POWER AUTOMATION INSTALLATION AND METHOD FOR OPERATING A POWER AUTOMATION INSTALLATION

In order to simplify and design the configuration in particular of a power automation installation with a comparatively high number of power automation devices in such a way that as far as possible no interruption of operation is necessary, a method for operating a power automation installation is proposed, wherein the power automation installation includes a plurality of power automation devices and at least one higher-level installation control device for controlling and/or monitoring the power automation devices. An additional power automation device is connected to the concentrator device and automatic configuration of the concentrator device is carried out by the incorporation of a device description file of the additional power automation device into a concentrator data model of the concentrator device. There is also provided a corresponding power automation installation.

FIG. 1shows a first exemplary embodiment of a power automation installation10. The power automation installation10comprises an installation control device11which is connected via a concentrator device12to a plurality of power automation devices13athrough13d. The power automation devices13athrough13dcan be electrical measuring instruments, power quality devices, smart meters, actuators such as e.g. intelligent switching devices, protection devices or control devices. Such power automation devices can be referred to collectively as IEDs (Intelligent Electronic Devices) and in general serve the purpose of acquisition of a state of a state value describing an electrical power supply network and/or influencing the electrical power supply network. To this end said IEDs are ordinarily arranged in direct proximity to the components of the power supply network they are monitoring or influencing. The electrical power supply network itself is not shown inFIG. 1for the sake of better clarity.

In the case of the power automation installation10according toFIG. 1it can for example be a (classical) power automation installation for controlling and monitoring switchgear or a transformer station in the electrical power supply network. In this case the power automation installation10ordinarily comprises a comparatively manageable number of power automation devices (for example 10 to 100 devices). The power automation installation10can however also be a power automation installation used within the framework of so-called Smart Grid Applications for controlling and monitoring a distribution grid of an electrical power supply system, wherein this distribution grid section is ordinarily arranged in the medium voltage and lower voltage range of the power supply network. Along with the classical energy consumers, with such smart grid applications distribution grid in the medium voltage and low voltage level energy producers (for example a photovoltaic installation on the roof of a single family dwelling or a biogas installation of an agrarian operation) or so-called prosumers can also be provided, said prosumers constituting a combination of energy producers (producers) and energy consumers (consumers). Since such units occur in great number in an electrical power supply network, a power automation installation has correspondingly many power automation devices which are assigned to the individual producers, consumers or prosumers; such a power automation installation can for example have 10,000 to 1,000,000 power automation devices.

The task of the concentrator device12is to act somewhat as a connector between the installation control device11and the individual power automation devices13athrough13dand on the one hand to collect information about changes of state of the individual power automation devices (for example the change of a switch setting from open to closed) and on the other hand to make this information available in suitable form to the installation control device11. The concentrator device12hence constitutes both communications technology and also a logical representative of several power automation devices vis-à-vis the installation control device.

This principle is to be explained by way of example with reference toFIG. 2. To this endFIG. 2shows three power automation devices which are labeled “IED 01”, “IED 02”, and “IED 03”. These power automation devices are supposed to be the power automation devices13a,13band13caccording toFIG. 1. Furthermore,FIG. 2shows a concentrator device named “KON” which can be the concentrator device12according toFIG. 1. The power automation device13acomprises different device functions which can be reproduced in the device software of the power automation device13aby a device description21with a data model. The device description21of the power automation device13ahas according toFIG. 2only two data objects, “DAT 01” and “DAT 02”, which in turn can occupy different states. For example the power automation device13acan be an electrical measuring instrument which records an electrical current at a measuring point of the electrical power supply network. The first data object “DAT 01” can then for example be the value of the measured current, while the second data object “DAT 02” describes an operating state of the electrical power automation device13a. The data object “DAT 01” can thus, corresponding to the measured current assume different numeric values, while the second data object “DAT 02” can for example assume the states “active”, “standby”, “maintenance”, “test” or “error”.

In a corresponding manner, the further power automation devices13band13chave a respective device description with their own data objects, likewise labeled “DAT 01” and “DAT 02”, said data objects being in turn able to occupy different states.

The concentrator device11comprises a (not explicitly shown inFIG. 2) data storage device in which a data model file is stored, said file specifying a data model22of the concentrator device12. The concentrator data model22comprises specifications about the power automation devices13a-cconnected to the concentrator device12, in addition their functions and settings, and comprises in addition information about the states of the individual power automation devices13a-c, by reproducing the individual data objects of the respective power automation devices13a-cand adapting them to the respective state of the corresponding data objects of the power automation devices13a-c.

As can be inferred fromFIG. 2, the concentrator data model22for example has entries corresponding to the data objects “DAT 01” and “DAT 02” of the first power automation device13a, said entries being labeled “IED 01_DAT 01” or “IED_DAT 02”. Corresponding entries are present for the data objects of the remaining power automation devices13band13c. In this way, on the one hand a specification can be made via the structure of the concentrator data model22about the power automation devices connected to the concentrator device12as well as their functions and on the other hand a precise image of the states of the individual data objects of the respective power automation devices can be reproduced.

Changes of state of the individual data objects of the power automation devices13a-care entered in the device descriptions of the individual field devices and are reported to the concentrator data model. This can for example take place in an event-driven manner whenever a change of the state of individual data objects occurs, or can take place on a regular basis in the case of an update of the state of a data object, thus also when no change of state has occurred. In a corresponding manner changes of state or updates are transmitted to the installation data model.

In analogy to the described mode of operation, control commands can also be transmitted from the installation control device to the power automation devices by purposefully changing state values in the installation data model and transmitting this change via a corresponding adaptation of the concentrator data model to the device descriptions of the power automation devices affected by the change. Such control actions can of course only be carried out with suitable data objects (e.g. switch position) of power automation devices set up for this purpose (e.g. switching devices).

For example the device descriptions of the individual power automation devices13a-ccan be ICD files (Intelligent Electronic Device Capability Description) structured in accordance with the IEC 61850 standard or IID files (Instantiated IED Description) and the concentrator data model can be an SCD file (substation configuration description) structured in accordance with the IEC 61850 standard, said SCD file using the so-called substation configuration language (SCL) to specify structured information about structure, functions and states of the respective power automation devices. However, it is also possible that the device descriptions are not specified in an SCL-based structured file.

As indicated by an arrow23inFIG. 2, the concentrator device12makes its concentrator data model22available to the higher-level installation control device (not shown inFIG. 2for clarity's sake). The installation control device has an installation data model that comprises information about all power automation devices of the power automation installation corresponding to the statements made about the configuration data model. The installation model consequently also has information about further power automation devices that are not connected to the installation control device via the described concentrator device12, for example because they are connected via further concentrator devices or are connected directly to the installation control device. The installation data model can likewise be an SCD file structured in accordance with the IEC 61850 standard. Vis-à-vis the installation control device the concentrator device in turn represents itself SCL-based as ICD or IID. In the adjustment of the subordinate power automation devices the configuration file can be specified in the concentrator device as SCD description.

FIG. 3shows a second exemplary embodiment of a power automation installation30which on the one hand has two (e.g. executed redundant to one another) installation control devices31aand31bas well as several power automation devices32. The power automation devices32are connected to the installation control devices31aand31bvia a cascade of three concentrator devices33a,33b, and34, wherein the concentrator devices33aand33bform a lower hierarchy level and the concentrator device34is superordinate to concentrator devices33aand33b. Such cascaded arrangements of concentrator devices can be used, in particular in the case of power automation installations with a great number of power automation devices32, which are arranged in a widely dispersed manner. The operation corresponds however essentially to the operation explained inFIG. 1; here only one further transmission level is to be considered due to the cascade arrangement of the concentrator devices.

To ensure a proper operation of the power automation installation, all components, so in particular the concentrator device and the installation control device, must be adapted by corresponding configuration to the actual circumstances, in particular to the actual power automation devices currently connected to the concentrator device. UsingFIG. 4an exemplary embodiment will now be explained, as to how, in particular in power automation installations with a very large number of power automation devices, an adaptation of the configuration of both the concentrator device as well as also of the installation control device can be performed efficiently without having to interrupt the operation of the power automation installations.

To this endFIG. 4shows the comparatively simple power automation installation10in accordance withFIG. 1, which comprises the installation control device11, the concentrator device12as well as first the three power automation devices13a,13band13c. The power automation installation10can be operated in this structure, i.e. the configuration of both the concentrator device12as well as also of the installation control device11is adapted to the individual power automation devices13a-cas well as their functions and settings, and the individual states of the data objects of the respective power automation devices13a-ccan be passed on both to the concentrator device12as well as also to the installation control device11(and to the control if necessary in the opposite direction).

For the following statements it should now be assumed that an additional power automation device13dof the power automation installation10should be added, for example in order to integrate a new electric power meter (e.g. a “smart meter”) into the power automation installation10. In addition it should be assumed that the individual components of the power automation installation10are set up for communication in accordance with the IEC 61850 standard, in the process the power automation devices13a-cand13dhave IEC 61850 server functionality, the concentrator device has both IEC 61850 client functionality and also IEC 61850 server functionality and the installation control device has IEC 61850 client functionality. The additional power automation device13dhas a unique device code and the IEC device description of the additional power automation device13dhas at least one IEC 61850 data object which is compatible with the installation data model of the installation control device11, thus e.g. is stored as type in the installation control device11. As an alternative however the case can also occur that the data objects are not specified in an SCL-based structured file. The concentrator device12has a concentrator data model46that first comprises data objects46aof power automation devices13a-cwhich are already present. The power automation installation10is in operating mode. Adaptation of the configuration of the concentrator device12and of the installation control device11works in the following manner:

First the device code41of the additional power automation device13dis stored by user input in the installation control device. Then the power automation device13dphysically connects to the network of the concentrator device12. After that the concentrator device12generates an IEC 61850 network address, assigns said address to the additional power automation device13d(e.g. via a DHCP method) and transmits the address42to the additional power automation device13d. The additional power automation device13dnow uses this address for further communication with the concentrator device12.

After that, the concentrator device12reads the device code43of the additional power automation device13d(e.g. via IEC 61850 from a typed “nameplate information” on the basis of an IEC 61850 profile) from the additional power automation device13d(this can for example take place via an FTP or MMS file transfer) and sends this device code43to the installation control device11, which compares it with the device code41predefined via user input. In case both device codes41and43match the installation control device11sends a confirmation telegram44to the concentrator device12. Only when the confirmation telegram44is present does the concentrator device read a device description file45(e.g. in the form of an ICD file or an IID file pursuant to IEC 61850) from the additional power automation device13dand inserts the data objects contained in the device description45as additional data objects46bin its concentrator data model46.

As an alternative to the described procedure, the provision of the device description file in the concentrator device can also take place via a so-called discovery service. In this connection the concentrator device itself uses a collection service which determines the necessary information for the device description file via individual queries and compiles this information into a device description file. This is in particular suitable when the data objects of the power automation devices are not available in SCL-based structured form (e.g. as ICD or IID).

The concentrator device12then reports to the installation control device11that the concentrator data model46has been changed and is ready for readout. The installation control device11reads the newly added data objects46bof the additional power automation device13dfrom the concentrator device12and examines these data objects46bwith respect to compatibility with its own installation data model47, for example by comparing the data objects46bwith the stored types of the installation data model47. In the event of existing compatibility the installation control device11confirms the consistency of the new data objects46band thus the operational readiness of the power automation installation10in the amended form by sending an activation telegram48to the concentrator device12.

In the event of an existing activation telegram48the concentrator device12integrates the additional power automation device13dactively into the operation of the power automation installation10, whereby the configuration settings are concluded.

To be taken into consideration is the fact that the input and checking of the device code of the additional power automation device13das well as the compatibility check of the added data objects with the installation data model constitute advantageous, but optional embodiments of the described method.

In the event of the removal of a power automation device, the entries of the respective data objects are correspondingly deleted in the concentrator data model and the installation data model or are set to inactive.

In summary, in the case of the application of the inventive method the following advantages arise: through an automatic configuration of the concentrator device the manual configuration is dispensed with and the engineering effort is reduced in the event of changes to the overall system configuration. The automatic configuration takes place at runtime of the power automation installation. Thus the overall function of the concentrator device and of the installation control device is not impaired. The engineering on file basis (with IEC 61850 e.g. in the form of a substation configuration description (SCD)) is omitted and the imports and exports of the configuration files associated with it are avoided.