How the Engineering Design Process Can Simplify the Testing of Automation and Control Systems

During the life cycle of a Substation Automation System (SAS), testing the communication, interlocking logics and proper operation of all signals transmitted to Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems take considerable effort and time. In a substation which makes use of IEC 61850 communication, all the engineering and configuration data can be saved in standard-format files, the so-called System Configuration Language (SCL) files. This paper presents a new test approach that increases efficiency in testing the Automation and Control functionality of a SAS. This paper discusses the IED data model and SCL file requirements that should be considered when specifying and designing the system. The paper also discusses network design considerations to support testing.