IEC 61850 covers applications inside substations AND beyond substations

IEC 61850 is applicable for general automation applications as well as for electric power delivery systems. The following lists give an impression of what kind of domains are taken into account so far ... more to come:

Information models and exchange for

• real-time and near real-time applications  (pub/sub: GOOSE, Sampled Values)
• protection
• monitoring, supervision, and control (client/server TCP/IP and WebSocket)
• substation and feeder equipment
• substation-to-substation
• substation-to-control centre
• power plant-to-control centre
• distributed generation
• distributed energy resources
• micro grids
• metering
• power quality
• condition monitoring
• hydro, steam, gas power plants
• wind generation plants
• data centers
• …

System Configuration and engineering

• System Configuration Language (SCL)
• Basic Application Profiles
• top-down-engineering (model-based engineering)
• - …

These lists demonstrate that the standard series IEC 61850 covers applications inside substations AND beyond substations. One crucial question remains: What are the logical nodes and data objects ... from which parts of the standard series IEC 61850 are required for a specific application domain?
The answer is here: ask me.

HERE you can find a sample model for an IEC 61850 Profile for Distributed Energy Resources Supporting IEEE 1547 [pdf] ... quite interesting ...

You may search the web for MICS (IEC 61850 model implementation conformance Statement) ... 

Note that substations are very crucial components of the interconnected electric energy systems.

Let me know if you need some help.

How are IEC 61850 Information Models related to Functions?

The common understanding of information is crucial for the understanding of the related functions that produce, consume, and exchange the information. Information is always "bound" to functions ... no function - no information.

Let's have a look at this function: 

Supervision of a temperature value ... report an alarm to a well known entity when the temperature change rate reaches a value of xyz ... this is the FUNCTION. Now we model it with IEC 61850:

The temperature supervision is modeled in the logical node MySTMP1. We use the data objects Tmp (reported every x minutes), RteAlm (reported when the value of the RteAlmSet is reached, e.g., 0.5 K/s).

This "function" is described in an SCL document ... here the MySTMP1 is bound to a topology (SSD), e.g., room temperature in building so-and-so, the reports are sent to the SCADA system mySCADA-client, ... the factory acceptance test can more or less be automated based on the SCL document.

The IEC 61850 STMP logical node model follows the temperature supervision function!! 

The function was there well before IEC 61850 was born!

IEC 61850 standardizes the information shared with a real function.

The following diagram shows the basic modelling approach in IEC 61850:

• IEC 61850-7-2 defines the foundation
• IEC 61850-7-3 defines the common data classes: MV for measurements, SPS for single point status, and ASG for analogue sessings.
• IEC 61850-7-4 defines the logical node and data object classes.

More details will follow ... stay tuned.

The real challenge with IEC 61850 is: You likely get the feeling when you start reading hundreds of pages: unable to see the wood for the trees.

Let me know if you need help ... after 30 years I can support you.

„Lumpensammler“ in der Stationsautomatisierung mit IEC 61850 - Störmelder

EES (Backnang) bietet eine "super-einfache" Lösung zur Alarmierung von Störungen in IEC 61850 basierten Systemen:

"Neben den Informationen von Feld- und Schutzgeräten, fallen in Schaltanlagen zusätzliche Meldungen an, die an die Leittechnik übermittelt werden sollen. Diese Informationen sollen über die vorhandene Infrastruktur mit dem Protokoll IEC 61850 übertragen werden. ... 

1. Einbindung von Einzelmeldungen in die Stationsautomatisierung über IEC 61850
2. Integrierte Relaisausgänge zur Befehlsausgabe
3. Einfache Parametrierung über integrierten Web-Server
4. Zuverlässiger Betrieb durch störfestes Design und angepasste Signalverarbeitung
5. Hohe Funktionalität und Skalierbarkeit von 8 bis zu 192 Meldungen ..."

HIER kommen Sie zu weiteren Informationen.

Dieses Beispiel zeigt, dass IEC 61850 auch für einfache Aufgaben angewendet werden kann!

„Rag-man“ in Substations Applying IEC 61850 - Fault Annunciators

EES (Backnang, Germany) offers a nice solution for simple and easy alarming in IEC 61850 based systems:

"In addition to the information provided by the field and protection devices over IEC 61850, different single alarms incurr in switchgear stations, e.g. from the station supply switchboard section or general alarms like temperature monitoring or door contacts. ... 

1. Simple integration of fault annunciators into IEC 61850 structures – through copper or optical fibre connection
2. Integrated relay outputs for issue of commands
3. Easy parameterisation through integrated web-server
4. Reliable operation through immune design and adapted signal processing
5. High functionality and scalability from 8 up to 192 alarms ..."

Click HERE for additional information.

This product shows that IEC 61850 is applicable for simple and easy to use applications.

Draft IEC TR 61850-90-18 on Alarm Handling Published

IEC TC 57 just published a new 50 page draft part of IEC 61850 (57/2157/DC):

IEC Draft TR 61850-90-18
Communication networks and systems for power utility automation –
Part 90-18: Alarm handling in IEC 61850 based systems

Comments are expected by Nov 29, 2019.

Work is done by TC 57/WG 10 together with TC 88/JWG 25 (Wind Turbines).

This part defines a methodology to handle alarms. The crucial concept is defining an “Alarm Server”.

Use-cases considered are related to:
WG 10: IED communications & associated data models in power systems
WG 17: Distributed Energy Resources
WG 18: Hydroelectric power plants
JWG 25: Wind Power

Sample Use case: Wind power system
"Several clients connected either to an alarm concentrator handling alarms from a system of
identical distributed IED’s or directly to one specific IED. Some of the alarms are defined as
latched and all alarms are defined either with or without acknowledgement.
If a wind turbine is maintained and thus in service state, all alarms must still be captured and
exposed, but marked with an “in-service” flag for filtering (and not to be annunciated).
The IED’s may either be proprietary devices or comply with IEC 61850.
Domain: Common in wind-power domains."