Showing posts with label seamless. Show all posts
Showing posts with label seamless. Show all posts

Monday, April 13, 2015

Background and Personal Experience of Karlheinz Schwarz

Do you need help regarding IEC 61850, IEC 61400-25, IEC 60870-5-104, DNP3, IEC 62351 (Security), CIM, IEC 61158 (Fieldbus), Modbus, …

Click HERE for a description of personal experiences, capabilities, ... find an introduction on IEC 61850, list of training modules, feedback from attendees, list of courses, countries, and pictures (updated 2015-04-11) [pdf, 4.3 MB]

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Hirschmann Switches provide integrated IEC 61850 Server

The new 8.0 release (The Classic Switch Software) increases again the feature range for managed switches from the MACH, MICE, Rail and OCTOPUS families from Hirschmann™.
Depending on the switch family, these include an integrated IEC61850 server for seamless integration into data networks for power generation and distribution. A PTP power profile according to IEEE C37.238 also allows to accurately synchronizing these networks. Thanks to support for Jumbo frames, which ensure optimum utilization of user data, high-resolution video applications are also possible.
Furthermore, in addition to extensions for PROFINET and Ethernet/IP, the new release for all four switch families offers additional mechanisms for detecting overload situations as well as improved diagnostic and encryption mechanisms.

Click HERE to get more information on the new release providing an IEC 61850 Server.

To my knowledge, they were the first manufacturer that supported an IEC 61850 Server in their Ethernet Switches.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

IEC TC 57 to take action in Smart Grids

The IEC TC 57 has proposed a new work with the title "System interfaces and communication protocol profiles relevant for systems connected to the Smart Grid".

The ballot closes on May 09, 2011.

Click HERE for the proposal.

The proposal states: "In order to achieve interoperable interfacing between the components, the consistent, cost efficient and unambiguous integration of the new domains into the IEC TC57 methods of energy management, architecture, data models and protocols is crucial."

The most prominent IEC TC 57 Data Models and Protocols are those defined in IEC 61850! New Domains are, e.g., Industry, Home and Building Energy Control Systems. My guess is that the various components in these domains have to communicate directly (interoperable) with IEDs in power systems. The Client/Server communication in IEC 61850 seems to be the most useful communication model applicable in the communication between power system IEDs and IEDs in the new domains. The application profile according to IEC 61850-8-1 requires just native TCP/IP !!

Since IP networks are (to be) installed everywhere, it is easy to apply IEC 61850-8-1 without any change in most applications. Many existing IEDs like the COM.TOMs from Beck IPC and others could be used right away! They can be used as IEDs for monitoring and control in the new domains or they can be used as gateways between IEC 61850 and protocols in the new domains like Backnet, Profibus, Interbus, EtherCAT, CAN, Modbus, ...

This will accelerate the application of IEC 61850! ... in order to make systems more energy efficient and smarter by seamless:

  • System configuration (IEC 61850-6),
  • Information (IEC 61850-7-4xx, IEC 61400-25-2), and
  • Information exchange (IEC 61850-7-2)
  • Communication protocol (IEC 61850-8-1).

Monday, August 30, 2010

NIST SGIP - Special Cross-PAP Session on Coordinated Information Modeling for Generators and Storage

The fall face-to-face meeting of the NIST SGIP (Smart Grid Interoperability Panel) will take place in St. Louis (MS) from September 14-16, 2010.

A Special Cross-PAP Session on Coordinated Information Modeling for Generators and Storage is intended to provide overviews of and to initiate coordination of activities required to develop consistent information models for different generator/storage types across different Smart Grid domains. This Cross-PAP issues session is your chance to participate in discussions on coordinating consistent information models and information exchange requirements for different generator types (e.g., wind turbines [IEC 61400-25-2], hydro power plants [IEC 61850-7-410], PV systems, and storage [IEC 61850-7-420], ...) across multiple domains (consumer, distribution, and transmission).
Session is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 15th (12:30-15:00)

Click HERE for the full program and other details of the meeting.

Please note that Mr. Karlheinz Schwarz (member of PAP16, editor IEC 61850, IEC 61400-25) will be in St. Louis on Sept. 15 and 16 ... to meet you ...

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Process and Power Automation use ONE Integration Standard - IEC 61850

Comprehensive automation systems are in use in many application domains like:

  • Factories (factory automation),
  • Chemical and power plants (process automation),
  • Electrical transmission and distribution substations (substation automation)
  • ...

Usually these domains have their own solutions - there are many reasons (often historical reasons). They even have their own standardization bodies: Factory automation: ISO TC 184, process automation: IEC TC 65, and substation automation: IEC TC 57.

From a system integration point of view this is non-productive. Very often the electrical system was understood as somehow special - may be because of the danger of dealing with high voltage!!

The above mentioned automation domains need solutions to exchange the huge amount of information for control and monitoring. In the past very often these domains used their own communication solutions. There was no consensus between the different domains to define a seamless solution that makes integration easier - to safe time and money, ...

The first approach to overcome the many proprietary solutions was the project MAP (manufacturing automation protocol) some 25 years ago. It failed - because it was simply to early. Just a few people understood the need of seamless integration. ISO TC 184 has published the system integration standard ISO 9506 (MMS) in 1990 - but it is used since the mid nineties all over in the electric power world: in IEC 60870-6-TASE.2, IEC 61850, and IEC 61400-25.

After the "fieldbus war" we still have the domain specific approaches, solutions and products. The fieldbus discussion has focused too long on the best approach of the field instrumentation - now we have tens of normative fieldbus standards! A seamless solution for system integration was developed by IEC TC 57: IEC 61850 "Communication networks and systems for power utility automation". The restricted scope on power utility automation has been chosen because IEC TC 57 has the scope electric power systems. Most experts outside the "dangerous" electrical world have not (yet) thought to use an "electrical" standard for non-electrical applications.

In fact the solution IEC 61850 can be used in almost all application domains of automation. At least for the three domains: factory automation, process automation, and substation automation. AND: All these application domains use a lot of electric power!! Electric power is one of the most crucial raw material for any application. Any plant manager has to pay more attention to the electric power system!

ABB has realized the crucial integration needs cross several application domains: “We still have separate work spaces for power people and process people, but everyone does more of their work the same way, using the same paradigm. This means more and better optimization, lower total costs and more minimization of risk.” according to Stefan Bollmeyer, ABB fieldbus product manager for its System 800xA. He says also: "Many users have their own department and kingdoms, and they want them to stay just as they are.”

"To help process control and power staffs cooperate on achieving better electrical integration, ABB recommends they adopt a unified integration method based on a single system environment, use a fieldbus network to handle electrification control and management, and use the IEC 61850 standard to tie together process instrumentation, process electrification and power distribution networks." according to a report about ABB's March 23-25, 2009 event in Orlando, Florida (USA). Read Report.

With the Ethernet, TCP/IP and XML based information exchange in most of the application domains it could be expected that IEC 61850 will be used as the standard for seamless information, information exchange and system configuration. The information model of IEC 61850 "MMXU" (electrical measurements) providing objects of three phase AC voltages (PhaseA, PhaseB, PhaseC or PhaseAB, PhaseBC, PhaseCA) or three AC currents (PhaseA, PhaseB, PhaseC) can be used where three phases are installed: in any application domain.

The same AC electrical system can be found in power plants, power transmission and distribution, and any other plant. Some companies have realized that IEC 61850 could be used as the single seamless solution in most application domains. Nobody would come up with a special 5 phase AC system for his application domain! IEC 61850 could play the same standard role as does the three phase seamless AC electrical system - even we have 50 Hz or 60 Hz systems!

IEC 61850 will be accepted some time down the road as the seamless international integration standard like the three phase AC electrical system is the international standard for electric power.