Sensors in Smart(er) Grids Not Only For Electrical Measurement

Smart Grid (condition monitoring) Sensors may detect faulting fuses, insulators, conductors, transformers, as well as fires, ice, water level, floods, oil spills & air pollution conditions and and …

Myriads of sensors will be installed in the context of Smart(er) Grids the years to come.

Click HERE for a 10 minute video on various use cases.
Click HERE for a roll-out of sensors in a distribution network. 
Click HERE on a discussion “How many protocol interfaces can we afford?"
Click HERE for a project where IEC 61850 is used for exchanging sensor data.

With IEC 61850 – one ne or the other – it is possible to let all sensors speak a SINGLE LANGUAGE. Intelligent sensors may speak IEC 61850 integrated in the sensor itself, or the sensors may communicate to an aggregation device (like an RTU) that provides IEC 61850 connectivity to the next level of monitoring and so on.

Click HERE for the IEC 61850-7-4 Ed2 Logical Node STMP (Temperature Supervision).

Let YOUR Application speak IEC 61850 in hours

IEC 61850 has been implemented in hundreds of devices. The UCA Users Group lists some 181 certified devices with server functionality, 3 certified clients, and 2 Merging units (as per 2011-03-02; UCAIug Testing Quality Assurance Program).

Almost all of these devices provide a certain functionality like protection or control. Usually the devices do not provide a simple API (application program interface) that can easily be used by an application program written by a programmer. There is usually nor access to "IEC 6150 Stack". Some test tools may provide restricted access by manually entering values for a data attribute, or using a configurable simulation or providing a CSV (comma separated values) file for a profile. The evaluation licenses are usually quite restricted.

In contrast to this quite limited access to an API there is a free available server and client DLL (from SystemCorp) that runs for six (6) months. The DLL evaluation package comes with various client and server applications. The applications are provided in exe code and source code (C/C++ and C#). You have FULL control over the functionality YOU want to have for your client and server application.

Click HERE for details.

Any application YOU write could easily speak IEC 61850:

The following example shows the .Net / C# client application provided by NettedAutomation GmbH. The received sequence of values can easily be copied and pasted:

 

e.g., pasted into an Excel table and converted to a diagram:

Whatever you need - JUST program it ... or link the client and server applications to your real applications ... which may also be masters to any communication slaves like DNP.3, IEC 60870-5-101/103/104, Modbus, Profibus, CAN, ... This way you can easily and fast build your own GATEWAY. Just link the DNP.3 or 104 points to the DLL by YOUR IEC 61850 server application that is bound to corresponding Model. See next figure:

It is that easy. Just give it a try.

By the way, the API (and the underlying IEC 61850 stack) is also available on the embedded controller from Beck IPC for simple and FAST TO MARKET applications. All you program in C/C++ on a PC could be done on the Chip platform ... the Chip also supports IEC 61131-3 (CoDeSys) and soon ISaGRAF.

NettedAutomation offers public and in-house training courses using a comprehensive set of crucial evaluation tools - including the one shown here.

SCADA Systems Benefit from IEC 61850 - Test it on your own

Survalent Technology (MISSISSAUGA, ON), reported the completion of the Princes' Islands IEC 61850 based SCADA system project for Ayedas Energy Distribution Company that serves more than 1.8 million customers on the Asian side of Istanbul (one of Turkey's largest utilities).

"The project was implemented using IEC 61850 protocol for electrical substation automation, and communicates with 47 SEL protection relays."

""Being able to run our SmartHMI software on the SEL 3354 platform allows customers to take advantage of the features of IEC 61850," states Bijana Dimitrievska, General Manager, Survalent Europe. "IEC 61850 allows protection and control functionality in the substation to be modeled into different logical nodes, and grouped under different logical devices. This saves considerable time in implementing new protection devices because you do not have to map device points to SCADA points as in the case of DNP protocol.""

Click HERE for the complete news release.

Click HERE for an example of a typical logical node (MMXU) for electrical characteristics (current, voltages, frequency, active power, ...).

Following you find a brief tutorial explaining why you could save "considerable time in implementing new devcies".

You can specify a typical LN MMXU type for your project and re-use this type in any protection or control device. A new protection device added in the future will provide the same model!! There is no need for new points mappings. The LN type could formally specified in an SCL DataTypeTemplate (IEC 61850-6).

Here is a special DataTypeTemplate (I just designed for this post) with phase voltages (PhV) and frequency (Hz) only: lnType="MyMMXU-Type_0" (see below):

The logical device "Measurements" uses one or more instances of this lnType:

<LN lnClass="MMXU" inst="1" prefix="" lnType="MyMMXU-Type_0"/>

representing MMXU1 (the first instance). The hierarchical model looks like this:

The same LnType can be used for devices from any vendor ... from a SCADA point of view all measurements (Hz and PhV) of all devices have the same structure and names. The values have to be mapped internally in the devices to the real data values of the devices' applications (encapsulated/hidden).

A SCADA system would need mainly to know the IP address. The LD names and LN instances could figured out by retrieving the self-description from the device. In our example the device would respond: I am a device that contains one LD "Measurements" with a LN "Measurements"; the LN has a DataObject "Hz" and a DataObject "PhV" with "phsA", "phsB" and "phsC".

Or the SACDA system just reads the SCL file to get the model. The SCL document of the model of the IED can be used to simulate this device ...

The IEC 61850 Evaluation Kit provided by SystemCorp could be used to easily implement this (or any other) model, create a server and a client running under Windows. And use the services: GetDaaObjecValues, Reporting, GOOSE ... It is just that easy.

If you want to expose emulated or real voltage values through IEC 61850 you have just to emulate them in your server application or bind them to real values you have on your PC. The application software of the kit comes in exe and source code ... you can start right away to get your data exposed in IEC 61850. For six months FREE evaluation. The kit has two clients (C and C#) and a server (C).

Click HERE for a link to download the evaluation kit. Enjoy!

Click HERE for a comprehensive set of slides on the IEC 61850 Evaluation Kit with step by step explanation on how to use the various tools [pdf, 2 MB]

Low voltage electrical measurements and general I/O's with IEC 61850

Camille Bauer (Switzerland) offers a measurement IED for electric distribution systems or industrial facilities compliant with IEC 61850. The IED can also be used as a Gateway for many other input and output signals. SINEAX CAM-POWER is designed for measurements in electric distribution systems or in industrial facilities.

The following Logical Nodes are supported:

• SINEAX CAM Universal measuring unit for heavy current variables [en]
• SINEAX CAM Universelle Messeinheit für Starkstromgrössen [de]
• Installation [en/de]
• General information

The IED is a good example that demonstrates that advanced IEDs can run several applications: measurements, general I/O's or logic functions. The classical PLC (programmable logic controller) with its special hardware has been converted to a software that can run on almost any hardware platform with Ethernet, TCP/IP and upper layer protocols.

Protection IEDs have integrated Ethernet switches ... it is likely that classical Ethernet Switches will soon provide general I/O's and logic function. IEDs will become more multifunctional!

Upper layer protocols and other definitions like information models and configuration language according to IEC 61850 will play a crucial role in future automation systems.

Substation hardened Ethernet Switch and Fanless PCs

Advantech has developed a 19'' rack mounted Industrial Ethernet Switch and a Fanless Box PC for grid and substation automation. The hardware is designed for IEC 61850-3 compliance (especially to meet the higher requirements on EMC, temperature range, supply voltage, ...)  to be used in Substations and with data gateways and data concentrators.

It is very likely that more processor performance for substation automation will be available soon.