Case Study – Mobile Incident Command Centre (NSW SES)

Background

The NSW State Emergency Service (SES) is a volunteer-based emergency and rescue service that is dedicated to assisting the people of NSW. With approximately 9,000 active volunteers across the state, members are united in supporting their communities in times of need.

Day to day responsibilities of the SES include:

• Flood & Storm Emergencies – Urban + Rural/Regional
• Road accident rescue – Rural/Regional
• Vertical rescue – Rural/Regional
• Bush search & rescue – Rural/Regional
• Evidence Searches – Urban + Rural/Regional
• Support other emergency services (Police, Fire + Ambulance) – Urban + Rural/Regional

During major operations SES volunteers and Incident Management Teams need quick access to information and seamless communications 24/7. These goals are often difficult to achieve, especially in remote areas or when existing communications networks are out of service.

To assist in achieving these goals, the SES has developed the Mobile Incident Command Centre (MICC).

The MICC is a robust and innovative, mobile asset, that delivers critical technology to where it is needed, anywhere in the state. The MICC supports both critical communications and a connected workspace for Incident Management Teams.

After winning a competitive tender process, Powerbox Australia was selected by SES to design, supply, install and commission an innovative Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS) to support MICC operations.

To meet the unique demands of this project, Powerbox partnered with Belgium based CE+T Power. The flexibility of CE+T’s power and monitoring equipment, together with the combined engineering skillset and capabilities of Powerbox and CE+T allowed us to provide a turnkey UPS solution that met and exceeded our customers expectations.

Scope of Work

UPS Design and Engineering Services

• Size UPS based on MICC load profile and performance objectives
• Validation and certification for applicable Australian Standards and Regulations.
• Physical integration with MICC ancillary sensors and switches. HMI design and functionality.
• Integration with Polarium Smart Lithium batteries.
• Design and configure CE+T Inview monitoring platform in accordance with SES MICC application

Supply and Delivery of UPS and Monitor platform

Installation and Commissioning Services

Training and Ongoing Support

Customer Requirements

The chosen power supply solution is integral to enable remote control signalling operations, support the future introduction of new trains and ensure the ongoing reliability of the network. •

• Aggregate multiple power sources
• Provide clean and condition 230Vac power.
• Provide 48Vdc power to support battery charging and 48Vdc loads.
• Provide intelligent monitoring and control of UPS and ancillary equipment within the MICC environment (e.g. Fuel Level Sensor) inc. touch screen HMI.
• Manage the start/stop control and power demand for on-board generator power.
• Provide smart Interface with Polarium SLB48-050-124-2 batteries.
• Provide > 60 minutes battery back up.
• Provide short-term surge capacity where generator or mains power is over-subscribed by MICC systems or ancillary equipment connections.
• Support various power demands for 3 defined modes of building operation: Off, Sleep and On.

The Solution

To meet SES’s complex requirements for the MICC UPS, CE+T Power and Powerbox developed a turnkey UPS consisting of:

• Sierra 25-48/277 Multidirectional Converters – 2.7kW hot-swappable modules providing AC + DC UPS functionality and battery charging
• Sierra Power Shelves wired for 3 separate AC input sources:
  • Primary Input – 3-Phase Shore Power 
  • Secondary Input – 1-Phase Shore Power
  • Onboard Supply – 1-Phase
    
    
• 3RU Smart “Interlock” system for seamless interchange of AC input supply
• Single Phase Output distribution panel via Powersafe Duo RCDs
• Enhanced Monitoring and Control via InviewX including 6 custom screen interfaces.
• Multiple Polarium SLB48-050-124-2 (50Ah/2621Wh) Smart lithium batteries.

Challenges

The MICC UPS project provided several complex challenges for CE+T and Powerbox’s engineering team to overcome. Some of the challenges that were successfully overcome include:

• Defining and programming the UPS system logic based on complex user cases, including multiple building operation modes and multiple 3rd party interfaces.
• High degree of customization of InviewX platform to meet SES’s monitoring and control requirements, including the development of custom operation screens.
• Meeting Australian Electrical Safety Compliance for portable infrastructure with multiple user cases.
• Organising FAT, Installation and Commissioning during COVID-19 lockdown.

Outcomes

Powerbox successfully installed and commissioned the MICC UPS in September 2021, where it underwent several months infield testing prior to operational deployment.

The MICC is now fully operational with the NSW SES and has since been deployed during recent flood events throughout NSW.