INTRODUCTION

Detailed Data Entry Description

GADS NxL Data Entry allows you to collect and report validated, error-free GADS performance and event data in the standard formats required by the NERC GADS, NYISO, ISO-NE, PJM Interconnection, and all major ISOs.

The GADS data collected also conforms to ANSI/IEEE Standard 762-1987 entitled "IEEE Standard Definitions for Use in Reporting Electric Generating Unit Reliability, Availability, and Productivity".

The software is specifically designed to allow plant staff and headquarters staff to collect the full set of GADS data as easily as possible. Because the data validation is performed as the data is being entered, any data errors are immediately displayed to the user and can be corrected in real time. Data may be entered for any type of electric generating unit including fossil steam, combustion turbine, jet engine, combined cycle, nuclear, diesel, fluidized bed, and hydro generating units.

The software performs the same verifications and validations that are done by NERC, the NYISO, the ISO-NE and PJM. For PJM, the software performs all PJM Level 1 and Level 2 data validation checks.

Database Options

GADS NxL Analysis and Reporting is a full-featured 32-bit software application built on Microsoft's .NET framework allowing the GADS Performance and Event data tables, as well as the calculated statistics data tables, to be stored in any of the following database systems:

Oracle 8i
Oracle 9i
Microsoft Access
Microsoft SQL Server 7
Microsoft SQL Server 2000
Microsoft Data Engine (MSDE)
Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Desktop Engine (MSDE 2000)

Benefits

All of the GADS performance and event data are stored in various tables in a single database, eliminating the need to pass around 82-column GADS ASCII files; ensuring that all data corrections are synched between headquarters and the plant sites; and alleviating the need for multiple versions of each plant's data. All historical variations in GADS record layouts are incorporated into the database structures, thus eliminating the need for data conversions to support GADS record format changes that have occurred since 1982.

Installation

Configurations

The application can be installed to run in any and all of the following configurations:

Desktop - individual user (Microsoft Access, MSDE, or MSDE 2000)
LAN/WAN Windows application with unlimited concurrent user access
Intranet using Internet Explorer or Netscape (no client-side software)
Internet using Internet Explorer or Netscape (no client-side software)

Full Windows, Basic Authentication with SSL, and forms authentication with SSL available for full security for all application interfaces.

Types

The event and performance data are stored in tables in one database. Depending upon your data requirements and infrastructure, you may have a:

distributed installation with a database on each GADS reporter's desktop
LAN/WAN installation with a single database on a central server
browser-enabled installation with a single database on a central server

You are not limited to just one of these installations.

For example, if you have GADS reporters in remote locations that do not have either Internet or intranet access, they can have the "distributed installation" at each remote plant location while the remainder of your GADS reporters access the single centralized database via a Windows (LAN/WAN) user interface (UI) or a browser-enabled UI (Internet or intranet) — all at the same time. This "multi-type" arrangement does require the remote reporters to send their 82-column ASCII GADS data files to the central administrator in order to merge their data with the rest of the units' data. (This would normally be sent in a password-protected ZIP file via email.)

Importing from Other Vendor's Products

MicroGADS™ Data Entry and Edit databases may be imported directly; thus simplifying the conversion process. The MicroGADS databases are opened in a read-only mode; therefore, their data is not modified in any way should it be necessary to use those files at a later time.

MicroGADS is a trademark of Navigant Consulting, Inc.

If necessary, you may import any standard GADS 80 or 82-column formatted ASCII text file.

Output Options

NERC 80/82-column ASCII records for all or selected units (including NYISO-designated units if desired)
PJM formatted output for PJM-designated units
NYISO reduced output (Performance 01 and 02 records and Event 01 records) for NYISO-designated units
Direct interface to GADS NxL Analysis and Reporting

The output may be generated for NERC GADS/ISO-NE, for the NYISO, and for PJM on a unit-by-unit basis. Each unit may be set-up to report any single or combination of these output formats simplifying the process when sending GADS data to multiple recipients.

Data Reporting Options

Available options (may be set for each individual generating unit):

Daylight savings time including DST adjustments for North America, Europe, Russia, Australia and New Zealand
Fuel quantity input formats

NERC - in 1000s of tons to 2 decimal places, etc., or
Expanded - in tons, barrels, Mcf, etc. The Expanded format provides a format for data entry that is more consistent with the units of measurement that are most common in the industry such as tons, barrels and Mcf. (When creating the NERC fuel performance records, the output file will be written out in the standard NERC fuel format.)
A metric data option allowing Systeme International (SI) units for fuel quantity burned, fuel heat content, and other fuel properties. Values such as heat rates are also displayed in either English or metric units.

For gas-fueled units, entering fuel data as either quantity burned and heat content OR total Btus and heat content
Fuel properties such as moisture, ash and sulfur content can be made optional on a unit-by-unit basis so that they are not displayed on the input screens
NYISO dataset option allows the input of only the reduced performance and event dataset required by the NYISO, instead of the full GADS dataset
Performance 02 card hours may be input to two decimal places and validated to the +/-0.15 hours as required by PJM, or to the whole hours as required by NERC
NERC's optional "expanded data reporting" for reporting more detailed operating and maintenance data is included
Jointly Owned Unit - capacity, generation and fuel consumption data may be entered for the entire unit and for the owner's portion.

The Jointly Owned Unit option allows the GADS NxL Analysis and Reporting software to provide reports for the entire unit and for just the ownership share. (Due to the use of the "full unit" data in calculating the effects of the event data, the full unit data must be entered when creating the GADS standard output for transmittal to NERC, ISO-NE, NYISO and PJM.)

User and Group Authorization

Establish users (data reporters) and groups for authorization to enter and edit data for each unit. This means that individual data reporters can enter and edit data only for the units that they are authorized. Designated Administrators can enter and edit data for any and all units in the database.

Reserve Shutdowns

There is a special Reserve Shutdown (RS) entry screen that allows for easily reporting a large number of RS events that typically occur at peaking units such as combustion turbines or jet engines, thus reducing the burden on GADS data reporters when the reporting of all RS events is required.

General Information

In our experience, most GADS reporters generally either

Enter the event data on a daily or weekly basis if the number of events that occur each month at the plant site is large, or
Enter the event data after the end of the month along with the performance data.

Either can produce accurate and valid GADS data.

Future Enhancements

Currently in development is an interface that will allow hourly generation data to be loaded into the GADS Performance data allowing the subsequent calculation of hourly or daily performance measures, as well as eliminating the need to input monthly generation data.

Additionally, a module to support the PJM eFuel software that will permit the uploading of both the unit-level fuel cost data and the plant-level fuel data as either a fixed format ASCII file or an XML file, is currently in development.

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