Looking at IEC 61850, Part 3: The Laboratory
The language of protection and control (P&C) is evolving. Simple terms like settings development and relay testing have different meanings in the context of P&C automation generally and in the lexicon of IEC 61850 specifically. No, IEC 61850 does not change protection engineering nor relay testing per se, but it introduces terms and concepts in its adoption (for example, SCL, control block, test mode / simulation mode, GOOSE, PRP, and others) that change what it means to develop and test P&C systems.
Like humans communicate through language, so too do intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) in IEC 61850 schemes. The standard defines protocols comprising in essence the digital language IEDs use in peer-to-peer communications over Ethernet. Communication, whether between human beings or digital equipment, comes down to how well messages and the information they contain are exchanged and comprehended correctly between participants.
Against the backdrop of IEC 61850, human and IED communications alike are highly consequential since misunderstandings can be expensive if not catastrophic. Nuance, body language, etc., layer meaning in human communication that creates clarity or causes confusion; syntax orients IEDs to the meaning that packets have to them individually versus other traffic on the networks they share which, if corrupted by human error, network anomalies, or even successful cyberattacks, undermine their performance of P&C responsibilities.
Communication is a theme throughout modern power system technologies and in the IEC 61850 compendium of standards itself. Many intricacies characteristic of P&C as both a technical concept and a playground of devices and software deal extensively in making fast and accurate communication possible. Digital P&C systems based on IEC 61850 elevate the criticality of communication; no benefits enabled by the standard are attainable without network topologies that perform digital P&C communication responsibilities precisely.
The theme of communication also runs through operational areas where protection engineers, relay technicians, and network communication specialists normally work apart. Success with IEC 61850 means they must get on the same page and speak the same language by working more closely together than before. An invaluable resource for this purpose is a proper workspace – a laboratory – dedicated to understanding IEC 61850 and modeling its possible applications in P&C systems.
Getting the green light
A good laboratory doesn’t have to be particularly large or elaborate (I’ve seen trade show displays that could qualify as legitimate IEC 61850 laboratories), but a fair bit of selling has to happen to bring an IEC 61850 laboratory into existence. Yes, it could be pitched on the merits of being a facility for R&D and upskilling workers, but that won’t be enough to get the deal done. What problem will the laboratory solve? What’s the urgency? Who will use it? What are the costs and benefits? Is adopting IEC 61850 really the way forward?
The answer to that last question sets the stage for a healthy debate pitting the tried-and-true against the unknowns. Perhaps some contentions are less about IEC 61850 than the immediate demands for resources and time hammering workers in the electric power industry today. The answer to this question, “how does this make business sense right now?”, is the important one…the one that makes or breaks the deal.
Getting justification, approval, and budgeting accomplished is great, but what’s the alternative anyway? Automation is coming. How expensive, complex and effective it can be in solving business problems, let alone engineering ones, are questions a laboratory can facilitate answering.
“Some assembly required.”
A team needs to form whose membership includes network communication specialists, protection engineers and relay technicians. In truth, hiring might need to occur to staff new roles that are dedicated to the lab and supporting stakeholders generally. To learn what is needed to equip an IEC 61850 laboratory, a careful reading of the standard and associated standards (such as PPS and PTP for time reference and PRP and HSR for redundancy) is a good starting point.
Moving forward with equipment purchases is a milestone that happens after vendors have been selected whose products carry 3rd party certification of conformance to the standards chosen for implementation. The vendors should be able to demonstrate not only their products but also their company’s capacity to provide support, training, and consulting services. It’s also important to fully understand their near- and long-term plans for new product features and costs to expect. If selecting different vendors for system components (IEDs, merging units, clocks, etc.), identify the strengths and weaknesses of the brands in terms of interoperability.
Virtually limitless
Though materials and equipment furnish an IEC 61850 laboratory (computers, network cables and switches, test sets, IEDs, time source devices, digital multimeters, network monitors, and so on), software tools are its centerpiece. Software can “virtually” replace a physical laboratory (and indeed substation devices) given advancements in single-computer instances of P&C systems that use IEDs, just not their hardware.
IEC 61850 invites elaborations that expand the premise of automation. More possibilities, however, add more considerations that increase the complexity of protection and control. The value of an IEC 61850 laboratory is the insight it offers toward knowing how automation will play out as engineers and technicians collaborate, learn, and adapt to commissioning and troubleshooting digital substation architectures.
Additional Information:
- Originally published in the The Relay™ Newsletter. Subscribe on LinkedIn.
- Learn about Doble Protection Testing Solutions
- Looking at IEC 61850, Part 1: The Relay Technician
- Looking at IEC 61850, Part 2: The Protection Engineer
