Power-system automation

About: Power-system automation is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 169 publications have been published within this topic receiving 1972 citations.

A Review of Architectures and Concepts for Intelligence in Future Electric Energy Systems

Abstract: Renewable energy sources are one key enabler to decrease greenhouse gas emissions and to cope with the anthropogenic climate change. Their intermittent behavior and limited storage capabilities present a new challenge to power system operators to maintain power quality and reliability. Additional technical complexity arises from the large number of small distributed generation units and their allocation within the power system. Market liberalization and changing regulatory framework lead to additional organizational complexity. As a result, the design and operation of the future electric energy system have to be redefined. Sophisticated information and communication architectures, automation concepts, and control approaches are necessary in order to manage the higher complexity of so-called smart grids. This paper provides an overview of the state of the art and recent developments enabling higher intelligence in future smart grids. The integration of renewable sources and storage systems into the power grids is analyzed. Energy management and demand response methods and important automation paradigms and domain standards are also reviewed.

Overview of IEC 61850 and Benefits

Abstract: Legacy substation automation protocols and architectures typically provided basic functionality for power system automation and were designed to accommodate the technical limitations of the networking technology available for implementation. There has recently been a vast improvement in networking technology that has changed dramatically what is now feasible for power system automation in the substation. Technologies such as switched Ethernet, TCP/IP, high-speed wide area networks, and high-performance low-cost computers are providing capabilities that could barely be imagined when most legacy substation automation protocols were designed. In order to take advantage of modern technology to deliver additional new benefits to users of substation automation, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) has developed and released a new global standard for substation automation: IEC 61850. The paper provides a basic technical overview of IEC 61850 and discusses the benefits of each major aspect of the standard. The concept of a virtual model comprising both physical and logical device models that includes a set of standardized communications services are described along with explanations of how these standardized models, object naming conventions, and communication services bring significant benefits to the substation automation user. New services to support self-describing devices and object-orient peer-to-peer data exchange are explained with an emphasis on how these services can be applied to reduce costs for substation automation. The substation configuration language (SCL) of IEC 61850 is presented with information on how the standardization of substation configuration will impact the future of substation automation. The paper concludes with a brief introduction to the UCA International Users Group as a forum where users and suppliers cooperate in improving substation automation with testing, education, and demonstrations of IEC 61850 and other IEC standards technology

Distributed Power System Automation With IEC 61850, IEC 61499, and Intelligent Control

Abstract: This paper presents a new approach to power system automation, based on distributed intelligence rather than traditional centralized control. The paper investigates the interplay between two international standards, IEC 61850 and IEC 61499, and proposes a way of combining of the application functions of IEC 61850-compliant devices with IEC 61499-compliant “glue logic,” using the communication services of IEC 61850-7-2. The resulting ability to customize control and automation logic will greatly enhance the flexibility and adaptability of automation systems, speeding progress toward the realization of the smart grid concept.

Wide-Area Protection and Power System Utilization

Abstract: This paper describes basic principles and philosophy for wide-area protection schemes, also known as remedial action schemes (RAS) or system protection schemes (SPS). In the areas of power system automation and substation automation, there are two parallel trends in different directions: centralization and decentralization. More and more functions are moved from local and regional control centers toward the central or national control center. At the same time we also observe more and more "intelligence" and "decision-power" moving closer toward the actual power system process. We also see a great deal of functional integration, i.e., more and more functionality enclosed in the same hardware. This raises discussions concerning reliability (security and dependability). The main targets for this paper is therefore to: 1) sort out the terminology used in this area; 2) describe different application areas and related requirements; 3) illustrate different design principles-"top-down", "bottom-up", hierarchy, flat, etc., for different applications; and 4) identify similarities and differences between classic equipment protection and system protection-concerning philosophy as well as concerning product and system design. The theme of the paper is on the use of information technology to obtain more flexibility and smartness in power-system controls.

Overview of IEC 61850 and benefits

Abstract: Legacy substation automation protocols and architectures typically provided basic functionality for power system automation and were designed to accommodate the technical limitations of the networking technology available for implementation. There has recently been a vast improvement in networking technology that has changed dramatically what is now feasible for power system automation in the substation. Technologies such as switched Ethernet, TCP/IP, high-speed wide area networks, and high-performance low-cost computers are providing capabilities that could barely be imagined when most legacy substation automation protocols were designed. IEC61850 is an important new 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 costs and performance of electric power systems. This half-day IEC61850 tutorial takes a practical approach to helping utility engineers understand how IEC61850 can be used to benefit their organization. The tutorial begins by explaining why these standards are important, how they differ from legacy technology, and how these differences benefit users. The student is then guided through the IEC61850 standard itself to illustrate how IEC68150 delivers these benefits via standardized device, object, and service models. Definitions and overviews of the most important concepts are presented with detailed examples that relate to actual power systems.