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Coming of Age: World's First Real-Time Electrical Power Analysis and Simulation System from ETAP Turns 21 Years Old
[May 21, 2013]

Coming of Age: World's First Real-Time Electrical Power Analysis and Simulation System from ETAP Turns 21 Years Old


IRVINE, Calif. --(Business Wire)--

ETAP Real-Time, the leading software solution for the on-line operation and optimization of electrical power systems has come of age, celebrating the 21st anniversary of its maiden deployment.

In 1992, one of the world's largest oil producers, Texaco®, commissioned ETAP to develop the first "PC-based" on-line predictive power management and control system, as part of Texaco's Los Angeles Refinery (Texaco LAR) Plant Modernization project. Together, the two companies envisioned a state-of-the-art management center for industrial power systems.

The delivered system, ETAP PowerStation (since renamed ETAP Real-Time) was developed to provide Texaco with an intelligent, forward-looking view into their facility-wide power operations, a highly ambitious undertaking given the technology available two decades ago. It enabled Texaco to gain unprecedented control and predictability over its operations, by:

1) Aggregating the data being generated by on-site monitoring and telemetry systems;

2) Instantaneously comparing data values back to the engineering model of the refinery in real-time; and;

3) Performing analysis on any variations between the live data and design model specifications that might suggest an anomaly somewhere in the power infrastructure

ETAP offered the power system operators a real-time training and predictive simulation system to verify that control actions such as switching, adding or reducing generation, etc. would not have an adverse effect on the operation of the plant before proposed changes were actually made.

Moreover, ETAP's operator training tool provided the ability to perform system studies and simulate "What If" scenarios using real-time operating data on demand. For example, using real-time data, the system operator could simulate the impact of starting a large motor without actually starting the motor, or simulate the opening of a circuit breaker and evaluate the effect of the switching action on the power system configuration and operation.

<> "The ETAP system gave Texaco, for the first time, the ability to not only understand and optimize the reliability of our refining operations, but to also identify power issues long before they hit the stage when they could impact our operations," said Gary Donner, P.E., IEEE (News - Alert) Fellow, then-Supervising Engineer, Texaco Refining & Marketing. "As a result, we had the benefit of an advanced, model-based power management system that provided incredibly detailed operational insights, along with the flexibility and compatibility that allowed for easy expansion and upgrade."



As a result of Texaco's and ETAP's collaboration, the era of real-time power system analysis and simulation was born. Today, the technology celebrates a landmark, coming-of-age anniversary: 21 years of preempting power issues for demanding customer applications around the world.

"From the earliest days of ETAP, we realized that the detailed specifications captured in an off-line ETAP design model could be used to provide remarkable electric power solutions if used in conjunction with real-time operations," said Farrokh Shokooh, founder, president and CEO of ETAP. "When Texaco approached ETAP and explained the system they needed, we knew that once we were successful, it would usher in the next generation of power system analysis… taking your power system on-line."


Today, ETAP Real-Time is a fully-integrated enterprise solution that maximizes the entire production process, reduces losses and increases customer's financial bottom line through continuous monitoring, simulation, and optimization of electrical infrastructure. In the years that followed, it has been utilized in demanding mission-critical operations by leading companies in a wide range of industries, including:

  • Power systems engineering consulting
  • Process Industries: Oil and Gas, Chemical, Cement, Pulp & Paper
  • Power & Energy: Generation, Transmission, Distribution, Nuclear, Smart Grid, Microgrid
  • Industrial: Manufacturing, Transportation, Metals & Mining
  • Mission Critical: Data Centers, Operations Centers, Healthcare
  • Government & Education: City/State/Federal infrastructure, Defense (including Net Zero), Universities

About ETAP

Founded in 1986 and headquartered in Irvine, Calif., ETAP is the global market and technology leader in electrical power system modeling, design, analysis, optimization, and predictive real-time solutions. The Company's software technologies ensure that power systems are designed for optimal reliability, safety, and energy efficiency; when deployed in real-time mode, they enable organizations to manage energy as a strategic asset, maximize system utilization, lower costs, and achieve higher levels of financial stability. To date, more than 100,000 licenses of the Company's ETAP and ETAP Real-Time products have been used in demanding generation, transmission, distribution, and industrial power system projects around the world. Visit etap.com for more information.

Follow ETAP on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and on its blog.


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