Some Hints On Static And Dynamic Reporting According To IEC 61850

Let me briefly help to understand the term dynamic and static regarding reporting:

Every report control block must be “created” in an SCL file – no way to create a report control block with a service.

Several report control block attributes can be configured in an SCL file or set (overwritten) by a (MMS) service.

A data set can be “created” in an SCL file or by the optional service CreateDataSet.

The term “dynamic” could apply to the setting/overwriting of report control block attributes, and the creation of data sets.

In one case with a Gateway from a well known vendor (as a client) I have seen that the client always defines the data sets dynamically!! And links a given report control block to that created data set. If a server does not support the service CreateDataSet, then you get into trouble …

A nice summary can be found here:

https://wiki.lfenergy.org/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=56380504

For operational functions (protection, control, …) the only dynamical services that should be allowed are to enable or disable the report control blocks. This should be configured in the corresponding SCL file for an IED by setting the attributes to “Conf”:

<ReportSettings cbName="Conf" datSet="Conf" rptID="Conf" optFields="Conf" bufTime="Conf" trgOps="Conf" intgPd="Conf" resvTms="true" owner="true" />

Example of a device from a well known vendor I received the other day:

<ReportSettings cbName="Conf" datSet="Dyn" rptID="Dyn" optFields="Dyn" bufTime="Dyn" trgOps="Dyn" intgPd="Dyn" resvTms="true" owner="true" />

Dynamic setting or overwriting of control block attributes or creation of a data set by a service could cause a lot of troubles!! Client and server should not allow it!  A well known RTU (client) overwrites dynamically a report control block attribute (in the server) immediately after it has connected to the server … that should not be accepted.

It could have a big impact on testing, e.g., you expect that a report (or GOOSE, SMV) message has a structure defined by a data set “X with 5 members” (according to the SCL file) … but you receive a message with 3 members (from data set Y) only … because somebody has overwritten the attribute “DatSet” of the report (GOOSE, SMV) control block. 

IEC 61850 is very flexible … to cause trouble … if you want to trust, that the device is 100% as shown in the SCL file, then NO dynamic modifications should be allowed!

Do you want have a problem - no problem!

By the way, Andrea Bonetti wrote the other day: "It is a good practice followed by the majority of the TSOs that do write their own IEC 61850 specification (sort of “dynamic reports are not allowed unless for testing/debugging”). It is also mentioned in IEC TS 63266:2023 (Representation of communication in power utility automation)."

What is a Critical Infrastructure?

According to Wikipedia:
"Critical infrastructure is a term used by governments to describe assets that are essential for the functioning of a society and economy - the infrastructure."

The first three infrastructures listed are:

1. electricity generation, transmission and distribution;
2. gas production, transport and distribution;
3. oil and oil products production, transport and distribution;
4. ...

Many other areas could be taken into account - all domains where we have some automation in one form or another you may or may NOT TRUST. So far we have trusted our teachers, our employers, our parents, our car, our friends, our banks, our electric power delivery system ... There seems to be a change coming step by step.

What could we all do about it? 

For our family we have just decided to install a 9,8 kWp Photo Voltaic system on our roof. This is - hopefully - a power harvesting machine we could trust ... as long as the sun is shining.

The latest issue discussed is on "Election Systems" according to the FederalNewsRadio:

"The Homeland Security Department is actively considering whether it should add the nation’s election system — or the individual systems that 9,000 local and state jurisdictions use to collect, tally and report votes — as an entity that needs DHS protection from cybersecurity attacks."

What if we put it all under the new term "Critical Everything" (CE)?
All depends on human beings we have to trust! I want to be such a person - my wife, my family, our friends, you, ... can trust.

When we engineers develop something, we should pay a lot of attention to make the "something" robust, safe, ... better safe than sorry.

Let's do our best in the interest of all our societies.

The Aging Workforce in the Electric Power domain

The Electric Power Utility domain is looking for many electrical power engineers all over. One example can be found by searching the simplyhired.com:

Click HERE for a search on power system engineer

The search results in 38,329 hits for the U.S. allone !!
Some 6.000 hits are related to protection, 800 to SCADA, and 55 to IEC 61850, 12 to DNP3.

Click HERE for a search on electrical engineer

The search results in 86,596 hits for the U.S.
72 are related to IEC 61850 and 20 to DNP3.

Power systems require skilled and experienced engineers. How to become an experiences and skilled engineer? By education, training, learning-by-doing, …

During the year 2011 a lot more electric power engineers and IT experts have received one or the other education and training with regard to IEC 61850.

I see a lot more of interest on the radar screen for 2012.

Have you ever thought about to get a training that build up your skills in the application of IEC 61850 and related standards? Note that in many of the open positions you can read something like: experience in relevant protocols and interfaces (IEC 61850, IEC 60870-x, DNP, etc.).

Many people still expect that IEC 61850 is a protocol. It is definitely much more than a protocol.

Click HERE to see some differences.