Design Methodology for Developing a future-proof IEC 61850 based Intelligent Electronic Device

The concept of “Smart Grid” is revolutionizing the power sector in India which is one of the most diversified in the world. Electric substations are an integral part of this diversified power sector which has a sizable presence in every area including power generation, transmission and distribution. Hence, converting a conventional substation to a connected smart substation is a key milestone in realizing the concept of a smarter grid. IEC 61850, which is a popular international standard for substation automation is a major enabling technology that can play a vital role in this direction. Intelligent Electronic Device (IED) is an essential building block of an IEC 61850 based Substation Automation System (SAS). A conventional IED is basically a microprocessor-based controller of power system equipment that integrate protection, control, monitoring and communication functions. A novel concept is envisaged in this IED design which is based on IEC 61850 protocol for achieving interoperability with 3
^rd
party vendors and for realizing advanced communication capabilities. The novelty highlighted in this paper is the marriage of standards-based Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) hardware with rack based modular architecture to design a powerful and flexible IED that can mitigate the issue of obsolescence of electronic hardware acutely faced in the power sector. This paper discusses the details involved in the design of this IED as part of the ongoing design and development activity to bring out an indigenous solution for smart cities, executed by Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) and funded by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). The paper outlines the features implemented in the hardware & firmware and also presents quantifiable outcomes of this design activity carried out at C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram.