Shielded Enclosure for SCADA Network
Case Study
Background
A Tier 1 telecommunications provider found that they were experiencing reliability issues with SCADA data transmission equipment located in electricity substations for a key customer, one of the UK’s major electricity generation and distribution infrastructure operators.
The challenge
Locating sensitive electronics within a high-power electrical environment can be a challenge, due to the unwanted impact of electromagnetic field interference. It’s the same reason phones and tablets must be switched off during takeoff and landing on flights.
Our approach
Rainford Solutions’ approach involved understanding the nature of the interference in detail – the particular field frequencies and magnitudes that were causing problems – and designing a shielding solution to provide the necessary mitigation.
Rainford Solutions has completed almost 4,000 customer projects to date, which gives us a huge library of building blocks from previous designs and experience to draw upon. It means that unique designs do not begin from a completely blank piece of paper, so development costs, and crucially time to market, are not inhibitors to a highly tailored solution.
Our solution
Shielded enclosures were designed, first article prototypes were then tested and independently certified by a UKAS laboratory to prove the electromagnetic containment (EMC) shielding effectiveness.
Due to Rainford Solution’s experience and ‘design reuse’ methodology, the prototypes passed the first time, and volume production on standard lead times was available immediately after.
Outcome
The new SCADA upgrade has allowed the electricity network operator unparalleled insight and control over their asset performance, saving millions of pounds and contributing to strategic environmental goals.