Application of IEC 61850 at Palmridge substation

By
Fhulu Matebalo
Submitted in preliminary fulfilment of the requirements for the

BTECH: ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING POWER

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA

COLLEGE OF SCIENCE, ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL AND MINING ENGINEERING

Proposal
Date: 18 March 2014

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.1

INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................2

1.2

RESEARCH STATEMENT............................................................................3

1.3

RESEARCH QUESTION...............................................................................3

1.4

AIM OF RESEARCH.....................................................................................4

1.5

VALUE OF RESEARCH................................................................................4

1.6

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE.............................................................................5

1.7

LITERATURE REVIEW PERTAINING TO RESEARCH QUESTION...........5

1.8

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY.....................................................................7

1.8.1
1.8.2
1.8.3
1.8.4

RESEARCH APPROACH...................................................................................8
HOW RESEARCH INSTRUMENT DEVELOPED......................................................8
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS....................................................................8
RESEARCH VALIDITY.......................................................................................8

1.9

LIMITATIONS.................................................................................................9

1.10

DELIMITATIONS...........................................................................................9

1.11

DEFINATIONS OF TERMS.........................................................................10

1.12

FRAMEWORK OF REPORT.......................................................................10

1.13

REFERENCES............................................................................................11

1.1 INTRODUCTION
Ekurhuleni Municipality had gone through electrical upgrades affecting most
aspects of the power system in its distribution network for the past few years. One
of municipalitys main substations is Palmridge substation which distributes 400 MW
of power received from Eskom grid to hundreds of domestic and industrial
consumers throughout Palmridge area. This research documents the innovative use
of international standard communication with modern Ethernet network designs to
protect, control, and monitor this 33 kV/6.6 kV substation. Substation automation in
this area should be essential in order to maintain an efficient and reliable electrical
infrastructure.
This report will focus on the analysis and implementation of the IEC61850 which will
be performed in this substation to provide a general overview of its standard in
terms of functionality and its scope. It will also discusses several key aspects of the
electrical design, protection and control, communications network design, testing,
and commissioning of an IEC 61850-based substation. The IEC61850 standard is
developed to make this automation interoperable and cost-efficient. The IEC61850
standard has a number of benefits compared to previous automation standards
which are often referred to as legacy standards and will addressed in this report
(Sivertsen and Hammer, 2008, p. 6).
With rapid growth and understanding of the IEC 61850 communication protocol, the
municipality considered and required several of the protocols and methods defined
within the standard to be implemented in this substation for several reasons. The
primary reason is to minimize the copper connections between the switch gear and
the control house. This is effectively accomplished by using digital messaging over
fiber cables to act as virtual wiring among networked intelligent electronic devices
(IEDs) which in this case will be protection relays and Automatic Voltage Regulators
(AVRs) (Tibbals and Dolezilek, 2010, p. 3).

1.2 RESEARCH STATEMENT

This project has two separate dimensions in that it consists of an analysis and an
implementation of the IEC61850 in a substation. The analysis of the standard is
necessary both in order to provide the desired overview of its content and scope,
and also with regard to beginning to make an implementation of the standard. The
overall task can be described as easing Ekurhulenis employment of the IEC61850
protocol by providing a useful overview of the contents of the standard and
constructing a generic implementation of a suitable part of the standard that can be
easily extended or modified according to the needs and wishes of the Municipality.
Because of the comprehensive nature of the IEC61850 standard, a suitable
demarcation is necessary to pinpoint the focus area of the software implementation
of this project.
This leads to a research statement: Analysis and implementation of IEC 61850 in a
substation.

1.3 RESEARCH QUESTION

The overall objective of the research is to find out how the IEC61850 protocol is
being implemented and practiced in the electrical substation. In order to answer this
question in detail the following sub- question will be used.

Do the IEDs compatible and properly configured for IEC61850 on this

substation?

Is the IEC61850 protocol for the entire network in this substation properly
implemented?

Do the correct format of the GOOSE message generated and successfully

transmitted over the network EIDs?

Does the goose communication stacks applied to the IEDs meeting the
behaviour requirements specified by the IEC 61850 standard?

1.4 AIM OF RESEARCH

The aim of the research is to successfully apply the IEC61850 standard for
communication and data transfer between the IEDs supporting the communication
needs required by municipality for protection, monitoring, automation, metering and
control.

1.5 VALUE OF RESEARCH

The benefit of this study includes the following:

Simple substation structure: Ekurhuleni municipality will have no more

interfacing problems. With IEC 61850, protocol diversity and integration

problems are going to be eliminated.

Everything should be simpler: from engineering to implementation, from
operation to service. Time and costs on configuration, commissioning and
maintenance should be saved with the application of IEC61850 in Palmridge

substation.
Reduction of costs: IEC 61850 replaces wiring between feeders, control

switches, and signalling devices.

More reliability: You only use one communication channel for all data in real

time, synchronized via Ethernet.

Reduced number of field terminations, associated wiring, labour, and
maintenance due to the reuse of data detected by a single IED digitally

communicated to integrated IEDs and other data clients.

. Maximizing supervision should be achieved by replacing traditional
unmonitorable copper terminations with monitored digital communications at
the IED closest to the field data, which in turn detects and alarms

communications problems immediately.

Reduced quantity of IEDs due to the fact that newer multifunction IEDs
replace multiple individual purpose IEDs and that integration of IED data
eliminates several traditional stand-alone systems including those that
perform SCADA, metering, sequence-of events recording, and digital fault
recording.

1.6 RESEARCH OBJECTIVE

This study will seek to achieve the following objectives:

To conduct research on the history of IEDs used in this substation and review

of design theory for IED hardware and software applied.

To conduct a study on the analysis of IEC 61850 modelling and

implementation to all substation bays IEDs.

To conduct a study on analysis of the frame format of the GOOSE message

and its successful transmission over the network.

To evaluate the Goose performance in order to confirm that the
communication stack used meet the behaviour requirements specified by the
IEC 61850 standard.

1.7 LITERATURE REVIEW PERTAINING TO RESEARCH QUESTION

The general title of the IEC61850 standard is Communication networks and
systems in substations. The standard consists of the following parts:

Palmridge substation IEC61850 layout

Substation IEC61850 standard introduction and overview
Glossary: Explains terms and abbreviations used throughout the standard
General requirements: Specifies system requirements with emphasis on the

quality requirements of the communication network.

System and project management: Specifies system and project management
with respect to the engineering process, life cycle of overall system and

IEDs1, and the quality assurance.

Communication requirements for function and device models: describes all
required functions in order to identify communication requirements between
technical services and the substation, and between IEDs within the

substation. The goal is interoperability for all interactions.

Substation automation system configuration description language: specifies
the SCL file format for describing communication related IED configurations,
IED parameters, communication system configurations, function structures,

and the relations between them.

Basic communication structure for substation and feeder equipment

 Principles and models: Introduces modelling methods, communication principles

and information models used in IEC61850-7. Also, detailed requirements and
explanations are given regarding the relation between IEC61850-7-x and the
requirements from IEC51850-5.
Abstract communication service interface (ACSI): Presents the ACSI providing
abstract interfaces describing the communications between a client and a remote
server, such as interfaces for data access and retrieval, device control, event
reporting and logging.
Common data classes: specifies common attribute types and common data
classes related to substation applications. The common data classes specified, are
for instance, classes for status information, measured information, controllable
status information, controllable analogue set point information, status settings and
analogue settings.
Compatible logical node classes and data classes: specifies the compatible
logical node names and data names for communication between IEDs.
Specific communication service mapping (SCSM)
Mapping to MMS3: specifies how time-critical and non-time-critical data may be
exchanged through local area networks by mapping ACSI to MMS.

Specific communication service mapping (SCSM)

Serial un-directional multi-drop point to point link: specifies the specific

communication service mappings for the communication between bay and process
level and a mapping of the abstract service for the transmission of sampled values.
These are specified on a serial unidirectional multi-drop point to point link.
Mapping on based process: defines the SCSM for the transmission of

sampled values according to the abstract specification.

Conformance testing: specifies how a SAS4 should be tested to ensure
conformance with the IEC61850 standard.

1.8 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

A research methodology is the how of collecting data and the processing thereof
within the framework of the research process (Brynard and Hanekom, 1997:27).
This research targets the implementation of the IEC 61850 standard with the
development of its oriented-object models transforming it into a concrete application
protocol. The design, implementation, simulation and testing of various components
will be carried out using appropriate software development and network design
tools. IEC 61850 standard is to be examined in detail as well as identifying the most
appropriate

software

development

technique

to

achieve

the

successful

implementation of the standard. The communication requirements set by the IEC

61850 standard will be investigated and the currently available communication
architectures will be analysed in order to recognise their strengths and weaknesses.
The topics that will be reviewed will includes

A literature reviews

History of IEDs and review of theory for IED hardware and software
Analysis of the IEC61850 standard
The IEC61850 Standard - Overview and Scope including modelling and

implementation aspects
GOOSE frame format analysis utilizing data network utilities
Analysis of a test scenario for an aspect of cyber security
Challenges Encountered
Application of results
Proposed improvements and ongoing work status

Data Model

Substation Configuration Description

Abstract Communication Service Interface

Information Models

1.8.1 Research Approach

The research intended to be carried out will focus primarily on the application of IEC
61850 standard in a substation, but across all of its areas of application namely:
Protection, Monitoring, Control, Instrumentation, Command and Supervision. In
order to cover a wide and varied range of sources, the research will target
academic papers, technical journals, articles from magazines, documents from
conferences, as well as reports published by the main suppliers, and leader utilities
in the sector.

1.8.2 How research instrument developed

In this research the two main research instrument that will be used is equipment
data downloading and the consultation with SEL relays suppliers. Consulting is one
of the best methods of data and information gathering. In this research unstructured
interview will be conducted with IEC61850 engineers from Schweitzer and different
sectors IEC61850 specialists in South Africa. Downloading method will be done
through data which will be configured and programmed to the equipment and IEDs
installed in this substation (Palmridge).

1.8.3 Data collection and analysis

In this research both the Secondary source and primary source will be used as the
method for data collection and this will be done as follows;
In primary data collection, data will be collected from IEC61850 engineers in the
form of consultations. As a part of primary data collection unstructured interviews
will also be conducted with protection engineers and IEC61850 specialists and
gurus. The Secondary data collection will be done by using engineering books,
technical manuals, articles and IED downloads in order to find out the outcome of
these researches.

The data that will be collected using this different method will be analysed
and presented in a form of waveforms, graphs, drawings, circuit diagrams
and conclusion will be developed from this analysed data.

1.8.4 Research validity

Validity refers to the accuracy or truthfulness of a measurement. The researcher will
make sure that this research is being done in an ethical manner and credit and
acknowledgement will be given were it is due. All assessments of validity are
subjective opinions based on the judgment of the researcher this research is validity
and is a true reflection of what the research will find and use in completing this
report, some of the information will be an already proven ways to analyse data.

1.9 LIMITATIONS
The research project is limited to the analysis and implementation of an IEC 61850
protocol on Schweinzer relays or the SEL IED and its compatible products.
The following tasks form part of the project:

Analysis of methods for IEC 61580 standard implementation;

Software modelling as well as software implementation for the intelligent

electronic devices.
Testing of the IEC 61850 standard on the intelligent electronic devices
employed in this substation.

1.10

DELIMITATIONS

This research will focus more on the analysis and implementation of IEC 61850
communication protocol applied to compatible equipment in the electrical
substation.

1.11

DEFINATIONS OF TERMS
Generic Object Oriented Substation Event: High performance multi-cast
messaging service for inter-IED communications, and is used for fast

transmission of substation event.

Intelligent Electronic Device: Device incorporating one or more processors,
with the capability to receive or send data/control from, or to, an external
source. Device capable of executing the behaviour of one or more specified

logical nodes in a particular context and delimited by its interfaces.

Substation Configuration description Language: Description language for

communication in electrical substations related to the IEDs.

Substation: A node in an electrical power network where lines and cables are
connected for transmission and distribution of electric power.

1.12

FRAMEWORK OF REPORT

The research consists of six chapters detailing the background information, problem
definition, developed methods, software application, integration techniques applied,
challenges encountered and results of the research project.
Chapter 1 presents an overview of the research project highlighting the research
aims, the research limitations and delimitation, the research methodologies,
research aims and objectives, value of research and a description of the originality
of the research.
Chapter 2 presents the literature search and analysis including a detailed literature
review.
Chapter 3 provides detailed information about the target hardware platform that is
used to implement the IEC 61850 protocol.
Chapter 4 provides detailed information about information model, information
exchange model, the device model and the substation module including an
overview of the target hardware and software platform that is used to implement this
protocol standard to the IEDs. This chapter also describes the modelling of the
selected case study based on the IEC61850 standard.

Chapter 5 this chapter presents the testing procedure to verify the correct
implementation of the IEC61850 standard. All results of this study are described
and analysed.
Chapter 6 provides the conclusion to this research project. The benefits that this
research project offers are described and future research prospects for expansion
of this project and other related relevant projects in this field of study are identified.
Chapter 1 - Introduction
Chapter 2 Analysis and Literature review
Chapter 3 - Research Design
Chapter 4 - Implementation
Chapter 5 - Testing and Results analysis
Chapter 6 Conclusions and recommendations

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1

Introduction

The purpose of this chapter is to provide the necessary background required to

understand the concepts that relate to power system communications, recent
standardisation developments and the use of protocols with respect to the IEC
61850 applied at Palmridge substation.
This chapter is structured in the following fashion starting with an IEC 61850
philosophy and objectives in Section 2.2, Intelligent Electronic Devices in Section
2.3. Analysis of the IEC61850 standard in Section 2.4 and the Conclusion on
Section 2.5
2.2 IEC 61850 philosophy and objectives
According to the Digital Bond (2010) website: The IEC 61850 standard was
designed to provide a robust architecture network, common communication protocol
suite, common data format and naming convention, interoperability, fast
communications among field devices, guaranteed data delivery within a pre-defined
time, configuration support, and defines complete testing requirements for
substation equipment.
It is a standard that encompasses multiple disciplines, and that makes use of
existing standards as well as commonly accepted communication principles and
accepted protection methods. The IEC 61850 standard is the primary source of
information, and has been used as a guideline for implementation and adaptation.
To summarize, the IEC 61850 is driven by three main philosophical concepts which
are:

Virtualisation: Development of a method to create a generic substation model

of all relevant components and functions.

A method which allows flexibility for future communication needs by
incorporating service and mapping mechanisms which will accommodate
this.

Exchange of information through XML files for device capability and system
architecture needs for engineering the Substation Automation

The points listed above can be viewed as the most pertinent aspects for different
institutional bodies or individuals interested in the IEC 61850 standard.
The objectives of the IEC 61850 standard can be stated as follows:

Interoperability between all communicating equipment;

Free Configuration of the system;
Long Term Stability with respect to technological evolution.

2.3 Intelligent Electronic Devices

Most of Ekurhulenis electricity substations consists of digital relays and other
Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs) that record and store a variety of data in
relation to their control interface, internal operation and about the power system
they monitor, control and protect. Instrumentation & Control (I&C) devices, which
are

built

using

microprocessors,

are

commonly

referred

to

as

IEDs.

Microprocessors are single-chip computers that can process data, accept

commands and communicate information.
Ekurhuleni municipality is using digital relays are in replacing the aging
electromechanical and solid-state electronic component-type relays and relay
systems.

Figure 2.1 Digital relay with target interfaces

Above figure shows a typical connection diagram of digital relay with its target
interfaces. Digital relays popularity comes from their low price, reliability,
functionality and flexibility. However, the most important feature that separates a
digital relay from previous devices such as electro mechanical relay is its capability
of collecting and reacting to data and then using this data to create information.
Such information includes:

Protection Data: Fault location and fault type,

Metering Data: Pre-fault, fault and post-fault currents and voltages,
Breaker and relay operation data, and
Diagnostic and historical data.

IEDs installed are running automatic processes while communications are handled
through a serial port similar to the communication ports on a computer. Some
examples of IEDs used in this power network are:
Instrument transformers relays such as voltage regulators,
Remote Terminal Units (RTUs), and
Digital fault recorders.
2.4 Analysis of the IEC61850 standard
The purpose of this section is to provide insight and overview of how the standard is
structured and how it is used in this particular substation. First, basic concepts of
the standard are explained and then a brief overview is given of the contents of the
standard. Afterwards, the different parts of the standard are inspected individually
and analysed in more detail.
2.4.1 Basic Concepts of IEC61850
A substation can be defined as a node in an electrical power network where lines
and cables are connected for transmission and distribution of electric power.
Palmridge substation has the capability of transforming electricity, from high to low
voltage for distribution by a low-voltage network.

This substation therefore has two transformers and it has many other functions as
well, such as switching, breaking and protection capabilities. Substation automation
system (SAS) utilised in this substation is a computer system which allows an
administrator to communicate with the substation over a computer network such as
the internet. When developing this system it was necessary to create a model of a
general substation with all of its components and functions. Then it is necessary to
stipulate the exact form of communication that is allowed and supported by the
system. This describes exactly the challenges addressed by the IEC61850
standard.
A substation can often comprise a number of IEDs. When an IED is added, the
extension must be reflected in the particular instance of the data model modelling
the substation. The IEC61850 standard allows for configuration and modifications to
a SAS, through the use of SCL which is defined in IEC61850-6.

2.4.2 The IEC61850 Standard - Overview and Scope

The general title of the IEC61850 standard is Communication networks and
systems in substations. The standard consists of the following parts:
IEC61850-1 Introduction and overview
IEC61850-2 Glossary explains terms and abbrevations used throughout the
standard
IEC61850-3 General requirement specifies system requirements with emphasis on
the quality requirements of the communication network.
IEC61850-4 System and project management specifies system and project
management with respect to the engineering process, life cycle of overall system
and IEDs1, and the quality assurance.
IEC61850-5 Communication requirements for function and device models
describes all required functions in order to identify communication requirements

between technical services and the substation, and between IEDs within the
substation. The goal is interoperability for all interactions.
IEC61850-6 Substation automation system configuration description language
specifies the SCL file format for describing communication related IED
configurations, IED parameters, communication system configurations, function
structures, and the relations between them. The purpose is to exchange IED
capability description, and SA2 system descriptions between IED engineering tools
and different system engineering tools.
IEC61850-7 Basic communication structure for substation and feeder equipment

IEC61850-7-1

Principles

and

models

Introduces

modelling

methods,

communication principles and information models used in IEC61850-7. Also,

detailed requirements and explanations are given regarding the relation between
IEC61850-7-x and the requirements from IEC51850-5.
IEC61850-7-2 Abstract communication service interface (ACSI) presents the ACSI
providing abstract interfaces describing the communications between a client and a
remote server, such as interfaces for data access and retrieval, device control,
event reporting and logging.
IEC61850-7-3 Common data classes specifies common attribute types and
common data classes related to substation applications. The common data classes
specified, are for instance, classes for status information, measured information,
controllable status information, controllable analogue set point information, status
settings and analogue settings.
IEC61850-7-4 Compatible logical node classes and data classes specifies the
compatible logical node names and data names for communication between IEDs.
IEC61850-8 Specific communication service mapping (SCSM)
IEC61850-8-1 Mapping to MMS3 (ISO/IEC 9506 Part 1 and Part 2) specifies how
time-critical and non-time-critical data may be exchanged through local area
networks by mapping ACSI to MMS.

 IEC61850-9 Specific communication service mapping (SCSM)

IEC61850-9-1 Serial un-directional multi-drop point to point link specifies the
specific communication service mappings for the communication between bay and
process level and a mapping of the abstract service for the transmission of sampled
values. These are specified on a serial unidirectional multi drop point to point link.
IEC61850-9-2 Mapping on an IEEE 802.3 based process defines the SCSM for
the transmission of sampled values according to the abstract specification in
IEC618507-2.
IEC61850-10 Conformance testing specifies how a SAS4 should be tested to
ensure conformance with the IEC61850 standard.

2.4.3 Data Model

As was illustrated in figure 2.1, logical nodes are key objects in the IEC61850 data
model. The data model is hierarchical and logical nodes are the essential elements
of this model. A logical node represents a particular function within a device and can
be defined as the smallest part of a function that exchanges data. The IEC61850
standard defines 91 different logical node classes which are grouped together into
13 logical node groups according to their functionality.
In an instance of the data model, some of the logical node instances may be
grouped together into a bay which is defined as closely connected subparts of the
substation with some common functionality. A bay is thus a logical grouping, not
necessarily a physical device. In the hierarchical data model, it can be represented
by a logical device.
In a substation there can be one or more physical devices. A physical device has
one or more servers and a server is the topmost object in the hierarchical data
model. A logical device is a more fine-grained grouping of functionality related to a
particular physical device. The logical device is contained in a server. Thus, one
server may have more than one logical device and a logical device may contain
several logical nodes.

Hubert Kirrmann of ABB Research Center states that: Although IEC 61850 is
defined as a communication structure for substation and feeder equipment its main
contribution is the definition of an object model for all substation objects. It is clear
that since the standard has interoperability as a goal, its data model is of essential
importance, and therefore it is an advantage that all functions can be modelled
precisely and by predefined objects.
An important aspect of the object model is the fact that users are allowed to name
substation components in a meaningful way. This is a consequence of the object
oriented approach used for developing the standard.
The standard defines an object reference to differentiate between a reference to an
object and the object name. The object reference is important in terms of
implementation and is based on the data model in a straight forward manner. The
object reference is comprised of the objects ordered hierarchically according to the
data

model

and

with

dots

between

them.

The

general

format

is:

LD/LN.Data.DataAttribute

2.4.4 Data communication philosophy

- Definition of a GOOSE message
The Generic Object Oriented Substation Event (GOOSE) is provided to report any
change of state of an IED to other peer devices (IEC61850-2_p16).
Figure 2.2 below, shows the mapping profile of the IEC 61850 protocol suite. It is
acknowledged that communication protocols such as GOOSE and Sampled Value
messages are mapped over two layers of the OSI model which are: the Physical
layer (layer 1) and the Data-link Layer (layer2).

Figure 2.2: Protocol mappings profile

A GOOSE message allows for high speed trip signals to be issued with a maximum
probability of delivery within a specific time range.

Table 2.1 gives information about the time requirements for different applications
used within the substation.

1A

Fast

Messages P1 and P2/P3

10 ms and 3 ms

Messages P1 and P2/P3

100 ms and less than 20 ms

(Trip)
1B

Fast
(other)

Medium Speed

100 ms

Low Speed

500 ms

Raw Data

File Transfer

Above 1000 ms

Time

Accuracy

P1 and P2/P3

10 ms and 3 ms

Synchronisation
Table 2.1: IEC 61850 message types and performances
.
2.4.5 Substation Configuration Description Language
A substation may be altered in structure for instance if one or more IEDs are added.
Such additions can be defined by use of an SCL file. The SCL language allows for
configuration of a substation both before employment but also as further equipment
is added to the substation. SCL is short for Substation automation system
Configuration description Language.
The SCL file format is used for describing communication related IED
configurations, IED parameters, communication system configurations, function
structures, and the relations between them. The purpose is to exchange IED

capability description, and substation automation system descriptions between IED

engineering tools and different system engineering tools.

Extensio

Name

Description

IED Capability

Defines complete capability of an IED. Contains

Description

single IED description, optional communication

n
.icd

system description and optional substation

description.
.ssd

.scd

System Specification

Complete specification of SAS excluding IED

Description

descriptions

Substation

Complete specification of SAS excluding IED

Configuration

descriptions

Description
.cid

Configured IED

Makes communication possible between

Description

an IED and an IED configuration tool.

Table 2.2 SCL file types.

The SCL language is made up of four file types, each with a specific purpose. The
types are shown in table 2.1.1.

Any SCL file is structured with XML format and is made up of some of the following
five parts, depending upon its purpose:
1. Header
2. Substation description

3. IED description
4. Communication system description
5. Data type templates

2.5 Conclusion
The IEC 61850 standard covers not only communication, but also qualitative
properties of engineering tools, measures for quality management and configuration
management (Ozansoy, 2006). More importantly, the IEC 61850 standard specifies
a common reference model to exchange data configuration of Intelligent Electronics
Devices (IEDs). This exchange is made possible by the use of the Substation
Configuration Language (SCL) files that allow for the transfer of IED configuration
from one software engineering tool to another to integrate an IED within the
Substation Automation System (SAS) (Martin and Nguyen, 2004).
The benefits that are derived from the IEC 61850 standard from this review are:

Introduction of a standardized substation architecture and communication

protocol in terms of addressability via a communication bus (reducing cabling

cost).
Interoperability of equipment provided by different vendors.
Easy maintenance and reconfiguration of the overall architecture of the

substation and/or functions perform by all associated equipment.

Capacity added within the substation to detect faults or inactive IEDs within
its own architecture. This prevents the substation from mal-operation due to
faulty IEDS left unattended within the substation architecture, under the
assumption that they are working properly.

3. IEC 61850 Design

3.1 Substation Design & Layout
Palm ridge substation incorporates the IEC61850 station bus standard utilizing
Logical Nodes and the GOOSE messaging for all protection & control for 11 kV
incomer and breakers, transformer primary and back up set protection, data

acquisition of the transformer, transformer on load tap changer control, breaker

control, supervisory control & data acquisition (SCADA), operational interface
panels (OIP), digital fault recorder interface and miscellaneous station data.
The IEC61850 IEDs used in the final design of the Palm ridge Substation are shown
in Figure 3.2. IEDs on the 11 and 6.6 kV make up the IEC61850 implementation of
this project.

Figure 3.2
Line protection relays LA99A, LB99A, 9A99A, 9299A &
9B99A are GE-Multilin D60 relays (GE-D60).
Breaker control devices LA52BCA, LA52BCB, L252BCA,
L252BCB, LB52BCA, LB52BCB, 9152BCA, 9152BCB,
C1652BCA, C1652BCB, 9A52BCA, 9A52BCB, C2652BCA &
C2652BCB are Siemens 7SJ64 relays (SIEMENS-7SJ64).
Transformer protection consists of two SEL-387A relays for differential protection
and two SEL 751A relays back-up overcurrent and earth fault relays for two of the
transformers.
OLTC control and transformer monitoring are the two REG-DA relays for two
transformers.
30SHA - Set A substation alarms and auxiliary control
Logic is GE-Multilin C30 relay (GE-C30).
30SHB - Set B substation alarms and auxiliary control
Logic & IEC61850 interface to set B transformer protection

is ABB REC 670 relay (ABB-REC 670).

3.2 Transformer Protection

Two complete, comprehensive and independent transformer protection packages or
schemes are implemented. The transformer bank is a delta-star 11/6.6 kV with a 40
MVA capacity through the use of two three-phase transformer. Primary protection
(SEL 387A) provides transformer differential protection, over current protection,
transformer sudden pressure protection, OLTC sudden pressure protection and
restricted ground fault protection for both neutral CTs. Every transformer status and
alarms, such as fan status, liquid levels, etc. are collected by the 30TA, 30TB, 30TC
& 30TS devices (GE-C30), which are located in cabinets mounted on each of the
two three-phase 11/6.6 kV transformers. Analog and digital data from 30TA, 30TB,
30TC & 30TS IEDs are available in IEC61850 format to OIP-A, OIP-B and SCADA.
All trip cut-out switches and lockout relays (LORs) for transformer protection are
considered virtual and resident within the transformer main protection IED logic.
These virtual switches can be manipulated from OIP-A, OIP-B, SCADA or main
protection front panel pushbuttons. LEDs and virtual LEDs on the OIP provide
various system conditions relating to a complete transformer bank protection
scheme. The 87B device is a non-IEC61850 IED using a conventional LOR (lock
out relay) and hard-wire trips.
Typical transformer fault scenario Condition: An internal fault to the transformer has
occurred. What happens? A set - The 87A IED determines a fault condition.
Depending on the virtual 29DA trip cut-out switch (in the ON position), the 87A IED
will issue a GOOSE message (bank differential set A operated). This GOOSE
message will be used by each of the eight 52BC IEDs (SIEMENS-7SJ64)
LA52BCA, LA52BCB, LB52BCA, LB52BCB, 9152BCA, 9152BCB, C1652BCA,
C1652BCB) to trip & lockout individual breakers & open corresponding isolating
switches. The same GOOSE message will also initiate, LB99A, 9299A, 9A99A.
When a transformer fault condition is detected the 87A will also simultaneously
close its output contacts (for risk management purposes), which are directly
connected to trip the four breakers involved in the transformer differential zone of

coverage. B set - The 87B relay determines fault condition and closes its trip
contact on the I/O board. This contact is in series with the 29DB trip cut-out switch
(in the ON position) which energizes the 94B LOR. The 94B device has contacts
wired directly to trip the four breakers involved in the transformer differential zone of
coverage. The 94B also has a contact wired into the 30SHB device to indicate the
transformer fault condition to other IEC61850 IEDs, SCADA & local OIP-B. The
30SHB will then issue a GOOSE message to initiate breaker failure within B set
line/breaker protection IEDs (ABB-REL 670) LA99B, LB99B, 9299B, 9A99B for a
transformer fault condition.

3.3 Transformer OLTC Control

The substation transformers have On Load Tap Changer (OLTC) for each of the two
three-phase 11/6.6 kV transformers. Each OLTC has controls enabling SCADA or
OIP (via 30TA, 30TB, 30TC & 30TS IEDs) to raise or lower its tap position.
These controls are in addition to the individual transformer OLTC controls provided
by the manufacturer.
The position of the virtual switch supervises the raise & lower commands sent to
various OLTC control units. That is, the OIP or SCADA will have the option to select
which tap changer is to accept the raise/lower singular command submitted by the
OIP-A, OIP-B and SCADA

3.4 Breaker Control

Breaker control devices LA52BCA, LA52BCB, L252BCA, L252BCB, LB52BCA,
LB52BCB, 9152BCA, 9152BCB, C1652BCA, C1652BCB, 9A52BCA, 9A52BCB,
C2652BCA & C2652BCB are Siemens 7SJ64 relays (see Figure 4).
The substation contains redundant breaker control devices. The idea behind dual
breaker control IEDs is to meet the same redundancy requirement as for line
protection. The IEDs as shown in Figure 2 have generic names 52BCA and 52BCB.

This defines a breaker (52) IED providing breaker control (BC) and which set (A or
B) it corresponds. These devices are mounted inside an enclosure located on the
breaker mechanism leg.
This enclosure will be referred to as an IED auxiliary cabinet. The individual
breakers mechanism or control cabinet will be referred to as the main cabinet.
Each breaker control 52BC IED will listen for a GOOSE message requesting their
breaker or MOD to be operated.
Along with the breaker control IEDs, other components and devices will also be
located in the IED auxiliary cabinet. They include a temperature thermostat,
auxiliary cabinet heater, condensation monitor and an on-line breaker monitor.

3.5 Device specifications

3.5.1 SEL-387A Relay Specification

The microprocessor-based relay shall provide a combination of functions including

protection, monitoring, control, and automation. Relay self-checking functions shall
be included. Specific requirements are listed below:
Percentage Differential Protection: The relay shall incorporate restrained differential
protection for two windings with fixed or variable percentage, using one or two
settable slopes with adjustable intersection point and minimum pickup values.
Harmonic and DC Elements: The relay shall incorporate second-, fourth-, and fifthharmonic and dc elements, with the choice of either harmonic blocking or harmonic
restraint to prevent restrained differential element operation during inrush or overexcitation conditions; an independent fifth-harmonic alarm element shall be included
to warn of an over-excitation condition.
Unrestrained Differential Protection: The relay shall include unrestrained differential
protection to produce rapid tripping for severe internal faults.

Overcurrent Fault Protection: The relay shall incorporate two groups of three-phase
current inputs and three sets of neutral overcurrent elements that can be
independently enabled for overcurrent protection. Eleven overcurrent elements per
winding shall be included to provide phase, negative-sequence, and residual
protection.
CT Phase Angle Compensation: The relay shall incorporate full round-the-clock
current compensation, in 30-degree increments, to accommodate virtually any type
of transformer and CT winding connection.
Status and Trip Target LEDs: The relay shall include 16 status and trip target LEDs.
Restricted Earth Fault Protection: The relay shall incorporate two sets of restricted
earth fault (REF) protection for the detection of ground faults in wye-connected
windings.
Communication: The relay shall include three EIA-232 and one EIA-485 serial ports
to provide flexible communication to external computers and control systems. The
relay shall operate at a speed of 30019200 baud. Three-level password protection
shall be included to provide remote security communication.
Distributed Network Protocol (DNP): The relay shall incorporate certified DNP3
Level 2 Slave protocol communications capability. The DNP capability shall include
automatic dial-out for settings-based DNP events and virtual terminal support with
full ASCII capability.
Relay Logic: The relay shall include programmable logic functions for a wide range
of user-configurable protection, monitoring, and control schemes.
Auxiliary Inputs/Outputs: The relay shall include fully programmable opt isolated
inputs and output contacts.
Trip and Close Variables: The relay shall include three trip variables and two close
variables to permit separate control of up to two breakers and a separate lockout
device.

Setting Groups: The relay shall include six selectable setting groups to permit
easier adaptation to changes in application.
Metering: The relay shall include metering capabilities for real-time phase and
differential quantities, as well as phase demand and peak demand current values.
Harmonic content from the fundamental to the 15th harmonic for all phase currents
shall also be included.
Circuit Breaker Monitor: The relay shall include two breaker wear monitors with
user-definable wear curves, operation counters, and accumulated interrupted
currents per phase.
Substation Battery Monitor: The relay shall measure and report the substation
battery voltage presented to the relay power supply terminals. Four selectable
threshold parameters shall be provided for alarm and control purposes.
Through-Fault Event Monitor: The relay shall provide for the capability of reporting
fault current level, duration, and date/time for overcurrent events through the
differential protection zone. A settable I2t alarm indicates an excess of accumulated
through-fault energy.
Temperature Metering: The relay shall include temperature metering for up to 24
external RTDs. RTD inputs to the relay shall be via serial communications ports.
Event Reporting and Sequential Events Recorder (SER): The relay shall be capable
of automatically recording disturbance events of 15, 30, or 60 cycles with settable
pre-fault duration and user-defined triggering. Events shall be stored in non-volatile
memory. The relay shall include an SER that stores the latest 512 entries.
Automation. The relay shall include 16 local control elements, 16 remote control
logic points, 16 latching logic points, and 16 display messages in conjunction with a
local display panel included in the relay. The relay shall have the capability to
display custom messages.
Internal Real-Time Clock. The relay shall include a real-time clock, with battery
backup, synchronizable to demodulated IRIG-B input, to provide accurate time
stamps for event records.

Low-Level Testing. The relay shall include a low-level test interface to permit relay
testing with low-energy test equipment.

1.13

REFERENCES

Hammer, Sivertsen. (2008): Analysis and implementation of the IEC 61850 standard
D. Dolezilek, IEC 61850: What You Need to Know about Functionality and Practical
Implementation, presented at the Western Power Delivery Automation Conference,
Spokane, WA, 2005
KOSTIC, T., AND FREI, C. (2007): Modelling and using IEC 61850-7-2 (ACSI) as
an API.
KOSTIC, T., PREISS, O., and FREI, C. (2005 Understanding and using the IEC
61850: a case for meta-modelling.
Erasmus P1 and van Waveren2. C.C South African Journal of Industrial
Engineering November 2009 Vol 20(2): 93-105
Kenneth H.V Rose (2005): Project Quality Management. Ross Publishing
Leedy PD & Ormrod JE. 2005. Practical Research, Planning and Design. New
Jersey: Pearson-Prentice Hall.