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IEEE Transactions on Power Systems, Vol. 8, No. 3, August 1993 121 1 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN ELECTRIC POWER SYSTEMS A SURVEY OF THE JAPANESE INDUSTRY Saifur Rahinan Senior Meriibei Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University Blacksburg, VA 24061-0111, USA Abstract The major work on the theory and application of artificial intelligence (AI), which includes expert systems, is going on in the United States, Europe and Japan. The Japanese electric utility industry, manufacturers, universities and the government have taken a focused goal-oriented approach in this regard. The author has studied the Japanese involvement in this field and visited eight Japanese R&D laboratories, where he discussed the AI and expert system related activities (in the power industry). This paper provides a comprehensive look at the combined Japanese effort. The current topics of interest are: (i) AI and its application in power engineering; (ii) problems in AI applications development and their solutions, (iii) practical system examples; and (iv) AI applications to power systems of the future. Out of the 97 papers cited in this paper, 10 were produced by electric utilities, 10 by manufacturers, 17 by universities and 60 were joint efforts. This shows the level and importance of joint collaborative research among the Japanese researchers Even though they are working on many theorectical aspects of the AI technology including automated knowledge acquisition and verification, they still use significant amount of theoretical work done in the United States for successful prototyping of AI based tools. It is, however, safe to say that the use of AI tools in the Japanese electric power industry is far more widespread than what is seen in the United States or in Europe. 1.O Introduction There has been remarkable progress in the development of software and hardware for the analysis and design activities in power system planning, operation and control. However, much still depends on the judgment of human experts; i.e.. experienced planning and design personnel capable of making intuitive and efficient decisions on the basis of the comprehensive knowledge of the prevailing circumstances. Expansion of the power system, progress of technology, high equipment reliability and the resulting shortage of experience in dealing with faults have caused concern in the industry that the expertise in the planning and operation of power systems may be lost as staff retirements rise and replacements are slowed. It is possible that artificial intelligence (AI) tools can fill this void between the need for, and the availability of, experts in the future. Expert systems are powerful AI tools using which the knowledge of experts can be widely disseminated. During the last five years there have been significant activities in applying AI tools to power systems. A number of international conferences have been organized to specifically address this issue. The first one, Expert Systems Applications to Power Systems, was held in Stockholm, Sweden in August 1988. The Second Symposium on Expert Systems Application to Power Systems was held in Seattle. Washington in July 1989. The third such symposium was held in In addition, there was the First Tokyo, Japan in April 1991. International Forum on Applications of Neural Networks to Power Systems, held in Seattle, Washington in July 1991 The major work on the theory and application of A I is going on in the United States, Europe and Japan. The Japanese electric utility indusiry, manufacturers, universities and the govel-ntnent have taken a focused goal-oriented approach in this regard The author has studied the Japanese involvement in this field and visited eight Japanese R&D laboratories, where he discussed the research activities related to the AI tool development for the power industry. This paper provides a comprehensive look at the combined Japanese effort. In addition to the eight papers/reports cited which repi-eseiit the direction of research the Japanese powei- industry is pui-suing. 90 papers are referenced which represent all major expert system related research activities in Japan. A review of these papet-s will give the reader a detailed look at the Japanese electric power industry, their research priorities, and above all, the people and corporations involved in this research. 2.0 R&D in Japanese Electric Power Industry According to Hiramaya [A-I]. “the R R D comniittee in Central Electric Power Council, comprising Japan‘s nine utililies, the Electric Power Development Company (EPDC. a wholesale power comp:tny) and the Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industly (CRIEPI, funded by utilities) play a major role in coordinating joint R&D and in exchanging information on R&D plans arid strategies It also provides advice on national R&D projects to tlie .lapaneso government (MITI 01the Science and Technology Agency) ” He also states that, ”for electric energy RRD. the Japanese government funds about 1,385 million dollars (US) per year (1990), with almost the same amount provided by the utilities. This large government fund is obtained from a special tax paid by consumers as a part of the electric tarrif, and is allotted to reflect natioiial and global needs.” The social concerns and technological advances have added two new major areas to the utility R&D. One is the protection of the global environment by using cleaner energy technology, and the other is the application of information technologies such as artilicial intelligence and expert systems to power systems, For example, expert systems, neural network, and soflware development and assistance tools are both short term and long term elements of major R&D themes in all major Japanese electric utilites. Detailed discussion about the application of AI tools to the Japanese power industiy is presented in section 4.0. A brief description of the visits to the Japanese companies, R&D laboratories and a university is presented in the next section. 3.0 Companies, R&D Laboratories and Universities Visited 92 SM 397-0 PWRS A paper recommended and approved by the IEEE Power System Engineering Committee of the IEEE Power Engineering Society for presentation at the IEEE/PES 1992 Summer Meeting, Seattle, WA, July 12-16, 1992. Manuscript submitted January 28, 1992; made available for printing May 13, 1992. Along with their counterparts in the computer itidustry. who are focusing on the fifth generation computer, researchers in lhe major Japanese electric utifities and manufacturers are seriously pursuing the AI technology - both its theory and application Correspondence with several Japanese R R D organizations indicated that niiicli more work is in progress there than is reported in major English language journals. A large volume of the expert system development work i s currently directed at the Japanese electric utility and tlie manufacturing industry. In order to obtain first hand information about these activities, the author visited several .Japanese R B D organizations in November 1990 and in Api-il 1991. These organizations are listed in the following. DiSctJSsiOliS were held with a total of 31 engineers and scientists during these visils. 0885-8950/93$03.00 0 1992 IEEE 1212 I. Hitachi Research Laboratory Toshiba Corporation, Fuchu Works 2. 3. Mitsubishi Electric Corp. 4. Tokyo Electric Power Co..lnc. 5. Kansai Electric Power Co. 6. Kyushu Electric Power Co. 7. Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry 8. University of Tokyo This list includes three manufacturers, three electric utilities, a major power research institute, and a major university. As utilities are the primary users of AI tools in this industry, and these tools are primarily produced by the major manufacturers in Japan, it was decided to survey this select group. The list given above includes three of the four largest electric utilities and the three largest commercial developers of AI tools in Japan. A survey questionnaire was mailed to these six organizations in advance of the visit. Written and oral responses to this survey are summarized and presented in this paper. The following section discusses the strategies and practices of AI applications in the Japanese power industry. include their desire to operate the system with smaller margins, increase productivity, quicker fault clearing and service restoration, better customer relations, and to provide the utility engineer with more powerful design and planning tools. In order to address this situation, the Japanese power industry has embarked upon a large and concerted effort to employ AI tools for improved system operation and planning. This work began in the early 80's with the application of AI to simple problems closely related to the daily activity the engineer/operator was involved in Most of these early applications were in diagnosis arid operations support. With the availability of advanced hardware and AI tools, atid the greater number of personnel trained in such tools, the irange and depth of applications have been broadened. This has resulted in an increase of prototype systems as well as practical field applications. Some of the areas where AI tools are now being applied are as follows. Papers dealing with such tools are also listed for each application. 1. Nuclear power plant 149, 701 2. Thermal power plant (8, 30, 40, 781 3. Power transmission line [IO, 21, 36, 631 4. Power substations [ I , 19, 20, 27, 28, 46, 56, 65, 871 5. Power system operation and control 12. 7, 9, 11, 14, 15, 17, 22, 25, 26, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 37, 38, 39, 41, 42, 43, 47, 57, 62, 64, 66, 71, 801 4.0 Application of AI in the Japanese Power Industry According to Tanaka et al. [A-61, the Institute of Electrical Engineers in Japan (IEEJ) launched a research committee for AI applications in power systems in June 1987. The goal was to summarize the knowledge engineering environment around expert systems in power systems. The Society of Electrical Cooperative Research held an important discussion meeting entitled, "AI Application to Power Engineering" in February 1988. The Sociely has had a special committee for AI applications to power engineering since July 1989. Researchers and engineers from Japanese utilities have met and carried out a 2-year study on R&D in AI in power utilities. This activity was completed in September 1990. There are three platforms which Japanese power industry researchers can use to promote AI applications. These are: (i) Society of Electrical Cooperative Research, (ii) R&D Group for AI in Power Utilities, and (iii) Institute of Electrical Engineers in Japan (IEEJ). The fact that the power industry engineers are veiy active in AI related R&D is well represented by their strong participation in relevant conferences, For example, the number of presentations on AI applications at the IEEJ conferences have increased steadily: in 1988 it was 4, in 1989 it was 37, and 48 such papers were presented in 1990 The current topics of interest are: I. AI and its application in power engineering today: 2. Problems in AI applications development and their solutions; 3. Practical system examples; and 4. AI applications to power systems of the future Additional information can be found in the paper, "Research and Development on Expert Systems Applications to Power Systems in Japan", by Tanaka, et al. [A-61. This paper is authored by six individuals from the utilities, manufacturers, university and the central power research institute in Japan. It, therefore, gives a sense of common perspective among the developers and users of expert systems in Japan. 4.f Need for AI Applications The need for AI tools is very high in the Japanese power industry. A combination of several factors, somewhat unique to Japan, has caused this to happen. New engineers and plant operators, employed in large numbers for the post-World War I1 reconstruction of Japan, are now retiring. And due to the consistent efforts of the industry over the last three decades, both the equipment and the power grid have become very reliable. As a result. the new engineersloperators are not getting enough exposure to faults and other related system problems This has raised concern among the utility managers that the new engineers are probably not being adequately trained to face the difficult task of operating a power system in the event of a major fault. There are also several other reasons for applying AI tools to power systeni problems. These 6. Power distribution [12, 13, 16, 44. 48. 53, 54, 74, 77. 82. 881 7. Power system planning [3, 4, 5, 6. 18, 23, 24, 67) 8. Construction and civil engineering [58] 9. Environment (291 IO. Marketing [E61 This list shows that the Japanese researchers have paid attention to both the development of AI tools, and the widespread application of such tools. Initial focus was placed on the repelitive tasks of system operation, fault diagnosis and restoration Gradually, with the development of advanced software tools and powerful hardware, the applications are moving towat-ds the more complicated task of power system planning. 4.2 Strategy to Promote AI Applications Once the Japanese power industry R&D managers decided that AI tools were potentially beneficial to the efficient operation of their systems, they set out to find out more about activities in other countries, particularly in the United States. For example, Uenishi [A-8] of Kansai Electric Power Company reports on his visit to the United States in December 1986 to study the then current developments relating to Al. He visited 13 companies and research laboratories where advanced AI research and applications development were being carried out at the time. This experience proved useful for his study o f technical developments related to Al. Starting in the mid to late eighties there have been organized activities in Japan to study the benefits o f AI tools. Activities of the Institute of Electrical Engineers in Japan, the Society of Electrical Cooperative Research, and CRlEPl in this regard have already been discussed earlier in this section. These resulted in many collaborative research and development activities among Japanese utility, manufacturer and university researchers. In order to demonstrate the activities of Japanese researchers, 101 selected papers by Japanese authors are cited in the bibliography in section 8.0. These papers represent all major power system ot-iented AI related research activities in Japan. 4.3 Collaborative Research Activities in AI Following the strategies and joint activities listed earlier, the Japanese utilities, manufacturers, and universities have combined their efforts to develop functioning AI tools. Utilities identify the problem and provide the domain experts, while the manufacturers provide the knowledge engineers, the software and the hardware. The universities provide engineers and scientists with some training in the field. They also conduct software testing and work on new concepts and techniques. In order to document the collaborative research activities o f Japanese researchers, the citations in the bibliography (section 8 0) have been coded according to the following Code Authors from Electric Utility Industry/manufacturer University Joint effort 10 10 17 60 Thus out of a total of 101 selected papers on expert systems 62 were produced by joint efforts between electric utilities, manufacturers, and universities. A majority of these however, represent joint efforts between electric utilities and manufacturers only. Only about 10% of the papers are produced separately by the manufacturer or the electric utility. - Adoption of real-time inference Cases of faults troubles are limited (Off-line inference only) Total E P 1213 I Too much text in guidance [ I More graphical guidance 0 function No on-line function during training Dual CPU System 4.4 Diversity in the Collaborative Research Even though the Japanese researchers from utilities, manufacturers and universities work closely in Ihe field of A I applications, there are distinct characteristics of the approaches to problems followed by each manufacturer and electi-ic utility. For example, Toshiba Corporation uses a dedicated AI processor (AIP) connected to their supermini computer implementing the SCADA system [See Kunugi, A-31. The AIP is used as a backend processor for execution of the expert system. In another area, Kansai Electric Power Company has built an advanced power system analyzer consisting of physical scale models of generators, transmission lines. transformers and other elements. This is used to represent the dynamic behavior of the electric power system by the analogous characteristics of its components. On the other hand, Tokyo Electric Power Company, in cooperation with Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, has built a real-time digital simulator for power system analysis on a hypei-cube computer [A-7). In building the real-time digital simulator, they have taken advantage of the massive parallel computing capability of the hypercube computer. The Kyushu Electric Power Company, in cooperation with Toshiba Corporation, has built a large scale SCADA system with real-time knowledge based functions [A-01 for an integrated control center of a power system. The knowledge based functions include fault determination, restoration support. power system security monitoring, and power systems operation planning. Another example of diversity in collabol-ative research can be seen from the view manufacturers take on this subject. In a recent paper, Kunugi [A-31 has given the manufacturers’ viewpoint on the current state of the art in Japan and the future trends in the field of AI applications. He discusses the characteristics of expert systems (as a way to apply AI tools), project management, AI hardware and development environments, and the keys to pronioting practical applications of these advanced tools. This paper shows that the manufacturers’ viewpoints are somewhat diffei ent froin what are expressed in utilities. This is especially true lor inaintaining the knowledge base El during CPU maintenance 1 1F H T l I I f I User Oriented Maintenance Figure 1. Reflections from an Early Expert System Application use of dual-CPU is significant. because the operation of the expert system cannot be suspended while it is in maintenance. Also, the maintenance cannot be done efficiently and economically unless the user is involved in the process. This resulted in the user oriented maintenance systems. 5.2 Some Recent Activities In the context of the difficulties encountered, and the expectations unfulfilled, there have been some reorientation of the approaches taken. The following includes some of the impollant ones, Rahman [A-51. 1. Shift from operation support and diagnosis to scheduling and planning. For example, - Nuclear fuel transportation and scheduling system - Optimizing cascading hydro operation. - Planning support system for maintenance schedule 2. Incorporate AI programming methods into the conventional computerized system. For example, 5.0 Problems and Promises of A I Tools In the light of the AI related activities discussed in the previous section, certain examples of the problems encountered in the Japanese electric power industry are presented. Also discussed are some of the remedies that have been applied to overcome these difficulties, and prospects that lie ahead for AI tools in Japan. The path traveled by Japanese researchers can give valuable insight to others who are engaged in similar activities elsewhere. 5.1 Shortcomings and Unexpected Outcomes Many prototype AI tools have been developed only for the purpose of learning how they function and what they can possibly do. Thus their effectiveness and feasibility have not been sufficiently examined. In many cases the requirements for practical use of these tools are very strict, and it is rather difficult for ordinary operalors to handle such tools. Since the AI technology is still immature, some of the systems do not have sufficient capabilities in the areas of knowledge acquisition and representation, inference mechanism, processing capacity and time, and user interface. Some reflections from the first expert system application at the Kansai Electric Power Company [A-21 are given in figure 1. Obviously there were difficulties during both the operation and maintenance of the software tool. Some of the countermeasures that were taken are shown. In this regard the - Alarm processing system incorporated into the central control board of a thermal power station. 3. Select practical themes, and limit the diversity of functions example, For - Oil-filled equipment diagnostics by analyzing the dissolved gas. - Support system for developing greening plan. 4. Combine AI tools with innovative computer technology. example, For - Layout design of restaurant electrical kitchen appliances. - Decision support system for choosing household electrical appliances. The net result of A I related activities is now evident in the following three areas. The number of persons farniliar with AI tools has increased; The areas where AI tools can be used has expanded; and There has been a tremendous increase in the number of prototype systems. 1214 For example, at the Kansai Electric Power Company IA-51, the application of AI tools can be classified as shown in figure 2. Even though network control is the largest application, there are many other uses of AI tools The current approach to the AI application in the Japanese electric power industry can be described in the flow chart in figure 3. This shows both the actors for, and pi-ocesses of, effectively using AI tools. ., 9 - O/,.- Nuclear Power I- 0Thermal Power 9 The equally important roles played by the universities. manufacturers and utilities can be represented as shown in figure 4. The collective efforts of these three groups can result in more robust and broader based AI tools like the two expert systems shown in this figure. Sets of knowledge based packages can be developed as a result of the joint collaboration. The featut-e of easy addition and deletion of rules will facilitate the development of application oriented knowledge bases from a central pool of such knowledge. Once such specific knowledge bases are available, inference engines can be designed to use the knowledge in expert systems. Then there will be several expert systems dealing with specific applications. Transmissiod'ransformer 4 yo 1 2% 1- ( Network Control @ Civil Engineering 14% - Construction 0Environment 34% I Manufacturers I 1 I Development of Knowledge Base with Easy Addition I and Deletion I I I S Knowledge B Power Distribution Ol Service support Sets of Knowledge Base Packages (KBP) Figure 2. Classification of the Application of AI Tools (\ The prototype systems have increased Translation of KBP for Each Application Only few practical applications Inference Engine A U -- Expert System A Inference Engine B Expert System B Needs Figure 4. A Generalized Approach to Developing Expert Systems t Continuation of R&D in each Department *Development based upon needs in each Department *To select specificjobs for system Application *To establish concrete plan for system Application Fundamental research on AI tool developement I *FundamentalR&D work in the following areas: *Knowledge acquisition I *Fuzzy application -Qualitative Reasoning I Implementation of Practical Systems I Figure 3. R&D Approach to the Application of AI 5.3 Promises of AI Tools On the basis o f the experience gained so far, certain specific goals and expectations have emerged. These can be classified as follows. I. Using AI tools for both faster prototyping and cost savings. 2. Providing built-in enhancement features such that users can easily modify the rules. 6.0 Conclusions The Japanese electric utility industry, manufacturers, novernment R&D laboratories and universities have taken a focused ~. approach to developing AI tools for addressing operation and planning problems related to the power system. This action precipitated from the need for automation, and to maintain a highly reliable and high quality power system. They have developed the necessary R&D infrastructure to provide both guidance and funding for the development of such tools. The areas of concentration appears to be in knowledge acquisition, fuzzy theory application, and qualitative reasoning. The area of contention between the developer and the user The user (i.e., of the system appears to be knowledge maintenthe electric utility) is still concerned about the cost and difficulty of maintaining the knowledge. The developer (i.e.. the manufacturer or the university) is working on automated knowledge acquisition and verification on a high priority basis to make the AI tool more widely usable. The developers of Japanese AI tools still use a significant amount of theoretical work done in the United States for their successful prototyping. It is however, safe to say that the use of AI tools in the Japanese electric power industry is far more widespread than what is seen in the United States or Europe. a- 7.0 Acknowledgements The author acknowledges with thanks the assistance and information provided by the engineerdresearchers from the eight organizations he visited. This survey was made possible by a grant from the National Science Foundation-Divison of International Programs. Grant No. INT-9017799. 1215 8.0 Bibliography 9. A. Citations used in this paper 1. Hiramaya, T., "Electric Utility R&D in Japan", /€E€ Power Engineering Review, June 1991, pp. 8-11, [I]. 2. Ito. S.. "Practical Applications of Expert Systems in Power Systems and Future Trends - A User's Viewpoint", Third Symp. on Expert Systems Application to Power Systems, Tokyo-Kobe, April 1991, 17p, [ I ] . 3. Kunugi, M., "Practical Applications of Expert Systems in Power Systems and Future Trends - A Manufacturer's Viewpoint", Third Symp. on Expert Systems Application to Power Systems. Tokyo-Kobe, April 1991, 5p, 121. 4 Moriguchi, S., Taniguchi, T.. Kunugi, M., Shirnada, K. and Suzuki, K., "A Large-scale SCADA System With Real-Time Knowledge-Based Functions" , Second Symposium on Expert Systems Application To Power Systems, Seattle, Wash., July 17-20, 1989, (41. 5. Rahman, S., "Artificial Intelligence in Electric Power Industry - A Survey of the Japanese Industry", Virginia Polytechnic lnstitufe and State University, Final Report submitted to the U.S.National Science Foundation, September 1991, 118 p. 6. 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H. and Imamura, Y., "An Expert System for Restoration of Distribution Lines" , Second Symposium on Expert Systems Application lo Power Systems, Seattle. Wash., July 17-20, 1989, pp. 57-61, [4]. 45. Matsumoto, K. Sakaguchi, T., "An Approach to the Dynamic Verification of Knowledge-Based Systems", Second Syrrrposiurn on Expert Systems Application to Power Systems, Seattle, Washington, July 17-20, 1989, pp. 423-427, 121. 46. Matsuura, T. and Kawachi, F., "Expert System for Dissolved Gas Analysis for Power Apparatus Insulating Oil", Kansai Electric Power Company, working paper, 1990, 141. 47. Matsuura, T. and Uenishi, K., "The Functions of Expert System Tools Applied to Electric Power Network Control" , Power High Tech , Valencia, Spain, July 4-7, 1989, [ I ] . 48. Minakawa, T., Sugawara. J., Kunugi, M., Hara, H., and Anraku, H., Shimada, K., Utsunomiya, M., Kasuya. 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K., "Identification of Harmonic Loads in Power Systems Using an Artificial Neural Network, Second Symposium on Expert Systems Application to Power Systems, Seattle, Washington, July 17-20, 1989, pp. 371-377, 141. 5 3 . Moriguchi, S., Taniguchi, T., "A Large Scale SCADA System with Real-Time Knowledge-Based Functions", Second Symposium on Expert Systems Application to Power SypfemS, Seattle. Washington, July 17-20, 1989, pp. 21-27, (41. 54. Moriguchi. S., Sakaguchi, H., Kunugi. M., Shimatla. K. and Suzuki, K., "An Expert System For Power System Fault Analysis and Restoration" , International Conference O n Large High Voltage Electric Systems, Study Committee 39, Meeting in Tokyo, Japan, October 26-31, 1987, 141. 55. Muto, S., Sekine, Y., "Modality Based Inference lor Power Equipment/System Diagnosis". Second Symposwm on Expert Systems Application to Power Systems, Seattle, Washington, July 17-20, 1989, pp. 267-275, [4]. 56. Muto, S., Matsuda. T., Yamagata, Y.. Kawakami, Y. and Tanaka, Y., "Supervisory System For Substation With Expert System". Third Symposiunr On Expert Systems Application To Power Systenis, Tokyo-Kobe, Japan, April 1-5, 1991, pp. 413-418, [4]. 57. Nagasawa, T., Humano, M., Shimano, S., Fukui. C., and Fujikawa, T.. "Development of Restoration Guidance For Control Center", Third Symposium On Expert Systems Application To Power Systems. Tokyo-Kobe, Japan, April 1-5, 1991. pp. 479-486, [2]. 58. Nakamae, E., Nishita, T.. Fujii, K., Tanaka, H. and Noguchi, T., "The Development of a CAD System For Transrnissiori Tower Geometry" ,Conference on Trans. and Distr. of Electric Power, Mexico City, Mexico, November 1987, 141. 1217 59. Nara, K., Satoh, T., and Maeda, K.. "Maintenance Scheduling By Expert System Combined With Mathematical Programming". Third Symposium On Expert Systems Applicatiori To Power Systems, Tokyo-Kobe, Japan, April 1-5, 1991, pp. 385-390, [4j. 76. Suzuki, H., Kawakami, J., Kunugi, M., Tanaka, H. and Sekine, Y., "Experiences of Expert Systems For Power System Analysis In Japan" , Symposium on Expert Systems Application to Power Systems, Stockholm- Helsinki, August 22-26, 1988, pp. 1-1-1-7, 141. 60. Nara, K.. Satoh, T., and Kitagawa, M., "Distribution Systems Loss Minimum Re-Configuration By Genetic Algorithm", Third Symposium On Expert Systems Application To Power Systems, Tokyo-Kobe, Japan, April 1-5, 1991, pp. 724-730, [4]. 77. Takeyasu, I., Fukuta, T., Kunugi, M.,Shinohara, J. and Nagata, J., "An Expert System For Fault Analysis And Restoration Of Trunk Line Power Systems" , Symposium On Expert Systems Application to Power Systems, Stockholm-Helsinki, August 22-26, 1988. pp. 8-24-31, 141. 61. Niimura, T.. Nakanishi, Y.. Yasuda, K., and Yokoyama. R., "Multi-Machine Voltage-Reactive Power Control Baased on Approximate Reasoning", Third Symposium On Expert Systems Application To Power Systems, Tokyo-Kobe, Japan, April 1-5, 1991 141. 78. Tamura, Y., Yazawa, S., Hosaka, J., "A New Method of On-Line ELD for Thermal Power Plants", Symposium 011 Expert Systems Application to Power Systems, Stockholm-Helsinki, August 22-26, 1988. pp. 10-1-8, [3]. 62. Ogi, H., Takeshima, Y., Shinohara, J. and Haruki. K., "An Expert System with Cognitive Model for Power System Outage Scheduling", /E€€. CH 2747-4/89, pp. 179-184, [4]. 79. Tamura, Y., "How To Revisit And , Review Interdisciplinary Domains in KE and AI Environments", Third Sympoiiurb On Expert Systems Application To Power Systems, Tokyo-Kobe, Japan, April 1-5, 1991, pd. 757-763, (3). 63. Okada, K., Urasawa, K., Kanemaru, K. and Kanoh, H.. 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Wada, M., Ono, A., Tsukamoto, J.. Youssef, M.G and Fukumoto, Y., "An Expert System Applied To The Dislribufion Automation System" Kansai Electric Power Cotripany. working paper. pp. 50-56, 141. 73. Sekine, Y., "Application of AI Techniques to Power Systems", Symposium on Expert Systems Application to Power Systems. Stockholm-Helsinki, August 22-26, 1988, pp. -0-1 to 0-4, 131. 89. Yoshida. K., Kobayashi. Y., Ueda, Y.. Tanaka, H I Muto, S. and Yoshizawa. J., "Knowledge-Based Layout Design System For Industrial Plants" ,Fall Joint Computer Conference, Dallas ACM, IEEE CS, November 2-6, 1986, pp. 98-104, [41 74. Sekine, Y., Okamoto, H., Shibamoto, T., "Fault Section Estimation Using Cause-Effect Network, Second Symposium on Expert Systems Application to Power Systems. Seattle, Washington, July 17-20, 1989, pp. 276-282, [3]. 90. Yoshizawa, J., Muto, S . Ueda, T. and Nishida, S., "A Hypersimulator-Based Learnina Environment" , ln(ernational Symposium, Computer World '90,Kobe, Japan, November 7-9, 1990, pp 120-127, [4] 75. Shirai. G., Tamura, Y., Kermanshaihi, B.S., Yokoyama, R.. "Expert Systems for Power System Stabilization Based upon the Second Lyapunov Function", Symposium on Expert Systems Application to Power Systems, Stockholm-Helsinki. August 22-26, 1988, pp. 5-9-15, [3]. Saifur Rahmnn (IEEE 5-75, M-78. SM-83) is a professor of electrical engineering at Virginia Tech. He also directs the Energy Systems Research Laboratory at VPI. He serves on the System Planning and Demand Side Management subcommittees, and the Long Range System Planning, the Load Forecasting and the Photovoltaics working groups of the IEEE Power Engineering Society. 1218 DISCUSSION P.K. Kalra and S . C . Srivastava (Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. India). W e congratulate author for his contribution iri presenting t h e recent developments in tho field of Expert System Applications to Power System. Author's reepose to the following comments will be appreciated : Author has been involved in development of Expert System for Power System apylication8 for considerable long period. if It would enhance .the information, some kind of comparison among approachetl used in U . S . and Japan for promoting A.I. applications can b e provided. A r e there any projects in Japan which a r e instruction for dealing with AI Based power eystem operation, control and planning? S o m e data of conversion of prototypes to actual systems will add t h e information for t h e future application in this field. Does author feel that similar social advancements a r e possible in developing countriee in Power Sector if t h e same approach of promoting A.I. technology is f ol lowed? Manuscript received July 30, 1992. Saifur RAHMAN (Electrical Engineering, 340 Whittemore Hall, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0111) The author appreciates the interest shown by Profs. Kaka and Srivastava in the process of identifying Ai applications in many parts of the world. Their comments and questions are addressed in the order presented in their discussion. (A) The Japanese electric utility industry, manufacturers, government R&D laboratories and universities have a taken focused approach to developing AI tools for addressing operation and planning problems related to the power system. The Japanese approach to this is summarized at the beginning of section 4.0 in the paper. The approach followed in the United States is, on the other hand, is rather dispersed and individualistic. The AI related activities in the US electric utilities started based on the individual engineer's interests on the topic and their curiosity to find out what AI and expert systems can do to help. These activities have resulted in many prototype expert systems, several of which have been deployed and tested. In conjunction with the electric utility industry, the academic community in the United States has also spent considerable amount of time and resources to define the role expert systems can play, and build prototypes. In the later stages, the Electric Power Research Institute has attempted to provide some leadership in defining the need and potential for expert systems in power system planning (Rahman and Lauby, 1991). (B) There are several AI based instructional projects which deal with power system operation, control and planning. One of them is the CRlEPl (Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry) developed system known as "An Advanced Educational System of Nuclear Power Plant Operators". The objective is to assure easier understanding of plant changes during abnormal events, test the operator's knowledge about certain aspects of the nuclear power plant's operation, identify gaps of knowledge on the part of the operator, and provide relevant information to him so he can learn more about the area where he is deficient in. Additional information about such and other systems can be found in Rahman (1991). (C) According to Tanaka, et al (6), the power companies and manufacturers in Japan identified 48 examples of expert systems at various stages of development; 24 were in power system control and the rest in substation equipment management. Out of those, 63% (in system control) and 83% (in equipment management) have reached the stage of practical system development, field testing or practical use. (D) One of the major reasons for promoting AI in Japanese power industry is the realization that soon there will be a large scale loss of experienced engineers and operators due to the approaching retirement of many who started their career during the fast growth period following the second world war. It is. therefore, crucial to provide fast and effective training mechanisms to expose the new engineers and operators to the intricacies of the system, and train them to deal with the unexpected events. In developing countries, the lack of timely maintenance and adequate repairs (caused largely by the shortage of trained technicians) are significant contributing factors for the shortage of electricity. The opproach followed in Japan can work for developing countries if such a focused effort is undertaken. One concern, however, is the limited training and technical sophistication of system operators in many of these countries. This might hamper their ability to absorb the sophisticated technologies like Al. Technical universities in many developing countries can play a major role in overcoming such difficulties. REFERENCES: 1. S. Rahman and M. Lauby, "Expert Systems and Their Role in Power System Planning", Roc. EPRl Conference on Expert Systems Applications for the Electric Power Industry, Boston. MASS, September 1991, 19 p. 2. S. Rahman, Artificial lntelliaence in Electric Power Industrv A Survev of the J a mnese Industrv. Report submitted to National Science Foundation, grant no. INT-9017799. September 1991, 118 p. Manuscript received September 1 4 , 1992.