, there were either obsolete radios, a continuing history of multiple communication failures, or both. In all cases, the reliability of the networks was significantly compromised. This was particularly obvious at sites linked using multiple repeaters.

Migration was performed using a parallel operation of legacy radios and RipEX, over two frequencies. All end users were amazed to see how easy RipEX is to configure and that the modem handles all security issues seamlessly and automatically! One end user commented, “Whatever the RTU, it just seems to work. It is as though the RTUs are hardwired in to the computer in the office. Really it just works – I am amazed it could be this easy!”

  • In Portage, MI, the migrated network uses RACOM RipEX and contains 82 radios. The RTUs are Opto 22 EPIC CPU and communicate using a simple yet effective custom protocol developed by Opto Solutions.
  • In Union Township, MI, the migrated network uses RACOM RipEX2 and contains 22 radios. The RTUs are also Opto 22 EPIC CPU but in this network, communication uses Modbus TCP protocol.
  • In Plainwell, MI, the migrated network uses RACOM RipEX and contains 12 radios. In this network the RTUs are Allen Bradley ControlLogix processors and communication is via TCP/IP.

The reliability of RipEX means the end users now enjoy trouble free communication across their networks with no failures or need for constant maintenance. As Todd Reynolds, Partner at Opto Solutions has said “Not one of our 25 engineers have found fault with RipEX. It does what it says on the box and then just keeps on doing it!”

Highlights

  • RipEX2, 400 MHz
  • Water Management
  • Migration solution
  • 16 DEQAM modulation
  • 25 kHz channel
  • Up to four Repeaters
  • Two Control centres
QUESTIONS ?

Vodovody a kanalizace Havlíčkův Brod, a.s. (VaKHB) is a potable water and waste water utility company in Czech Republic that has responsibility for providing potable water services to over 71,000 people. VaKHB owns and operates 3 drinking water plants and some 888 km of water mains. In addition, VaKHB manages waste water disposal for 55,000 people using 325km of sewage pipes and 11 waste water treatment plants. The entire water supply and disposal systems are currently managed from one control centre.

Since 2003 VaKHB has used RACOM MR25 and MR400 radio modems to manage its resources using two independent radio data networks. The legacy telemetry devices were connected to radio modems via RS232 and used legacy serial protocols.

The 17 year old radio network is still highly reliable but its capacity is not good enough for ever-increasing demands on the amount of data to be transferred. VaKHB decided to migrate its legacy communication system to the latest technology that will also allow implementation of security features to meet current and future needs for data communication in mission-critical SCADA networks.

Comparisons between RipEX2 and market competitors coupled with the close relationship developed over the years between VaKHB and RACOM, quickly brought the realisation that RACOM would provide the best state-of-the-art, future-proofed hardware and network solution.

Design and implementation of the project was prepared and completed by the RACOM team, engineers from VaKHB’s SCADA network department and the team at Tele Data Control, all working in close cooperation. TDC is a System integrator and long term partner of RACOM.

Migration to the new network is taking place over an extended period of time and uses a third new frequency that utilizes a 25 kHz channel. All (legacy) remote RTU’s are now connected via COM ports and the centre is using polling type of communication. However, the new network is already ready for future upgrade to TCP/IP communication and report-by-exception. Some remotes require up to four repeaters to allow them to communicate with the control centre, so Flexible protocol is a must. When migration is complete, the number of networks will be reduced to two or even one. VaKHB is also planning to create a second control centre with full access to the radio network.

The new solution uses 16DEQAM modulation and has twice the capacity of the legacy network, offers the latest IP ready technology and future-proofed features making it an excellent investment toward future upgrades to modern RTU’s.

During a recent conversation, Vratislav Straka from VaKHB SCADA department stated:
“RipEX2 helped us solve the problem with data capacity in our radio network. It is also the first step toward migration of the entire network to a modern IP solution meeting the latest demands on data communication in mission-critical SCADA networks.”

Highlights

  • RipEX2, 150 MHz
  • Underground
  • Leaky Feeder
  • 256QAM
  • Point to Multipoint
QUESTIONS ?

For over 30 years SIGMA Telecom have been producing underground communication solutions for mines, vehicle tunnels and other confined environments. In that time, they have provided communications solutions in over 1000 underground applications over all 5 continents. Their solutions support vent control, air quality measurement, water and power control etc.

As technology has advanced Sigma’s customer base has made requests for faster communications and demands for greater capacity for data transfer. In response to these requests Sigma has developed the new DOLF (Data Over Leaky Feeder) system

The planning of this new system demanded a future-proofed radio modem with state-of-the-art parameters: maximal data speed and throughput, multiple serial and Ethernet ports, industrial grade robustness and reliability to maintain functionality in harsh underground environments and maximum versatility to meet the unique needs of each application. Exhaustive research of the market came up with only one option – The RACOM RipEX radio modem.

The base station is situated at the leaky feeder Head End, on the surface. All remotes are positioned in the many underground tunnels with wireless connectivity to the base station using Sigma’s DOLF leaky feeder system. The Leaky Feeder has line amplifiers that maintain the level of the network allowing excellent quality in voice and data communications and excellent signal levels, even several kilometres underground. The network uses Point to Multipoint communications with traffic on the radio channel managed by RACOM’s unique collision free Base driven protocol. During development RACOM was on hand to provide technical information and support with connection to the many RTU´s as required.

Sigma and its customers are delighted with this new system and are keen to expand the use of DOLF in other situations as benefits become more and more obvious. Some immediate benefits have already been identified: users will be able to reduce the number of trips below ground to obtain essential information that would normally take 3 to 4 hours; in most cases this means 1 complete miner shift.

RACOM looks forward to supporting Sigma as it rolls out this new solution globally.

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