Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Tissues For IEC 61869-9 Could Be Posted

Please note that a new part has been added to the IEC 61850 Tissue Database:

Part 9-2 (related to IEC 61869-9; 2016)

https://iec61850.tissue-db.com/part/59

IEC 61869-9 defines: Instrument transformers -
Part 9: Digital interface for instrument transformers

IEC 61869-9:2016 is a product family standard applicable to instrument transformers with digital output. The product standard is composed of IEC 61869-1 and IEC 61869-6, in addition to this standard and the relevant product specific standards in the IEC 61869 series (Part 7, Part 8, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, and Part 15). This standard defines requirements for digital communications of instrument transformer measurements. It is based on the IEC 61850 series, UCA international users group document Implementation guideline for digital interface to instrument transformers using IEC 61850-9-2, and the relevant parts of IEC 60044-8 that are replaced by this standard. It includes additional improvements including the IEC 61588 network based time synchronization. This first edition replaces the corresponding specific requirements previously contained in IEC 60044-8, published in 2002. This International Standard contains specific requirements for electronic low power instrument transformers (LPIT) having a digital output. However, the reader is encouraged to use its most recent edition. This publication contains an attached file in the form of a .xml file. This file is intended to be used as a complement and does not form an integral part of the publication.

Click HERE for more information.

Saturday, March 7, 2020

IEC 61850 Is Very Crucial For Semantic Models And Interoperability

IEC 61850 provides a huge number of generic and specific semantic models ... Logical Nodes, Data Objects, Common Data Classes, Instance-Information, Topology Information, Information Exchange, Communication, Protocols, ...

Can you please show me an easy to understand example! Here you are!

The following figure shows how (meta) model information is added to a simple voltage measurement (right upper corner). The value is wrapped with a data object model comprising with many attributes like instCVal.mag.i or units ...
The logical device and and logical node instance information is added next. Finally the semantic of the information exchange (report model) is applied to the value - sure, there is a data set involved as well (not shown here).
All this information (general and specific (instance) semantic) could be described in an SCL document (using an XML based SCL schema). Note that some configuration information, e.g., engineering unit (kV), may be contained in the SCL document only. The device needs to process implicitly the voltage in kV. A device may allow to use the SCL document to configure the device to expose the voltage in V ... or mV ... A client (SCADA or ...) may read out the model at runtime (including the engineering unit, if that is implemented as a model attribute) or may just read locally the SCL document and get the engineering unit from the file. Note: the SCL document is the main document for the models and configuration ... keep it safe!! And check the online read model against the SCL file from time to time to compare the two in order to figure out any change!


Further in our example we have a simple bay topology with electrical equipment like generator, switch gears, voltage and current sensors. This topology could be engineered and documented with the SCL (System Configuration Language) - an XML schema for a whole system. The equipment is assigned to specific information models (MMXU.PhV.phsA. ...).
The system engineering could be managed, e.g., with the Helinks STS Tool. An easy to use tool.
The generic Information Model, e.g., MMXU (defined in IEC 61850-7-4) is concatenated with the application designation (MyGenSets/Gen11).


The various levels of semantics of the Message elements are:
  1. Model Instance: Hierarchical Identification of the specific Model of Semantics (in SCL) 
  2. Message Elements: Service Type, Identification, Value, Quality, and Timestamp (ACSI - Abstract Services)
  3. Message Instance: Service Type, Instance of Identification, of Value, of Quality, and of Timestamp (Report)
  4. Message semantic (ACSI mapped to MMS)
The modeling approach of IEC 61850 could be applied in most automation domains ... especially when electric power is applied.

Let me know please if there is a similar standard model defined for automation systems that may compete with IEC 61850 and IEC 61400-25. 

Why Do You Need a Pocket Lamp for a Smart Meter?

The other day I was really surprised reading a letter to the editor of our local newspaper here in Karlsruhe. The Writer reported that he had to use a pocket lamp and morse code for a PIN to activate the screen of a smart meter. The DSO had told him the benefits of this ... nobody else can see the metered values ;-) ... and the meter is protected from outside ... because it is not connected to any communication medium ... OK. He summarized in stating that the meter is not smart - but it is a Smart Business Case for somebody.

I searched for "smart meter taschenlampe" and got several hits. Here is one ... in German language ... but you will understand it. Enjoy!

Click HERE for a nice video demonstrating how to use a pocket lamp to communicate with the Human Machine Interface of a modern smart electric meter.

What do you think? How much would you pay for this Smart Meter? ... 20 Euro/year!

Friday, March 6, 2020

Do You Know ISO/IEC 9506-6 - The MMS Process Control Companion Standard?

Long time ago (may be when you still went to Kindergarten) there was an international standardization project defining a set of standards that offered comprehensive sets of services and models for Industrial Automation Systems:

ISO/IEC 9506 Manufacturing Message Specification (MMS)
- Part 1 (Services) and Part 2 (Protocol)

MMS was developed in the 80s and published in 1990. The standardization in ISO TC 184/SC5/WG2 took place in the context of the GM led MAP project.

Part 1 and Part 2 comprise the basic definitions for any application domain.
Click HERE for useful hints and explanations what MMS is and how it is used for IEC 61850.

The Companion Standards have been developed for specific applications:

Part 3 Companion Standard for robotics ISO/IEC 9506-3
Part 4 Companion Standard for numerical control ISO/IEC 9506-4
Part 5 Companion Standard for Programmable controllers ISO/IEC 9506-5
Part 6 Companion Standard for Process control ISO/IEC 9506-6

Part 6 seems to be a simple forerunner model of IEC 61850 for communication services models and applications models.

Cover page:



Excerpt of the application model related to a process variable (Data Model in IEC 61850):



Excerpt of the reporting model related to the report control block model in IEC 61850:



Unfortunately all MMS parts have (more or less) been ignored by the industrial automation domain. As one of the experts deeply involved since 1985 I know a bit what happened ... the most crucial reason was: many experts that did not (WANT to) understand the benefits of MMS have led to the situation today: No comprehensive unique standard for information models, services, protocols, ... has been offered for the industrial automation ... even in Industry 4.0 there is not yet one in preparation - as I see it. Even OPC UA is still looking for domain specific models ... may "copy" IEC 61850 models!?

Sure: IEC 61850 is much more than MMS !!! But MMS could be understood as a kind of forerunner for IEC 60870-6 (TASE.2/ICCP), IEC 61850 and IEC 61400-25 (Wind).

Thursday, March 5, 2020

IEC 61850 und eCl@ss - Interoperabilität durch standardisierte Informationsmodelle

Interoperabilität durch standardisierte Informationsmodelle

Der „eCl@ss“-Standard ermöglicht den digitalen Austausch von Produktstammdaten über Branchen, Länder, Sprachen oder Organisationen hinweg. Wie ein Produkt nach „eCl@ss“ mit Merkmalen nach IEC 61850 ganzheitlich zur Interoperabilität auf den Ebenen Produktbeschreibung, Systemengineering, Gerätekonfiguration, Informationsaustausch und Protokolle ergänzt werden kann, zeigt der nachfolgende (frei herunterladbare 5-seitige) Beitrag im etz Heft 12/2019 (Link siehe unten):



Hier klicken, um das gesamte etz Heft 12/2019 inklusive des obigen Beitrags (Seiten 30-35) herunterzuladen. 

IEC 61850 Schulungen bei der FGH Mannheim

Die FGH Mannheim (Forschungsgemeinschaft für Elektrische Anlagen und Stromwirtschaft e.V.) bietet folgende Schulungen bezüglich IEC 61850 an:

Grundlagen und Anwendung der IEC 61850 (CHANGES)
Seminar -> Will be a Webinar ... no details on Website of FGH (2020-03-19)
22.04.2020 - 23.04.2020
Mannheim

IEC 61850 und ihre Anwendung bei der Steuerbox des Smart Meter Gateways
Webinar
04.05.2020 - 18.05.2020
Mannheim

Die Basics der IEC 61850
Webinar
14.09.2020 - 09.10.2020
Mannheim

2020 - IEC 61850 Events in UK, USA and Belgium

Dear All,
Please note the following IEC 61850 training opportunities and conferences:

3-Day Training for Electrical Engineers New to IEC 61850
17-19 March 2020
London, UK

IEC 61850 USA 2020
Driving the large-scale deployment of IEC 61850 across the smart grid
14-16 July 2020 
New Orleans, USA

IEC 61850 Global 2020
Leveraging advanced IEC 61850 features to drive interchangeability within the substation and across the wider smart grid
26-30 October 2020
Brussels, Belgium

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

IEC 61850 Edition 2.1 of Core Documents Published

The other day IEC TC 57 has published five more parts as Edition 2.1 - it took several years to get there! But finally it was successful.

I would call these Edition 2.1 documents simply the real Edition 2 documents.

First of all, what does Edition 2.1 mean?

The original edition 2 documents needed some corrections and updates. All crucial corrections et cetera have been documented in the Tissue Database (https://iec61850.tissue-db.com/default.mspx). The solutions provided on the Tissue Database have been used as input to the standardization process and led to amendments number 1 of the corresponding parts. These amendments have been commented and balloted officially by the members of TC 57. These amendments 1 are now the official documents that are amending the edition 2 documents (both are valid for the next years).

In order to make the "edition 2.1" more readable and understandable, there are other documents available: The consolidated parts 2.1 ... comprising the "old" stuff, the fixes and the extensions.




Consolidated Version of part 7-2: https://webstore.iec.ch/publication/66525 :



So: This consolidated version consists of the second edition (2010) and its amendment 1 (2020). Therefore, no need to order the amendment in addition to this publication.

Note: The first Tissues for edition 2.1 have already be posted, e.g., for part 7-2 Edition 2.1:



The following Previews for edition 2.1 consolidated versions are available:

Preview IEC 61850-6 Edition 2.1
Preview IEC 61850-7-2 Edition 2.1
Preview IEC 61850-7-3 Edition 2.1
Preview IEC 61850-7-4 Edition 2.1
Preview IEC 61850-8-1 Edition 2.1
Preview IEC 61850-9-2 Edition 2.1

Note: The name spaces (code components) for the edition 2.1 parts will be available soon - I hope:
Click HERE for the list of available name spaces (code components).

Draft IEC 61850-90-16 (Requirements for System Management) Published

IEC TC 57 just published the draft Technical Report (57/2190/DC)

Draft IEC TR 61850-90-16:
Communication networks and systems for power utility automation –
Part 90-16: Requirements for System management for IEC 61850

It contains the key use cases which will be the foundation for defining an appropriate solution meeting these requirements ... to be incorporated into the Technical Report.

This time it is a good chance to help getting the needed use cases defined.

To understand the importance of this part, please check the Introduction:

"The distribution grid is facing a massive roll out and refurbishment of automation equipment to implement deeper monitoring and new smart grid applications. The new equipment to be deployed in order to solve today’s issues (MV voltage and reactive power regulation for example) will necessarily have to be adjustable and updatable in order to face challenges of tomorrow (for example massive electric vehicles fleets, low voltage automation, …) which will arrive long before the end of its 20 years’ service life. Furthermore, there is a necessity for the equipment to adapt to the evolving and growing cyber security threats.
The equipment will therefore need to be patched, updated and reconfigured, and this has to be done remotely due to the great number of equipment. This is a cornerstone of the System Management (SM), which refers to functionalities that are not directly linked to the operational role of the equipment but allow it to perform its operational functions in the best conditions possible. System Management or Smart Grid Devices Management also includes other functions such as asset management or supervision.
These functionalities need to be managed by the grid operator and address multiple devices from
different vendors through independent Information Systems and thus the requirements and exchanges need to be standardized. As these are to be applied to IEC 61850 compliant equipment, these mechanisms need to be integrated in the standard."

By the way, I have not seen anything similar in the non-electric standardization domains. These requirements are more comprehensive than what is in most cases needed for operational purposes. Let's have a look at the German FNN-Steuerbox: It defines currently mainly changing the active power limit (W) ... more or less one value coming from the grid operator or from a pre-configured schedule running at the Steuerbox. Ok. Then there are several needs to log various events ... and finally there is a need for updating certificates, firmware, patches, ... so the core operational object may require only a small fraction of what needs to be defined, specified, implemented, configured, and used. The people may complain: Why is it so expensive for just one setpoint to be modified?

Congratulation to the experts writing this part 90-16.