Abstract: A Substation Automation (SA) system in high or medium voltage power networks is provided for determining a bus bar voltage at a first node. The disclosure replaces a ‘real’ voltage transformer with an intelligent electronic device (IED) and/or a ‘virtual’ voltage transformer (VT), which determines the bus bar voltage at the first node from a first bay connected to the first node. The IED receives network message from a second IED of the SA system, indicating the bay voltage of the first bay connected to the first node. The IED also receives switch status of the switching device arranged between the first bay and the first node, from a third IED. Depending upon the switch status, the IED establishes the bay voltage as the bus bar voltage at the first node.

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for identifying improper cabling of control system devices connected to redundant communication networks of distributed control systems. In an embodiment, a receiving device receives messages including a sender identification or source address, and a network or associated device port identification, from sending devices, over redundant networks. The receiving device determines a connect status indicating whether a message was received on a particular device port, and an error event indicating whether the port is associated with the network identified in the message. A system diagnoses an improper communication path between devices and produces an indication of a location and/or type of improper cabling. A method supplants error events with error rates calculated as a probability of receiving messages on a device port not associated with the network identified in a received message. The method compares the error rates to error thresholds to identify improper cabling.

Abstract: A method and system for distributed power management with individual IEDs in a substation are disclosed. An exemplary technique can include providing multiple IEDs in a power network in the substation and integrating an intrinsic load shedding function in each IED. The technique can include identifying a power imbalance state at an individual IED and load shedding the individual IED using an intrinsic load shedding function when a power imbalance state is identified in a coordinated manner to achieve distributed power management in the substation.

Abstract: A method for engineering and configuration of one or more IEDs for a function in a substation automation system is disclosed. Also disclosed is a configuration wizard for implementing the method. The method includes creating pre-defined type definitions for an application function, providing a selectable menu for selection of appropriate parameters with respect to the application. Using these parameters and the pre-defined type definitions. The method includes creating process configuration outputs for the application function, and configuring the one or more IEDs based on the process configuration outputs.

Abstract: A method and device automatically extract, to a maximum extent, reliability-relevant information from a Substation Configuration Description (SCD) file describing an electric power transmission or distribution substation. The information in the SCD file is used to identify the physical topology of a communication network of a Substation Automation (SA) system, and all dataflow relating to a given SA functionality or Logical Node (LN). An LN reliability measure for the latter is calculated, involving reliability indications specific to each element or device participating in the dataflow. A number of LN reliability measures are consolidated to produce an overall reliability for the SA system architecture or communication network topology. The method and tool minimize the engineering effort required to perform a reliability calculation, and thus allow comparing the reliability of different SA architectures with minimal effort and intervention of a reliability engineer.

Abstract: An IEC 61850 Network Control Center (NCC) server is provided at a gateway intelligent electronic device (IED) of a Substation Automation (SA) system. The NCC server serves, via the MMS/TCP/IP part of IEC 61850, process data from substation Intelligent Electronic Devices IEDs to a NCC. The NCC server uses functional names for gateway Logical Nodes (LN) corresponding to substation LNs. The functional names are devoid of any reference to a substation IED related name of the substation LNs, but can be automatically translated to substation IED related names in case of changing SA communication and substation IED architecture. Thereby, functional names as defined by the substation section within a SCD file of the SA system are used for the communication link between the gateway IED and the NCC.

Abstract: Protection, measurement and control IEDs in a substation compute if switches they control may be operated safely, according to interlocking rules or physical principles as well as the dynamic topology of the substation. The IEDs have access to the substation electrical topology, to real-time information generated by other IEDs, and to the rules for interlocking. A standardized Substation Configuration Description (SCD) of the substation for which a Substation Automation system is intended, and a standardized description of the implemented device functions or capabilities of an individual IED are utilized. The substation topology is available from SCD file, real time information about the position of switches and line voltage/current can be obtained via an appropriate protocol, and the interlocking rules are available in script form. These features apply both to simulated and real devices, and increase system testing possibilities by supporting an efficient configuration of a simulation.

Abstract: A method and a system for power management for a plant electrical network are provided. The power management system over a plant-wide communication network includes both concepts of hierarchical level and distributed level power management using multiple controllers. At least one controller in the power management system is configured for power management in a first local process area within the plant electrical network and is capable to communicate with at least a second controller configured for power management in a second local process area within the plant electrical network over the communication network.

Abstract: Exemplary embodiments are directed to a system and method of checking, during regular operation of a Process Control PC or Substation Automation SA system, an intended configuration modification for a mission-critical IED. The IED receives, from an authenticated requestor, a modification request directed to IED configuration, parameter or setting data. The IED then checks the requested configuration modification, and rejects it in case no approval or confirmation is made by an approver independent of the requestor, and otherwise accepts and implements. The IED authenticates the approver prior to receiving the request, and stores, in a local memory, a configuration modification plausibility check provided by the approver. The stored plausibility check is then performed, by a plausibility checking unit, on the intended modification, and the latter is rejected or approved based on a result of the stored plausibility check when applied to specific circumstances of the configuration modification request.

Abstract: Exemplary embodiments are directed to engineering of protection lockout functionality in a Substation Automation (SA) system. The system includes a breaker IED having protection-zone related intelligence in a lockout function block lockout function instances are assigned to respective protection zones, and are specified for each protection function which protection-zone(s) it shall trip and reset after lockout. Hence for switch yard configurations and power networks where a protection function trips multiple breakers by using several bay control or protection devices a more efficient implementation of lockout functionality is possible.

Abstract: A process of implementing, or engineering, topology-dependent functions based on a formal description of the Substation Automation system, includes performing a topology analysis of the current single line state. A topology interpreting implementation replacing complex topology analysis logics can include the project specific static single line topology and the connection to the real process state data. All information can be delivered in an IEC 61850 conforming SCD file. The interface description for controlling and monitoring the load transfer application can be generated automatically from the SCD file.

Abstract: Exemplary embodiments increase reliability of communication over a non-deterministic communication channel, in electric power systems. A communication channel is monitored based on regular network traffic, by evaluating messages or data packets carrying real-time operational data as a payload. A permanent determination of a channel quality, including appropriate alarming in case the channel quality is found insufficient, is based on an evaluation, at a receiving node, of data packets continually transmitted by a sending node. These continually or repeatedly transmitted data packets can include identical payloads reflecting current states rather than state changes as operational data.

Abstract: A communication stack performance of an Intelligent Electronic Device (IED) is analyzed in a communication network of a Substation Automation (SA) system. The IED processes network messages that are transferred with, or belonging to, a specific configurable SA communication service. A plurality of application level scenarios corresponding to a high communication load is executed. Among all network messages captured or intercepted during the scenario, the network messages destined to the IED and sent by the IED in response are identified. A number of the identified messages, a number of specific communication protocol elements or data items related to a service-specific property, and a number of changed protocol elements, which are indicative of an SA event, for which the value of the data item has changed compared to the value of the same data item in a previous message, are determined.

Abstract: A Substation Automation (SA) system in high or medium voltage power networks is provided for determining a bus bar voltage at a first node. The disclosure replaces a ‘real’ voltage transformer with an intelligent electronic device (IED) and/or a ‘virtual’ voltage transformer (VT), which determines the bus bar voltage at the first node from a first bay connected to the first node. The IED receives network message from a second IED of the SA system, indicating the bay voltage of the first bay connected to the first node. The IED also receives switch status of the switching device arranged between the first bay and the first node, from a third IED. Depending upon the switch status, the IED establishes the bay voltage as the bus bar voltage at the first node.

Abstract: In automation systems, such as Substation Automation systems, the mean time to repair is reduced by remote reconfiguration and start-up of a replacement or spare Intelligent Electronic Device (IED), leaving some more hours for the maintenance personnel to repair an inactive or faulty IED. The time for the actual repair is irrelevant for the system availability as long as it is short enough compared to the IED failure rate. Exemplary embodiments can provide nearly the same availability as a hot-standby configuration, but without the need for doubling all the essential IEDs. Additionally, spare IEDs are supervised to be healthy, and a fault of the spare IED being detected before it is put in use. Only one spare online IED is needed for each set of IEDs of the same type connected to the same station bus and process bus.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to an exemplary interface description or structure of an inter-bay Substation Automation (SA) application. The interface of the application to other elements of the SA system, for example to a bay controller, IED, OPC server, HMI, and/or gateway, is examined to fully automate the inter-bay SA application configuration and implementation. A formal description or structure of the base SA system as for example, including an IEC 61850 SCD file can be used to generate a formal description of the interfaces of the inter-bay SA application to be engineered. Logical nodes can be connected to the process single line diagram and integrated into the SCD file of the base SA system, thereby generating an enhanced SCD file.

Abstract: Protection, measurement and control IEDs in a substation compute if switches they control may be operated safely, according to interlocking rules or physical principles as well as the dynamic topology of the substation. The IEDs have access to the substation electrical topology, to real-time information generated by other IEDs, and to the rules for interlocking. A standardized Substation Configuration Description (SCD) of the substation for which a Substation Automation system is intended, and a standardized description of the implemented device functions or capabilities of an individual IED are utilized. The substation topology is available from SCD file, real time information about the position of switches and line voltage/current can be obtained via an appropriate protocol, and the interlocking rules are available in script form. These features apply both to simulated and real devices, and increase system testing possibilities by supporting an efficient configuration of a simulation.

Abstract: The present invention is concerned with the identification of a failed communication network component of an industrial communication network and of a substation automation system in particular. This is achieved by supervising communication paths of a communication network having components. A failure status or operating status of each communication path is determined and reported. Any network component that is part of an operating path is regarded as operating, i.e. failure-free, whereas all other network components are considered as non-operating or potentially failed. If there is more than one non-operating component, additional suitable communication paths are evaluated, until one single failed network component is identified and subsequently reported as requiring repair or replacement. The invention is particularly applicable in cases where some of the network components, i.e.

Abstract: A system and method are disclosed for identifying an improper cabling of control system devices connected to redundant communication networks of a distributed control system, such as a substation automation system. As proposed in the standard IEC 62439 (Parallel Redundancy Protocol PRP), messages including a sender identification or source address as well as network or associated device port identification can be transmitted from a sending device to a receiving device over redundant networks. The receiving or destination device can determine a connect status indicating whether or not a message has been received on a particular device port, as well as an error event indicating whether or not the device port is associated to the network identified in the received message. By doing so for at least two distinct sending devices, an improper communication path between two devices can be diagnosed and an indication can be produced as to the location and/or type of wrong cabling.

Abstract: An analysis of a communication configuration in a process control (PC) or substation automation (SA) system is disclosed, wherein network messages, and/or respective message sources, configured for transmission across a communication network of the system can be evaluated. From a logical data flow description that is part of a standardized configuration representation of the PC or SA system and which includes, in the form of control blocks, formal information for every message, receiver intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) can be retrieved or determined. For each retrieved receiver IED, the totality of all network messages destined for or directed to this particular receiver IED can be evaluated or processed (e.g. in view of a subsequent network load analysis, virtual local area network assignment, or graphical display of the data flow).