Testing of a substation automation system
View Patent ↗The invention supports and promotes testing of Substation Automation (SA) functions involving intermediary Logical Nodes (LN) in SA systems of operating substations, specifically with minimized impact on the substation and/or the SA system and without having to completely deactivate or isolate entire parts of the substation. A test is set up by defining at least one input LN where the test scenario input signals will be applied, and by determining output LNs where expected output values shall be observed. Based on the data flow between LNs as defined in the System Configuration Description (SCD) file a test preparing tool automatically determines all intermediary LNs logically arranged between these input and output LNs. The intermediary LNs and the IEDs that are affected by the function test are identified and subsequently marked for “test” or “simulation” mode.
1. A method of testing a functionality in an operating Substation Automation SA system including a plurality of Intelligent Electronic Devices IEDs connected to a communication network, wherein the SA system is automating a substation in a power network and wherein the SA system is described by a System Configuration Description SCD according to IEC 61850 and including Logical Nodes LNs as data entities assigned to individual IEDs, comprising
indicating, by a testing person, an input Logical Node LN (PDIS) and an output LN (XCBR) of the functionality to be tested,
identifying, based on data flow between the LNs defined in the SCD description, an intermediate LN (PTRC) receiving data from the input LN and providing data to the output LN, wherein the intermediate LN is logically arranged between the input LN and the output LN,
setting an operation mode of the intermediate LNs to test mode; and
performing the test.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of indicating input LN and output LN comprises
specifying an unambiguous substation part involved in the function to be tested.
3. The method of claim 2 , comprising
identifying IEDs hosting the intermediary LNs, and
setting an operation mode of the identified IEDs to simulation mode.
4. The method of claim 2 , comprising
storing test scenarios as sets of input LNs and output LNs with appropriate input and output signals and functional names according to the SA functional structure, and
adapting the test scenario by means of an SCD file to different physical system architectures or to other substation parts with similar structure.
5. The method of claim 1 , comprising
identifying IEDs hosting the intermediary LNs, and
setting an operation mode of the identified IEDs to simulation mode.