science

IEC 61850

IEC 61850 is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand IEC 61850 rather than just read about it. In short: IEC 61850 is an international standard defining communication protocols for intelligent electronic devices at electrical substations. It is a part of the International Electrotechnical Commission's (IEC) Technical Committee 57 reference architecture for electric power systems.

Key takeaways

IEC 61850 belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect IEC 61850 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of IEC 61850 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

IEC 61850 is an international standard defining communication protocols for intelligent electronic devices at electrical substations. It is a part of the International Electrotechnical Commission's (IEC) Technical Committee 57 reference architecture for electric power systems. The abstract data models defined in IEC 61850 can be mapped to a number of protocols. Current mappings in the standard are to Manufacturing Message Specification (MMS), Generic Object Oriented Substation Event (GOOSE) [see section 3, Terms and definitions, term 3.65 on page 14], SV (Sampled Values) or SMV (Sampled Measure Values), and so on to web services. In the previous version of the standard, GOOSE stood for "Generic Object Oriented Substation Event", but this old definition is still very common in IEC 61850 documentation.

See also Conformance testing – Type of testing for standards, contracts and regulations DNP3 – Computer network protocol Generic Substation Events – Communications method used in power grids IEC 60870-5-104 – Telecontrol standardPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets IEC/IEEE 61850-9-3 – International standard for time synchronisation IEC 61968 – Series of communication protocol standards IEC 61970 – IEC standard Precision Time Protocol – Network time synchronization protocol Substation Configuration Language – Format for configuration of electrical substations

References

External links Detailed Introduction to IEC 61850 IEC 61850 Technical Issues website UCA International Users Group 61850 Users Group For R&D Labs and Testing of 61850 devices IEC61850: A Protocol with Powerful Potential Smart High Voltage Substation Based on IEC 61850 Process Bus and IEEE 1588 Time Synchronization Test and evaluation system for multi-protocol sampled value protection schemes by Dr. David M.E. Ingram

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with IEC 61850

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what IEC 61850 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to IEC 61850 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about IEC 61850 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of IEC 61850

In research: IEC 61850 appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses IEC 61850 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: IEC 61850 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Electric power, Electrical substations, IEC standards, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for IEC 61850 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study IEC 61850 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what IEC 61850 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain IEC 61850 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is IEC 61850 in simple terms?

Why does IEC 61850 matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study IEC 61850?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on IEC 61850.