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PD IEC TR 61850 — Power Utility Automation Communication Networks and Systems Technical Report Series (Introduction, Hydroelectric Modelling and Web Protocol Mapping)
Communication Networks and Systems for Power Utility Automation — IEC/TR 61850 Technical Report Series (BSI Published Documents)
🔌 PD IEC TR 61850 is the UK adoption by BSI of the technical report parts of IEC/TR 61850. Unlike the normative standards (e.g. IEC 61850-8-1, -9-2), these technical reports are primarily informative, explanatory and prospective: Part 1 provides the introduction and overview of the whole IEC 61850 family; Part 7-510 gives modelling concepts and guidelines for hydroelectric power plant automation; Part 80-3 explores the requirements and technical choices for mapping the IEC 61850 abstract communication service interface (ACSI) to web protocols; and the 90-series covers wide-area network engineering, substation-to-control-centre communication, condition monitoring, synchrophasor transmission, distributed energy resources and electric mobility. The ten documents in this batch were prepared under the remit of BSI Technical Committee PEL/57 (Power systems management and associated information exchange).
💡 The value of a technical report (TR) lies in “guidance rather than mandate”: it does not prescribe new protocol details, but helps engineers select suitable modelling methods, mapping routes and application architectures within the large object model and communication framework of IEC 61850 — reducing duplicated research and avoiding implementation divergence.
1. Series Composition and Scope 📌
This batch comprises ten published documents, which fall into four broad groups: introduction and overview, domain-specific modelling, mapping technology, and topic-specific application guides. Parts 1, 7-510 and 80-3 are readable texts; the other seven are scanned versions whose technical content is written from public domain knowledge.
| Document | Subject | Category | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| PD IEC/TR 61850-1:2013 | Part 1: Introduction and overview | Framework overview | Readable |
| PD IEC/TR 61850-7-510:2012 | Part 7-510: Basic communication structure — Hydroelectric power plants — Modelling concepts and guidelines | Domain modelling | Readable |
| PD IEC/TR 61850-80-3:2015 | Part 80-3: Mapping to web protocols — Requirements and technical choices | Mapping | Readable |
| PD IEC/TR 61850-90-2:2016 | Part 90-2: Using IEC 61850 for communication between substations and control centres | Application | Scanned |
| PD IEC/TR 61850-90-3:2016 | Part 90-3: Using IEC 61850 for condition monitoring, diagnosis and analysis | Application | Scanned |
| PD IEC/TR 61850-90-4:2013 | Part 90-4: Network engineering guidelines | Application | Scanned |
| PD IEC/TR 61850-90-5:2012 | Part 90-5: Use of IEC 61850 to transmit synchrophasor information | Application | Scanned |
| PD IEC/TR 61850-90-7:2013 | Part 90-7: Object models for power converters in distributed energy resources (DER) systems | Application | Scanned |
| PD IEC/TR 61850-90-8:2016 | Part 90-8: E-mobility object models | Application | Scanned |
| PD IEC/TR 61850-90-12:2015 | Part 90-12: Wide area network engineering guidelines | Application | Scanned |
⚠️ Seven documents in this series are scanned versions; the related technical content is written from public domain knowledge. Refer to the official BSI published versions for the definitive clauses, values and figures.
2. Part 1: Introduction and Overview 🔭
Part 1 is the “map” for understanding the entire IEC 61850 family. It defines the objectives, scope and standardisation approach of the family, and places IEC 61850 within broader frameworks. Its main content includes:
- Objectives: to support power utility automation with a unified communication and information model, enabling interoperability and information sharing among devices.
- Position in the IEC power utility control system reference architecture: how IEC 61850 coexists with IEC 61968/61970 (CIM) and IEC 60870, covering station, bay and process levels.
- Position in the smart grid reference architecture: IEC 61850 as the common information foundation for transmission/distribution automation, wide-area measurement and DER integration.
- Standardisation approach: the two-layer “abstract modelling plus specific mapping” method — first define technology-independent abstract objects (data model and ACSI), then map them to concrete services such as MMS, GOOSE and SV.
- Coping with fast innovation of communication technology: decoupling the object model from the underlying protocols through the abstract layer, so technology upgrades do not break existing applications.
- Representation of functions and communication interfaces: express functions with logical nodes (LN), logical devices (LD) and data objects; express information flows with communication interfaces such as process bus and station bus.
✅ “Abstract modelling plus specific mapping” is the key to the longevity of IEC 61850: the object model is stable while the transport is flexible, allowing the same automation application to run on different communication technologies across generations.
3. Part 7-510: Hydroelectric Power Plant Modelling Concepts and Guidelines 💧
Hydroelectric plant automation is distinctive: there are many generating units, complex auxiliary systems, control strategies coupled with excitation and governor, and a large number of process variables. Part 7-510 provides modelling guidelines for applying IEC 61850 logical nodes to hydroelectric plants:
- Overall communication structure: the abstract communication structure, including the hierarchy of station level, unit level, local control units and field-level devices.
- Communication network and operational modes: network configuration, redundancy and operational modes (e.g. normal, test, maintenance).
- Fundamental control strategies: how unit start/stop, active/reactive power regulation, governor and excitation control map to logical nodes.
- Plant-specific information: expression of hydro-specific process information (water level, flow, head, guide vane opening, speed, vibration, etc.) in the data model.
- Logical device modelling example: using the excitation system (voltage regulation, power system stabiliser PSS) to show how physical functions are organised into logical devices and logical nodes, with modelling examples for voltage regulation and PSS.
💡 The core idea of modelling is “function to logical node” mapping: abstract each category of plant function (excitation, governing, protection, monitoring) into reusable logical nodes, achieving consistent semantics across plants from different manufacturers and with different unit types.
4. Part 80-3: Mapping to Web Protocols — Requirements and Technical Choices 🌐
As substation operation and maintenance moves towards web-based and cloud-based approaches, mapping IEC 61850 abstract services to general web protocols (HTTP, WebSocket) has become a hotspot. Part 80-3 systematically addresses the requirements and technical choices for such mapping:
- Main sub-systems and stakeholders: identify the client, server and gateway roles that need web access.
- ACSI classes to be mapped: clarify which abstract communication service interface classes (data read/write, reporting, control, dataset transfer, etc.) must be mapped.
- Network type and requirements list: quantify transfer time, throughput, data integrity (error probability), reliability and availability as the basis for selecting a mapping scheme.
- Technical choices: compare different web protocols and data encodings (e.g. XML/JSON, REST-style interfaces) for meeting these requirements and recommend a route.
⚠️ Web mapping is not unconditionally viable: highly time-critical services such as GOOSE/SV sampling and tripping are unsuitable for general web protocols. A trade-off between “transfer time/reliability” and “openness/usability” is required — precisely what the Part 80-3 requirements list is designed to support.
5. The 90-Series Topic-Specific Application Guides 📊
The 90-series gives application-level guidance for specific engineering scenarios (scanned versions, summarised from public domain knowledge):
| Part | Topic | Core Content |
|---|---|---|
| 90-2 | Substation-to-control-centre communication | Architecture and mapping for exchanging substation IEC 61850 data with a control centre over a WAN |
| 90-3 | Condition monitoring, diagnosis and analysis | Integrating equipment condition data (e.g. partial discharge, DGA, temperature) into the IEC 61850 model |
| 90-4 | Network engineering guidelines | Substation LAN (station/process bus) topology, redundancy (e.g. PRP/HSR) and performance design |
| 90-5 | Synchrophasor information transfer | Transmitting IEEE C37.118 synchrophasor data over IEC 61850 to support wide-area measurement |
| 90-7 | DER power converter object models | Modelling PV/storage inverters and other DER equipment, including active/reactive power control |
| 90-8 | E-mobility | Object models for EV charging, batteries and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) interaction |
| 90-12 | Wide area network engineering | Design of inter-station WAN topology, latency, synchronisation and cyber-security |
6. Engineering Practice Essentials 🛠️
- 🔍 Learning and selection: start from Part 1 to understand the architecture and mapping method of the whole family, then decide which modelling layer and which mapping the project needs.
- 💧 Hydroelectric automation design: organise logical devices and logical nodes per Part 7-510, unifying excitation, governing, auxiliary and monitoring models for multi-vendor cooperation and future expansion.
- 🌐 Web-based operation and maintenance: use the Part 80-3 requirements list to evaluate viable options for bringing substation data into web platforms, balancing real-time performance and openness.
- 📊 Wide-area and condition-monitoring extension: follow the 90-series guides to bring synchrophasors, equipment condition and DER into one information model, building a “transparent grid”.
7. Frequently Asked Questions ❓
❓ Q: What is the difference between an IEC 61850 technical report (TR) and a normative standard?
A: Normative standards (e.g. 8-1, 9-2) prescribe “how it must be implemented” and are binding; technical reports (TR) provide guidance, explanation and outlook to help understand and choose implementation routes, and usually do not add mandatory requirements.
A: Normative standards (e.g. 8-1, 9-2) prescribe “how it must be implemented” and are binding; technical reports (TR) provide guidance, explanation and outlook to help understand and choose implementation routes, and usually do not add mandatory requirements.
❓ Q: Why the two-layer “abstract modelling plus specific mapping” method?
A: Because communication technology changes quickly. First abstract functions into protocol-independent objects, then map the model to concrete services (MMS, GOOSE, SV or web) — so an application does not need rewriting when the underlying technology is upgraded.
A: Because communication technology changes quickly. First abstract functions into protocol-independent objects, then map the model to concrete services (MMS, GOOSE, SV or web) — so an application does not need rewriting when the underlying technology is upgraded.
❓ Q: What are logical nodes (LN) and logical devices (LD)?
A: A logical node describes the smallest functional unit in IEC 61850 (e.g. XCBR circuit breaker, CSWI control); a logical device is a container of logical nodes. Part 7-510 provides the LN/LD modelling guidance for each hydro plant function.
A: A logical node describes the smallest functional unit in IEC 61850 (e.g. XCBR circuit breaker, CSWI control); a logical device is a container of logical nodes. Part 7-510 provides the LN/LD modelling guidance for each hydro plant function.
❓ Q: Are all IEC 61850 services suitable for web protocol mapping?
A: Not necessarily. Non-time-critical services such as data read/write, reporting and control are well suited; for millisecond-level GOOSE/SV sampling and tripping services, general web protocols usually cannot meet the transfer-time requirement and dedicated mappings should be retained.
A: Not necessarily. Non-time-critical services such as data read/write, reporting and control are well suited; for millisecond-level GOOSE/SV sampling and tripping services, general web protocols usually cannot meet the transfer-time requirement and dedicated mappings should be retained.
🔍 Q: Why is the 90-series important?
A: It extends IEC 61850 from “inside the substation” to wide-area, equipment condition, DER and transport electrification — a key guide to the evolution of the smart-grid information model and an operational manual for project implementation.
A: It extends IEC 61850 from “inside the substation” to wide-area, equipment condition, DER and transport electrification — a key guide to the evolution of the smart-grid information model and an operational manual for project implementation.