<< Click to Display Table of Contents >>   About IEC 61850 Standard

The IEC 61850 is an international standard for communication in electrical substation automation systems, widely used in smart grids. It defines a robust, flexible, and interoperable communication model for protection, control, monitoring, and measurement devices in power systems.

Key Features:

•Standardized Data Model: Utilizes data objects (Logical Nodes) to represent functions and equipment, such as circuit breakers and transformers, ensuring consistency and interoperability.

•Ethernet-Based Communication: Supports protocols like MMS (Manufacturing Message Specification), XMPP (Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol), GOOSE (Generic Object-Oriented Substation Event), and SV (Sampled Values) for real-time data exchange.

•SCL Configuration: Employs the Substation Configuration Language (SCL) to describe device and system configurations, simplifying engineering and maintenance.

•High Reliability and Scalability: Designed to meet performance requirements in critical environments, with support for redundancy and efficient communication.

Benefits:

•Interoperability among devices from different manufacturers.

•Reduced configuration and maintenance costs.

•Support for advanced applications, such as automation and real-time monitoring.

The implementation of IEC 61850 in the software enables efficient integration with compatible devices, ensuring reliable and adaptable operation in modern substations.

Transport Layer

The IEC 61850 standard was originally developed for Ethernet-based communication using the MMS protocol, as specified in IEC 61850-8-1, with a focus on local substation networks. In 2018, the IEC 61850-8-2 standard introduced an alternative based on the XMPP (Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol), primarily aimed at communication outside the local network, expanding its applicability.

Thus, this driver allows the user to choose between these two protocols as the transport layer.

The standard also defines an Ethernet-based data exchange known as GOOSE (Generic Object-Oriented Substation Event), which is not currently implemented in this driver.

 

Information Structuring

Systems that implement the standard as data servers (typically IEDs or protection relays) organize information based on the following entities:

•Logical Devices (LD): Represent logical devices corresponding to a physical or functional device, such as a bay mapped to an IED (Intelligent Electronic Device). They form the first hierarchical level in an IEC 61850 server, grouping related logical functions to facilitate modeling and management.

•Logical Nodes (LN): Virtual representations of functions or components of a real device, mapped within a Logical Device. For example, a circuit breaker in a bay is represented by a Logical Node with the standard class XCBR. A Logical Device typically contains multiple Logical Nodes, each corresponding to a specific function, such as protection, control, or measurement.

•Data Objects (DO) and Data Attributes (DA): Information within a Logical Node is organized into Data Objects, which represent specific data sets related to a function. Each Data Object consists of Data Attributes, which describe detailed properties, such as values, states, or configurations. The set of Data Attributes in a Data Object follows a defined structure called CDC (Common Data Class), ensuring standardization and interoperability.

•Functional Constraint (FC): Specific services that can be applied to each Data Attribute, forming part of the object's path.

The format used by this Driver for all Tags representing Data Objects or Data Attributes is as follows:

•Device Parameter: Server:LD, for example, "AL_07:AL_07PRO"

•Item Parameter: LN$FC$Data$DataAttribute, for example, "XCBR1$ST$Mod$stVal"