Apostolov, Alexander
The new IEC 61850 international standard for distribution substation communications is not just defining a new protocol, but also introducing abstract models of primary and secondary distribution substation equipment, communications systems and the relationship between all of them. It also defines an XML based format for the description of the above in a standard way that can be used at different stages of the engineering process.
The model used in the distribution substation configuration language is based on the Unified Modeling Language
(UML). The different UML diagrams are described with the focus being placed on the ones used by the SCL. The paper then introduces the different components of the distribution substation model. The different types of SCL files are then introduced.
The SCL based engineering process is described later in the paper. The use of SSD and ICD files to form SCD files, the differences between ICD and CID files, the interface with legacy configuration programs and the future use for data bases, coordination and testing applications are discussed.
