Protection, automation and control systems and the IEC 61850 paradigm — New testing and maintenance challenges

The proliferation of Protection, Automation and Control Systems (PAC Systems) in the substations of the Portuguese electrical energy distribution grid, has brought many challenges to the Distribution System Operator (DSO), EDP Distribuiçâo (EDPD), in terms of both project and maintenance. The recent technological boost of PAC Systems, is associated with the replacement of conventional system devices by Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs) and with the emergence of the IEC 61850 standard architecture and communications. The IEC 61850 standard brought new Substation Automation features, such as the Generic Object Oriented Substation Events (GOOSE) network messages, which are exchanged between IEDs. Nowadays, GOOSE messages and other IEC 61850 features, are fully tested in the development of a new PAC System and also during on-site commissioning, by manufacturers and integrators. However, given the progressive increase in the number of PAC Systems in operation according to the lEC 61850 architecture and protocols, these new tests are taking on greater importance and are increasingly required in the operation and maintenance phases of these systems. In this paper, a maintenance test model concerning IEC 61850 GOOSE functionalities is presented. A set of hardware and software test tools is selected and a simple model for the tests to be performed is developed. The main goal is to integrate the testing of GOOSE messages in the existent periodic and corrective maintenance procedures.