Smart Grid Automation Based on IEC 61850: An Experimental Characterization

TLDR

Electricity distribution networks are critical infrastructure, and ensuring continuous service is essential; logic selectivity of protection relays, implemented via IEC 61850, can minimize fault impact with rapid clearing. The study aims to evaluate a laboratory implementation of IEC 61850‑based logic selectivity for network automation before deploying it in a real operating environment. A lab setup was used to analyze system configuration and performance under phase‑to‑ground and phase‑to‑phase faults, while also simulating communication and breaker failures to assess fault tolerance. The logic achieved trip command times of under 170 ms for phase‑to‑ground faults and under 130 ms for phase‑to‑phase faults, even when relay coordination was required.

Abstract

Electricity distribution networks are a critical infrastructure of the modern society. The continuity of the electricity distribution service is therefore a key topic. Network automation is aimed at improving service continuity. Among the several possible automation schemes, logic selectivity of protection relays is one of the most effective approach because it allows minimizing the extent of the area affected by the fault with a short clearing time. IEC 61850 provides a standard way to implement automation. This paper describes a laboratory setup where the logic selectivity-based on the IEC 61850 standard-was tested before moving protection relays to a real operating environment for field demonstration. An analysis of system configuration and performance is reported when phase-to-ground and phase-to-phase faults were tested. Failure of the communication infrastructure enabling the coordination among relays and a failure of the breaker were also simulated to determine how the system was fault tolerant. The results show that the logic implemented is fast enough to send the trip command to the breaker in less than 170 ms in the case of phase-to-ground fault and in less than 130 ms in the case of phase-to-phase fault, even considering the time needed for the coordination of relays.