The Altus Solution for

Electrical Energy

altus
evolution in automation

Altus
Altus was founded in 1982 within the
Computer Science Graduate Program
of the Federal University of Rio Grande
do Sul (UFRGS) with the purpose of
developing cutting edge technology.
This company, which started as a small
equipment manufacturer in the south of
Brazil, today holds a leading position in
the Brazilian market as researcher and
developer of technologies for automation and process control.
Besides
offering a complete range of products
for industrial automation and process
control, Altus has a highly qualified
team of researchers and technicians
and one of the largest project collections in the business of integration
systems and process control. Altus
delivers complete, sophisticated

So Leopoldo - RS
Av. Theodomiro Porto da Fonseca, 3101
Lote 01. Bairro Duque de Caxias.
CEP 93020-080
Phone: +55 51 3589 9500
E-mail: altus@altus.com.br
Bal. Cambori - SC
Rua So Paulo, 581
CEP 88339-025
Phone: +55 47 3263 3500
E-mail: altus@altus.com.br
Belo Horizonte - MG
Av. Getlio Vargas, 874 sala 403
CEP 30112-020
Phone: +55 31 3261 5780
E-mail: altus@altus.com.br

Rio de Janeiro - RJ
Rua Mal. Cmara, 160 salas 903/904
CEP 20020-907
Phone: +55 21 2240 4361
E-mail: filialrio@altus.com.br

Campinas - SP
Av. Jos Rocha Bomfim, 214
Center Santa Genebra
salas 114, 115 e 116
CEP 13080-650
Phone: +55 19 3231 9994
E-mail: filialcamp@altus.com.br

So Jos dos Pinhais - PR

Av. Rui Barbosa, 2529 Galpo 5 Ip
CEP 83055-320
Phone: +55 41 3018 1313
E-mail: altus@altus.com.br

Maca - RJ
Rua Jesus Soares Pereira, 66
Casa 01 - Costa do Sol
CEP 27923-370
Phone: +55 22 2772 2013
E-mail: filialrio@altus.com.br

So Paulo - SP
Av. Jandira, 257 salas 51/52
CEP 04080-001
Phone: +55 11 5055 1950
E-mail: filialsao@altus.com.br

Manaus - AM
Praa Francisco Pereira da Silva
Rtula da Suframa, 104
CEP 69073-270
Phone: +55 92 3613 1222
E-mail: altus@altus.com.br

Salvador - BA
Rua Frederico Simes, 85
Ed. Empresarial Simonsem Sala 1104
CEP 41820-774
Phone: +55 71 3341 2511
E-mail: altus@altus.com.br

systems for complex specific areas

such as oil production and distribution,
electric generation, transmission and
distribution, water and wastewater
treatment, iron and steel metallurgy,
transport, manufacture production,
among other services.
By preserving strategic partnerships
and perm anen tly inte ract ing with
universities and research centers, Altus
ensures it is always up to date with the
wor k don e wit hin the aca dem ic
environment as it helps to develop the
sector. With an outstanding record of
achievements in both national and
int ern ati ona l sce nar io, Alt us has
secured its position as a leading
company in its sector.

System
Integration
Operating in a number of different
segments, in particular within Oil & Gas
and Electric Energy industries, Altus
has an extensive record of projects for
auto mati on syst ems and proc ess

control. By combining its own technology and experience, the company has
been able to provide its customers and
partners with complete solutions. In
addition to that, Altus has experience in

Building Automation:
Altus has delivered several projects in the segment of
Building Automation which consists of intelligent buildings,
shopping malls, hospitals, airports and special purposes
buildings, all of which are carried out with PLCs and
supervisory systems, placing Altus alongside the largest
suppliers of equipment for this sector.
Water and Wastewater treatment:
It promotes the benefits of automation for this segment:
energy saving, unassisted operation, self-diagnosis,
operational flexibility, greater reliability, activity integration
and lower maintenance cost.

integrating third-party equipment into

the systems, thus offering flexible and
competitive solutions.

Iron and Steel Metallurgy:

Plants such as Gerdaus Baro de Cocais, COSIPA and
USIMINAS have their steel mills automated with PLCs and
software developed by Altus, which increases productivity,
among other benefits.
Electric:
By combining its own technology and experience with a
new branch in Santa Catarina, Altus is qualified to equip
this segment with complete solution that includes low and
high voltage panels, supervisory systems, control and
protection for plants and substations.

Transport:
CEnd users such as MRS Logistics, So Paulos Metro and
specialized integrators can count on Altus' equipment and
services as the best choice nationwide.

Management Capacity
In addition to the practical activities
that are developed in system integration, Altus is remarkably efficient in
managing the enterprises activities
due to its great supervision capacity.
The management activities are
intended to the organization, planning

and control of projects, integration of

executive actions, and information to
the parties involved, ensuring that
deadlines, costs and quality standards
are fully achieved.

The Altus solution for

Electrical Energy
Altus has a broad experience to serve
the electric sector. Having capacity to
create integrated solutions that add
value to its clients, it stands out by the
high level of technological development of all of its processes.

Its experience built by years of project

development for the electrical sector,
applied in solutions generated to meet
the demand, and the high organizational involvement, allows the company to
achieve its objectives.

Through a highly efficient team, a

diversified line of products and their
flexibility, it tries to meet the client's
needs, providing highly qualified
solutions for this segment. Altus
develops projects earmarked for
productivity and operation availability
and maintenance of electrical systems,
standing out as a global supplier in this
area.

Altus is a technological partner

capable of undertaking any project in
the areas of generation, transmission
or distribution.

Altus history at Electricity Sector

1998

Usina
Fontes Nova

UHE Funil

2000

UHE Fortuna
Panam

UTE Uruguaiana

2003

Usina Paraibuna
UHE
ApolonioSales

20

Subestao
Ibina
(Furnas)

Generation:

Transmission:

Plant upgrade
Protection, automation and control
Protection, automation and control Local control center
Local control center
Integration with the remote control
Integration with the remote
center
control center
Remote control center
Remote control center
Cubicles and MCCs
AC and DC Auxiliary Service Panels

04

2005

Complexo
Energtico
Paulo Afonso

Distribuition:

Great consumers:

Protection, automation and control

Integration with the remote control
center
Remote control center
Medium Voltage Recloser Cubicle

Input substations
Motor control center
Low and medium voltage cubicles

2006

UHE Cachoeira UHE

Dourada
Canoas I e II

2007

UTE Serra
do Navio

UHE
Cau

2008

UHE
SE Serra
Coqueiros do Navio

Altus
Santa Catarina
Altus counts on a structure oriented
for the electric power sector, located in
the city of Balnerio Cambori, in Santa
Catarina. With an appropriate environment and human resources with vast
knowledge in engineering projects, the
company works to constantly evolve in
meeting the demands of this sector, in
which it operated intensively. It has the
capacity to provide a complete supervision, automation, control and protecti-

on system for electrical fixtures. And

thes e proj ects may inte nded for
th er ma l or hy dr oe le ct ri c pl an ts ,
transmission and distribution substations or for electrical systems of largesized industries.
The growing qualification of Altus
meets the requirements of clients that
seek a partner to provid e these
systems, with application knowledge,
ensu ring busi ness effi cien cy and

reliability. Besides integrating products

of other manufacturers, it relies on
investments for the development of
new products. Thus, it has the possibility to provide optimized solutions,
adapting the products to the needs of
the system.
Today, Altus stands out as a global
supplier and is proud to offer flexible
and competitive solutions for its clients.

Products for this sector

Supervision and Control System:

Hadron Series

Multiprotocol Supervision and Control

Software that performs the interface
with the operation. Single-line
screens, record of events, alarms and
history are developed in the system.

Terminal remote unit with the following

protocols:
- IEC 61850
- IEC 870-5-104
- IEC 870-5-101 - DNP 3.0

Medium Voltage Cubicles:

Medium Voltage Reclosers

Medium voltage cubicles, available in

clad and enclosed metal versions, for
internal or external use.

The reclosers are shielded metallic

cubicles of the dog house type, in clad
or enclosed metal version.

Medium Voltage Motor Control

Center

Busbar Ducts for Low and Medium

Voltage

It is manufactured in the fixed or

removable version, with two contactors per column.

They have a rigid structure and are built

with a steel or aluminum casing. The
busbars are made of eletrolytic copper
and fixed by insulating blades or
insulators.

Control Tables and Synoptic Panels

Auxiliary Service Systems

Any type of control table and synoptic

panel developed for different applications and specifications.

Complete panel systems for energy

operations, control and measurement
for the powering of AC and DC auxiliary
services, for application in
hydro/thermal power plants, industrial
plants and substations.

Low Voltage Motor Control Center

It is manufactured in the fixed version, partitioned or not, and in the removable version. Its construction is
standardized and has a configuration of 12 modulations of 150 mm per column.

Control and Protection Panels

Altus has Acquisition Control Units (ACUs) for small generators (PCHs) up to large
hydro power plants. The ACUs are equipped with serial ModBus, Ethernet among
others.
Altus is qualified to make the integration and application of different protection,
measuring, oscillography and telecommunications equipment.

Availability
and Reliability
Altus ensures both! After all, it is not
about choice but intrinsic characteristics of all our products and services.

With this quality and technology, we

aggregate value to our clients in
sectors such as Oil and Gas, Electrical,
Industries and Infrastructure.

Common Topology
for the Sector
Operations
Center 1

Operations
Center 2

Router

IEC 61850
IEC 870-5-104
DNP 3.0
IEC 870-5-101

I/Os

Meter Network - Modbus

Relay Network - DNP3

Up to 4
I/O expansion

Governor

Automatic
Voltage
Regulator

Main projects
in the sector
Paulo Afonso Hydro Power Plant
Altus performs the upgrade process
of the plant complex of Companhia
Hi dr el t ri ca do S o Fr an ci sc o
(CHESF) that comprises Paulo Afonso
I, II and III. Altogether, there are 13
generating units, producing a total
power of 1,56GW. This is one of the
biggest energy producing complexes in
Brazil, based on water power from the
So Francisco River located in the
boundary of the states of Bahia,
Alagoas and Pernambuco.
The first upgraded generating unit
became operational in 2008. The
project started in 2005 is expected to
start remaining operations until 2009
and 2011. Altus, one of the sector
leaders that uses its own technology, is
one of the few Brazilian companies that

has know how for the automation of

large-sized energy complexes, such as
this.
The advanced system has
Acquisition and Control Units model
AL- 200 4 man ufa ctu red b y Al tus ,
synchronized by GPS and connected
through a redundant fast Ethernet
network in an optic double-ring topology. The company also provides the
acquisition and control systems,
medium voltage cubicles, as well as
assembl y and disasse mbly of all
equipment.
This upgrade process is part of the
effor ts of Elet robr as, join tly with
CHESF, to automate the plants to
improve the power quality and reliability. The purpose is to speed up the

ma in te na nc e, th ro ug h ac cu ra te
information, thus contributing to reduce
the possibilities of blackouts, such as
those observed in Brazil in the past
years.
From the upgrade developed by
Altus, it is possible to operate the entire
complex through a centralized operation room, as well as through remote
mo ni to ri ng of oc cu rr en ce s fr om
CHESFs Ce nter of O peratio ns,
located in Recife, about 500 km from
the energy complex of Paulo Afonso.
Thus, the analysis and decisions can
be made in real time, ensuring the
integrated monitoring of the complex.

Paraibuna Hydro Power Plant

Altus implemented the digital supervision and control system in the Hydro
Power Plant (HPP) of Paraibuna, in
So Jos do s Ca mpo s/S P. The
concept of automation standardization
was taken into consideration at all
project stages. In the specification
phase, the system architecture was
broadly studied so the concept could be
used again in larger power plants.
Three Acquisition and Control Units
(ACU) were used in the system. ACUs
1 and 2 are responsible for the automation of Generating Units 1 and 2,
respectively, and ACU 3 is responsible
for the Auxiliary Services and Electric
Substation.
The degraded operation functionality
of the implemented system reached the

reliability and availability specified for

the system. Besides the implementation of the ACUs, new Digital Speed
Regulators, a quick Acquisition System
of analog variables and a Diagnostic
Module that uses artificial intelligence
to detect incipient flaws and to program
the maintenance according to equipment conditions were integrated into
each Generating Unit.
By means of the complex project
implemented by Altus, it is possible to
mo ni to r th e sy st em in fo rm at io n
remotely, through the Maintenance
Engineering Station located in So
Paulo, State of So Paulo.

Fortuna Hydro Power Plant Panam

Altus developed an advanced
automation system for the Fortuna
Hydro Power Plant, located in Panam.
The SCADA (Supervisory, Control and
Data Acquisition System) system was
ex ec ut ed to ge th er wi th Ge ne ra l
Business Machines (GBM), subsidiary
of IBM in Central America. It is considered the biggest and most modern
automation system for the local hydro
power plants. The project created by
Altus has open architecture based on
Programmable Controllers and
industrial microcomputer, allowing for
expansions without depending on the
manufacturers. This way, the system

performs automated operation,

process optimized by safety, remote
supervision and control, among others.
Furthermore, there is a speeding up
regarding plant maintenance, increase
in operational productivity of the whole
system and reduction of downtime.

Simplcio Hydro Power Plant

Under construction in the Paraba do
Sul river, in Rio de Janeiro, the singlefall Simplcio Hydro Power Plant will be
the second largest of the state and will
generate 340 MW of power. Altus is
providing the acquisition and control
units for the automation of five generating units, substations, auxiliary

services and supervisory system for

the operation stations of the plant. The
automation system proposed will allow
the remote operation of the Anta power
plant from the Simplcio plant.

Jupi and Ilha Solteira Power Plants

Al tu s de ve lo ps a te mp er at ur e
supervision system for the Jupi and
Ilha Solteira Plants, for the Companhia
Energtica de So Paulo (CESP). The
purpose of the project is to monitor and
store the history of temperatures of the
Generating Units, including with
Warning and Trip alarms, to perform the
preventive and corrective maintenance
of the units. The company is responsi-

ble for supplying and installing the

hardware and for developing and
installing the software for system
monitoring. The solution comprises 10
generating units of each plant, contemplating expansio n. The project is
exp ect ed t o be com ple ted on
December 2008.

Serra do Navio Power Plant

The Serra do Navio Thermal Power
Plant was automated with a complete
Altus system. The purpose of the
project was to allow increased energy
capacity to feed the iron ore complex,
located in the city of Serra do Navio, in
Amap, and also to export the exceeding energy to Companhia de
Eletricidade do Amap (CE).

responsible for providing automation

and auxiliary and interface services
with the generators, of the protection
and control system of the substation,
communication network and process
control and supervision and control
system of the generating units and
substation

From the implementation of the

solution, the Serra do Navio TPP
started having a total installed capacity
of 24 MW. In the project, Altus was

Rio Verde Substations

On August 2004, Altus supplied to the
company ABB Ltda the Isolator
Monitoring System of the Rio Verde
Substation, FURNAS, located in the
city of Rio Verde, Gois. The
Disconnecting Switch Monitoring
System is a flexible process and may
be set for up to 30,000 disconnecting
switches. In this project, Torque and
Position (angle) measures were
inserted for this equipment. Through
these measures, product prognostics
and diagnostics are generated,

checking the maintenance trend of the

disconnecting switches.
This system developed by Altus, has
the main purpose of generating
prognostics and diagnostics, from
digital and analogic inputs of components devices of isolators. In this way,
the maintenance engineering is
capable of noticing degenerations in
the disconnecting switches and
programming preventive maintenance.

altus

evolution in automation

Rev. B - April 2009 - 2.000 copies. For illustrative purposes only.

www.altus.com.br