Andy Osiecki outlines two important new developments in ABB’s approach to integrated control and protection equipment.
IEC 61850 plant simulator for future-proof testing
In 2004 ABB introduced standard bay solutions based on an integrated control and protection philosophy for substation automation systems. This approach, which uses pre-engineered, pre-tested and pre-approved equipment, offers a number of important customer advantages, including: the ability to condense the same functionality into a much smaller footprint; reduction in on-site work and shorter delivery and commissioning times.
The need to provide a full audit trail demonstrating that the factory-assembled equipment will function exactly as designed places a major emphasis on rigour, repeatability and traceability within the testing regime. That is why we developed our own dedicated, fully automated, computer-based test installation, or System Verification Simulator (SVS).
The SVS has now moved forward to embrace the intelligent testing concepts made possible by the IEC 61850 substation communication protocol that is a key feature of our new generation of Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs). The combination of an IEC 61850 plant simulator, SCADA control system and secondary injection test set provides a very powerful integrated testing platform for all bay protection types. Once all the test information needed is made available in IEC 61850 format, it is very easy to create repeatable test sequences for all conceivable testing scenarios, with the test signals time-stamped and readily available for reporting and analysis.
Eventually, the IEC 61850 standard will be adopted throughout the substation industry. So with our plant simulator already in place, ABB’s integrated control and protection testing capabilities are effectively ‘future-proof ’.
Putting cubicle safety on a new platform
Achieving high levels of health and safety by design is integral to every ABB activity. Even the seemingly humble equipment cabinet hasn’t escaped our attention. Feedback from installation staff on site showed that the way the cabinets were delivered – bolted on to wooden pallets – made it difficult to transfer them to the substation floor, especially as they weigh up to 400kg each. After some thought and clever design, the wooden pallet has been replaced by a permanently mounted steel plinth.This provides easy access from all four sides, making it ideal for mechanical handling and eliminating the need to transport and recycle pallets. It is a very simple idea and it is being rolled out throughout the supply chain.
Another, simple but effective solution helps remove the risk of cabinets toppling when they have to be positioned over a cable entry. The cabinet has to be moved with its door open, and when full with heavy equipment it can be rather unsteady. So we are now providing a set of temporary stabilizers that bolt to the front of the cabinet to prevent it toppling forward. When the cabinet is secured in place, the stabilizers are simply removed and stored for future use.
The safety by design approach is also making a valuable contribution to the issue of working at height encountered when assembly staff have to reach up inside to the top of a 2.2m high cabinet. Now, instead of using an external platform and leaning into the cabinets, or standing on a narrow ‘elephant’s foot’ step inside it, a robust aluminium step has been designed that fits across the internal cross brace about 0.5m above the floor. This provides a safe and comfortable working platform to work on.
We have also introduced a second step that fits at the front of the cabinet to make the step up or down even easier.