1.1 THE PURPOSE OF THIS PAPER IS TO DESCRIBE THE NEW DATA ACQUISITION AND CONTROL SYSTEM THAT WAS INSTALLED BY BAY STATE GAS COMPANY IN A NEW DISPATCH CENTER BUILT IN LUDLOW, MASSACHUSETTS, ON SITE OF AN EXISTING LNG PLANT. THIS COMPUTER-BASED DISPATCH SYSTEM WILL ASSIST THE DISPATCHER IN PERFORMING GAS DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM MONITORING AND CONTROL FUNCTIONS BAY STATE GAS DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM.
1.2 BAY STATE GAS COMPANY SUPPLIES NATURAL GAS TO APPROXIMATELY 225,000 RESIDENTIAL AND INDUSTRIAL CUSTOMERS IN MASSACHUSETTS, SOUTHEASTERN NEW HAMPSHIRE AND THE STATE OF MAINE. IN MASSACHUSETTS, BAY STATE GAS COMPANY CONSISTS OF THREE OPERATING DIVISIONS, BROCKTON, SPRINGFIELD, AND LAWRENCE. THE NATURAL GAS IN THE BROCKTON DIVISION IS SUPPLIED BY THE ALGONQUIN GAS TRANSMISSION COMPANY AND HAS A SEPARATE DISPATCH CENTER. THE MAINE, NEW HAMPSHIRE AREAS AND THE SPRINGFIELD, NORTHAMPTON AND LAWRENCE AREAS IN MASSACHUSETTS ARE UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE COMPUTER BASED DISPATCH SYSTEM. THEY ARE NOT INTER-CONNECTED EXCEPT THAT THEY SHARE A COMMON SOURCE OF NATURAL GAS SUPPLY - TENNESSEE GAS PIPELINE COMPANY (T.G.P.). THE PIPELINE SUPPLY CONTRACT DOES ALLOW GAS TO BE DISPLACED AMONG THE OPERATING AREAS, THUS ALLOWING CLOSER INTERGRATION OF DISPATCH OPERATION.
1.2 IN THE AREAS SUPPLIED BY TGP APPROXIMETELY 83,000 MCFD OF NATURAL GAS PLUS AN ADDITIONAL 14,000 OF UNDERGROUND STORAGE ENTERS THE DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM THROUGH TWO GATE STATIONS AT SPRINGFIELD, ONE EACH AT NORTHAMPTON, LAWRENCE AND GRANITE STATE. THE GRANITE STATE GATE STATION SUPPLIES GAS FOR THE 150 MILES PIPELINE THAT SERVES THE NEW HAMPSHIRE-, MAINE AREAS. IN THESE SERVICE AREAS THE COMPANY USES EXTENSIVE PEAK-SHAVING FACILITIES CONSISTING OF SIX (6) L.P. PLANTS AND THREE (3) LNG PLANTS. THE LNG PLANT IN THE SPRINGFIELD AREA HAS LIQUEFACTION CAPABILITY. DISPATCH OPERATIONS FOR. THE T.G.P. SUPPLIED AREAS ARE CONDUCTED FROM TWO (2) SEPARATE DISPATCH CENTERS. THE COMPUTER BASED CENTER AT LUDLOW AND A SECOND IN NEW HAMPSHIRE FOR THE NORTHERN UTILITY SERVICE AREAS.
1.3 BAY STATE GAS DISPATCHERS, AIDED BY THE COMPUTER BASED DISPATCH SYSTEM, ARE MONITORING AND CONTROLLING THE GAS DISTRIBUTION NETWORK AND L.P. PLANTS IN SPRINGFIELD, NORTHAMPTON AND LAWRENCE SERVICE AREAS FROM A SINGLE DISPATCH CENTER AT LUDLOW. UTILIZING A COMBINATION OF CATHODE RAY TUBE (CRT) DISPLAYS, AND LOGGERS THE DISPATCH SYSTEM PRESENTS IMPORTANT TELEMETERED AND CALCULATED OPERATING PARAMETERS TO DISPATCHERS IN CONCISE AND USEFUL FORM. CONTROL OVER ALL REMOTE DISTRIBUTION EQUIPMENT IS EXERCISED THROUGH THE DISPATCH SYSTEM USING THE CRT, KEYBOARDS AND SPECIAL FUNCTION PUSHBUTTONS. PRESENTLY THE SYSTEM HAS THE CAPABILITY OF MONITORING A TOTAL OF 505 TELEMETERED POINTS, THRU SIX (6) REMOTE TERMINAL UNITS. THE INFORMATION, TO AND FROM THE RTU'S, IS TRANSMITTED TO THE MASTER STATION AT LUDLOW OVER HALF DUPLEX 3002 DATA CIRCUITS - NO CONDITIONING. THE SYSTEM OPERATES THREE (3) SEPARATE DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS, FOUR (4) GATE STATIONS, FOUR (4) AUTOMATED L. P. PLANTS, FOUR (4) STABILIZATION PLANTS AND THREE (3) TRANSFER STATIONS WITH OTHER GAS COMPANIES. BAY STATE GAS COMPANY IS IN THE PROCESS OF ADDING FOUR (4) ADDITIONAL RTU'S IN THE NEW HAMPSHIRE AND MAINE SERVICE AREAS.
