User's Manual

Table Of Contents

6 TWACS

-ORION

for UMT Products User Guide

TWACS System Overview

The TWACS system is a fixed network, utility communication system. Running at

a centralized location, the TWACS operating software communicates with end

points, such as meters, by way of existing power lines. The TWACS system allows

full two-way access to and from the consumer’s meter, providing communication

and control features for the Utility.

The TWACS system consists of three levels of components (see Figure 1.1):

• Master Station (MS)

The Master Station TWACS operating software, either TWACS Net Server

(TNS) or TWACS® Network Gateway (TWACS NG), is the chief

component of the entire Two-Way Automatic Communication System

(TWACS). The Master Station software manages all collected metering and

interval data as well as the connection between the utility and the consumer’s

premises. TNS is DCSI’s standard solution while TWACS NG is available

for very large deployments requiring a high volume of readings for

time-of-use or critical peak pricing programs.

The primary functions of TNS and TWACS NG are:

• Managing the TWACS system communication network.

• Supporting applications such as metering, troubleshooting, outage

detection, and load control.

• Collecting remote meter data for the database server, which forwards the

data to a third-party utility software application.

TNS and TWACS NG are part of the corporate enterprise network. The

system is based on the Oracle® database, which is an open system, meaning

it can interact and inter-operate with other applications on local and remote

systems, on a variety of hardware platforms, and in a number of software

environments. The system provides the user interfaces for configuring the

necessary parameters to retrieve and send data.

• Substation Communications Equipment (SCE)

• Remote Communications Equipment (RCE)

This is the level at which the meter transponder resides within the electric

meter.

As shown in Figure 1.1, outbound messages originate in the Master Station and

pass through the substation to the transponder (RCE). Inbound meter data is sent

from the transponder to the SCE, where it is decoded and then sent to the Master

Station for analysis or bill file creation.