Substation
Substation Automation Data Acquisition and Control Functions
Jan 16th
Table of Contents
- Sampling, Sensing, and Control: e.g. PT and CT Sampling, Fault indicator sensing, LTC Raise/Lower controls, and Protection Trip Signal
- Protection IED Interactions: e.g. interactions among protection IED to determine whether to trip, and which equipment to trip
- Substation Master System: e.g. Substation system that manages the IEDs within the substation, ranging from simple data concentrators, RTUs, to sophisticated master stations for managing substation automation functions
- DER Management Systems Monitoring and Control of DER Devices: e.g. managing Distributed Energy Resources in a substation or at an industrial customer site
- SCADA Systems within
Power automation requires a complicated and sophisticated architecture
Jan 16th
Power automation requires a complicated and sophisticated architecture. As a result, system integrators and software developers need optimal solutions that can withstand tough conditions. These solutions require powerful controllers with multiple serial ports for legacy device connection. They must also perform front-end tasks, such as data acquisition, numerical computing, data distribution, and remote device monitoring and management. Network redundancy is also essential to ensure the continuous system operation of power automation applications. In addition, the effects of extreme temperature fluctuations must be overcome to maintain system stability.
The evolution of substation communications
Jan 16th
Trends in electric utility automation, specifically substation automation, have converged upon a common communications architecture with the goal of having interoperability between a variety of intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) found in the substation. This initiative was begun back in the late 1980s driven by the major North American utilities under the technical auspices of EPRI (Electric Power Research Institute). The resulting standard that emerged is known as the Utility Communications Architecture 2.0 (UCA2.0) and is becoming an international standard as IEC61850. This architecture, which is now being adopted worldwide by utilities and IED vendors alike, has as its underlying network… Continue reading
Kalki Sub-Station Gateways
Jan 16th
KSGL family of protocol hardware are field proven and secure solutions for protocol communication integration and translation requirements for the Power Generation, Transmission & Distribution, Oil & Gas, Industrial Automaton, Utilities, AMR, Remote Monitoring applications. Our products enable you to deploy standards based field-proven utility communication solutions with secure communication options quickly and cost-effectively.
Automation Systems currently need to support new and high speed standards like IEC 61850, IEEE C37.118, DNP3, IEC 104, ICCP and integrate in a secure manner with central control centers, local control centers, remote monitoring stations, data concentration centers, local and… Continue reading
IEC61850 is an important international standard for substation
Jan 16th
IEC61850 is an important international standard for substation automation that will have a very significant impact on how electric power systems are designed and built for many years to come. IEC61850 is a part of the International Electrotechnical Commission’s (IEC) Technical Committee 57 (TC57) architecture for electric power systems. The model-driven approach of the TC57 standards, including IEC61850, is an innovative approach that requires a new way of thinking about substation automation that will result in very significant improvements in both cost and performance of electric power systems.
The abstract data models defined in IEC61850 can… Continue reading
First IEC 61850 Multivendor Project in the USA
Jan 13th
An excellent group of TVA and vendor personnel made this Bradley project a success. Jim Kurtz, Manager of Protection and Control at TVA, had the following comments on the project: “I cannot stress how important collaboration like this is to the industry. For vendors and suppliers to work together to resolve issues will help not only them to provide a better product, but also to develop products that will meet the long term needs of the industry. While this effort has leaped TVA forward in technology, we still have work to complete.”
The IEC… Continue reading
High Performance IEC 61850 GOOSE and Protection Relay Testing
Jan 13th
IEC 61850 GOOSE messaging is applied for Substation Automation Systems and for status interactions between IEDs by replacing the conventional method of using binary inputs/outputs and wires with communication over Ethernet cables/fibers. With its fast transfer characteristics, it is also applied for protection testing purposes. In order to confirm the basic functionality of IEC 61850 and GOOSE messaging, conformance tests are mandatory for basic multi-vendor interoperability.
IEC 61850, the new communication standard for power substations, is now being widely used in practical applications. In particular, GOOSE (Generic Object Oriented Substation Events) messaging has been applied not only for SAS… Continue reading
Large Scale Substation Automation: Overcoming Technical Challenges
Jan 13th
Integrating components for substation automation at a handful of substations can be achieved with custom fit solutions for each integration effort. Automation of dozens of substations, on the other hand, requires a systematic approach involving the application of data and integration standards and disciplined project management and engineering processes. The use of proven systems for large scale implementation, combined with an experienced systems integration team, helps ensure the realization of enterprise wide benefits.
There are many substation automation architecture choices available today providing varying levels of redundancy and scalability, but the application of standards and process to
Substation Automation Basics – The Next Generation
Jan 13th
There is an increased focus on transmission and distribution investments to address aging and distressed infrastructure. Previously voluntary reliability programs under the North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) are transitioning to mandatory reliability standards, requiring self reporting and imposing penalties for non- compliance. Utilities are placing a greater emphasis on real time, enterprise wide information to secure the right information and the right time to enhance reliability and to better manage asset management and operations and management.
Intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) being implemented in substations today contain valuable information, both operational and non-operational, needed by many user groups within
Making Substations More Intelligent PART TWO: Bringing It All Together at a Northeast Utility
Jan 13th
Building on part 1 of this article in the previous issue, this second installment illustrates the issues and impacts of implementing substation integration in harmony with the utility’s organization and operations using a standards-based approach. The engineering process implemented by Black & Veatch at a Northeastern U.S. utility is presented here in case study fashion. This project began in 2005 with the addition of a new substation.
The utility wanted to move their substation design from a mix of electromechanical relays and other IEDs to an integrated substation that supports automation. However, they were not starting with a
