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The Power Monitoring System at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) is a Windows-based system using OLE for Process Control (OPC) technology. It is employed as the primary vehicle to monitor the entire SNS Electrical Distribution System. This OPC-based system gathers real-time data, via the system's OPC server, directly from the electrical devices: substations, generators, and Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) units. Thereupon, the OPC-EPICS softIOC interface reads and sends the data from the OPC server to EPICS, the primary control system of SNS. This interface provides a scheme for real-time power data to be shared by both systems. Unfortunately, it engenders obscure anomalies that include data inaccuracy and update inconsistency in EPICS. Nevertheless, the OPC system supplements the EPICS system with user-friendly applications—besides the ability to compare real-time and archived data between the two systems—that enable performance monitoring and analysis with ease. The OPC-based system at SNS is a complimentary system to EPICS.
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