World’s first full integration of IEC 61850 into plant engineering with Engineering Base

Europe-wide implementation by grid operators

Aucotec is now carrying out the complete integration within a data-centric environment in close collaboration with European customers and grid operators, and has incorporated it directly into the new version of Engineering Base this year. Although IEC 61850 is not yet mandatory for grid operators, emerging industries such as renewable energy production are already required by law to have the necessary certification. This means grid operators will also be legally obliged to address the matter sooner or later. Protection and control engineers who already work with Engineering Base are actively involved in shaping the digitalization of German and European power grids.

"Engineering Base is the first system to meet all requirements throughout the entire substation life cycle – from the initial project idea through detailed planning to operation and maintenance," says Michaela Imbusch, Product Manager for the Power Transmission & Distribution sector at Aucotec. All disciplines, including protection and control technology, can make simultaneous use of the extensive possibilities offered by the platform. Dedicated libraries, fast object searches and transparent change tracking ensure that all data is kept up-to-date, centrally available and consistent.

50 years in just one system

"While document-based tools inevitably reach their limits over a period of 50 years, Engineering Base’s data-centric model keeps all plant information dynamic and up-to-date," emphasizes Imbusch.

IEC 61850 now effectively forms the DNA at the heart of modern digital substations. This standard goes far beyond the simple description of devices, also including specifications for their communication channels. As a result of the increasing digitalization of substations and the pressure to decarbonize at a rapid pace, the demands on the planning process for these plants are also growing at an exponential rate. In the digital substation of the future, servers and data bus systems will handle the exchange of information. As a result, document-based tools that still rely on conventional circuit and terminal block diagrams are becoming less relevant.

"Engineering Base is completely data centric, meaning not a single circuit diagram has to be drawn," explains Imbusch. "The IED functionalities and hardware are linked directly in alphanumerical form – without the need for any coordination between different tools." This reduces complexity, speeds up planning and minimizes transmission errors.

Significantly streamlined system landscape

By directly linking the functional data models (IEDs) and the corresponding hardware in this way, Engineering Base manages to significantly streamline the system landscape and ease the IT workload to lasting effect. "Our cooperation platform is the single source of truth for primary and secondary equipment as well as protection and control technology," explains Imbusch. "Only one system needs to be learned and all data is consolidated in transparent form within a single software solution."

Added to which, Engineering Base is the only system in the world capable of implementing all internationally required standards down to the finest detail: from IEC 81346 and 81355 governing the structuring of plants and documents through to IEC 61850 for device description and communication in substations.

Future-proof engineering with IEC 61850

Thanks to Aucotec’s cooperation platform, companies are already ideally equipped to ensure future-proof and efficient planning, execution and long-term operation of their plants. As Imbusch concludes: "Our complete integration of IEC 61850 into Engineering Base saves time, simplifies processes and provides a lasting safeguard for plants against future requirements. That’s what we call pure digitalization."