IEC 61850 Substation Configuration
Language and Its Impact on the
Engineering of Distribution Substation
Systems
Dr. Alexander Apostolov
Requirements for Engineering
Tools
• Improvements in the engineering process
is one of the key requirements for the
success of IEC 61850
• Tools that support different steps in the
engineering process are being developed
• The dream: completely automatic
engineering process
Page: 2
SAS Engineering Tools
• Used to:
– Determine and to document the application
specific functionality
– Determine and to document the integration
of devices into the SAS
• Project design tools
• Configuration tools
• Documentation tools
Page: 3
SAS Engineering Tools
• SCL is used also to describe all data
needed to define system parameters for
a single IED
• This includes especially the binding of
the IED and its functions to the
substation itself, in terms of its single
line diagram to the communication
system
• The Substation Configuration Language
is based on UML and XML
Page: 4
UML
• The heart of object-oriented problem
solving is the construction of a model.
• The model abstracts the essential
details of the underlying problem from
its usually complicated real world.
• Several modeling tools are wrapped
under the heading of the UML™, which
stands for Unified Modeling
Language™.
Page: 5
UML
• The Unified Modeling Language
(UML) is a standard language for
specifying, visualizing, constructing,
and documenting the artifacts of
different simple or complex systems.
• UML uses mostly graphical notations
to express the design of software
projects. Using the UML helps
project teams communicate, explore
potential designs, and validate the
architectural design of the system.
Page: 6
UML
• The UML is applicable to object-oriented
problem solving.
• A model is an abstraction of the
underlying problem.
• The domain is the actual world from which
the problem comes.
• Models consist of objects that interact by
sending each other messages.
• Objects have things they know (attributes)
and things they can do (services).
Page: 7
Objectives
Substation
Voltage
level
1
1
1
1
Bay
1
1
1
Device
1 1
0..5
CBR
Terminal
1
ConNode
0..*
0,1
1
IED
1
Subdevice
Phase
DIS
PTR
LNode
1
1..*
Data
associations
1..*
1
1
AccessPoint
Server
LDevice
1..2
1..*
1..*
1..*
0,1
1
Functional / substation structure
Subnetwork
Product / IED structure
Router
Communication structure
Page: 8
XML
• Extensible means that it can be
advanced to meet specific needs by
creating descriptive tags to fit the
requirements of the problem domain
• Files can be edited using off-the-shelf
text editors
• Availability of specialized tools
Page: 9
Markup description
Markup declaration open
Markup declaration close
<pickup>1.5</ pickup >
Element name
Element termination
Element content
Page: 10
XML Applications
• Part 6 of the IEC 61850 standard
specifies a description language for
configurations of electrical substation
IEDs Substation Configuration
Language (SCL) based on XML
• It is used to describe IED configurations
and communication systems according
to parts 5 and 7 of this standard.
• Description of the relations between the
substation automation system and the
substation (switchyard) itself
Page: 11
Substation Configuration
Language Components
• Substation section: describes the
substation single line diagram, and its
binding to logical nodes as well as the
placement of logical nodes onto IEDs.
Thus also the binding of IEDs to
substation parts and substation
devices is defined.
Page: 12
Substation Configuration
Language Components
• Communication section: describes
the communication connections
between IEDs in terms of connecting
communication links.
Page: 13
Substation Configuration
Language Components
• IED section: describes the
capabilities (configuration) of one or
more IEDs, and the binding to logical
nodes on other IEDs.
• LNType section: defines which data
objects are actually contained within
the logical node instances defined for
the IEDs.
Page: 14
SCL UML Diagram Example
Page: 15
SCL Examples
Page: 16
SCL Files
• Data exchange from a system
specification tool to the system
configuration tool. This file describes
the single line diagram of the
substation and the required logical
nodes. The file extension shall be
.SSD for System Specification
Description.
Page: 17
SCL Files
• Data exchange from the IED
configuration tool to the system
configuration tool. This file describes
the capabilities of an IED. The file
extension shall be .ICD for IED
Capability Description.
Page: 18
SCL Files
• Data exchange from the system
configuration tool to IED configuration
tools.
• This file contains all IEDs,
communication configuration and
substation description sections.
• The file extension shall be .SCD for
Substation Configuration Description.
Page: 19
SCL Files
• It is an SCD file, possibly stripped
down to what the concerned IED
shall know.
• The file extension shall be .CID for
Configured IED Description.
Page: 20
SAS Engineering Process
• Define the functional specification
according to the approved protection,
automation and control concepts and
user’s standards. This is done using
the substation one line diagram and
defining:
• Protection functions required for each
primary substation or system
component
Page: 21
SAS Engineering Process
• Measurements and status
information needed
• Controls to be used
• Reporting requirements
• Monitoring and recording
requirements
Page: 22
SAS Engineering Process
•
•
•
•
•
Redundancy requirements
Communications architecture
Substation level functions
Other as necessary
All of the above should be produced
by a system specification tool that
provides as an output an SSD file.
Page: 23
SAS Engineering Process
Utility
Standards
Functional
Specification
Page: 24
SAS Engineering Process
Page 25
Benefits
• Quite significant
• Reduce the costs for system design
• Improve factory and site acceptance
testing
• Improve the maintenance process
• Improve the overall quality of the
substation automation system
Page: 26