Reliable, Fast, and Deterministic Substation Communication Network Architecture and its Performance Simulation

A highly reliable, fast, and deterministic communication network is required to support time-critical real-time monitoring, protection, and control functions of the substation automation systems (SAS). This paper proposes an Ethernet-based logical architecture for the substation communication network (SCN). Improved reliability, availability, and survivability of the SAS are demonstrated through the unique architectural features of this SCN, whereas the end-to-end (ETE) time-delay performance of the SCN architecture is evaluated with the help of simulation. The optimized network engineering tool modeler is used for modeling and simulation of the various nodes of the SCN and the communication traffic according to IEC 61850, the International Electrotechnical Commission's (IEC) standard for Communication Networks and Systems for Substation.