computer science

Substation Configuration Language

Substation Configuration Language is a computer 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 Substation Configuration Language rather than just read about it. In short: System Configuration description Language formerly known as Substation Configuration description Language (SCL) is the language and representation format specified by IEC 61850 for the configuration of electrical substation devices. This includes representation of modeled data and communication services specified by IEC 61850–7-X standard documents.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

System Configuration description Language formerly known as Substation Configuration description Language (SCL) is the language and representation format specified by IEC 61850 for the configuration of electrical substation devices. This includes representation of modeled data and communication services specified by IEC 61850–7-X standard documents. The complete SCL representation and its details are specified in IEC 61850-6 standard document. It includes data representation for substation device entities; its associated functions represented as logical nodes, communication systems and capabilities. The complete representation of data as SCL enhances the different devices of a substation to exchange the SCL files and to have a complete interoperability.

Parts of SCL files An SCL file contains the following parts:

Header This part is used to identify version and other basic details of an SCL configuration file. Substation This is the part dealing with the different entities of a substation including various devices, interconnections and other functionalities. The elements include power transformers, Voltage Levels, bays, General Equipment, conducting equipment like breakers. From the Substation part logical nodes that represent functionality related to the object in the Substation are referred. Communication This section deals with different communication points (access points) for accessing the different IEDs of the complete system. This part contains different Sub Networks and access points. IED The IED section describes the complete configuration of an Intelligent Electronic Device (IED). It contains different access points of the specific IED, the logical devices, and logical nodes, report control blocks etc. coming under the IED. It describes what data an IED publish as reports and as Generic Substation Events (GSE; divided into GOOSE and GSSE) and what GOOSE/GSSE data from other IEDs an IED is configured to receive. DataTypeTemplates It defines different logical devices, logical nodes, data and other details separated into different instances. The complete data modeling according to IEC 61850-7-3 & 7-4 are represented in this part of SCL. It is again subdivided into LNodeType, DOType, DAType and EnumType.

Types of SCL files Depending on the purpose of SCL file, it is classified into the following types:

IED Capability Description (ICD) file It defines complete capability of an IED. This file needs to be supplied by each manufacturer to make the complete system configuration. The file contains a single IED section, an optional communication section and an optional substation part which denotes the physical entities corresponding to the IED. System Specification Description (SSD) file This file contains complete specification of a substation automation system including single line diagram for the substation and its functionalities (logical nodes). This will have Substation part, Data type templates and logical node type definitions but need not have IED section. Substation Configuration Description (SCD) file This is the file describing complete substation detail. It contains substation, communication, IED and Data type template sections. An .SSD file and different .ICD files contribute in making an SCD file. Configured IED Description (CID) file It is a file used to have communication between an IED configuration tool to an IED. It can be considered as an SCD file stripped down to what the concerned IED need to know and contains a mandatory communication section of the addressed IED. Instantiated IED Description (IID) file It defines the configuration of one IED for a project and is used as data exchange format from the IED configurator to the system configurator. This file contains only the data for the IED being configured: one IED section, the communication section with the IED's communication parameters, the IED's data type templates, and, optionally, a substation section with the binding of functions (LNodes) to the single line diagram. System Exchange Description (SED) file This file is to be exchanged between system configurators of different projects. It describes the interfaces of one project to be used by another project, and at re-import the additionally engineered interface connections between the projects. It is a subset of an SCD file with additional engineering rights for each IED as well as the ownership (project) of SCL data. The last two file types were introduced with Edition 2.

See also Common Information Model (electricity)

References

External links SCL Files explorer/analyzer Tool LibreSCL: a Free Software implementation SCL Configuration Utility IEC 61850 STS Substation Engineering Tool SCL Training Videos

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Substation Configuration Language

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Substation Configuration Language claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer 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 Substation Configuration Language 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 Substation Configuration Language 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 Substation Configuration Language

In research: Substation Configuration Language appears in computer 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 Substation Configuration Language 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: Substation Configuration Language is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Computer file formats, IEC standards, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Substation Configuration Language 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 Substation Configuration Language in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Substation Configuration Language 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 Substation Configuration Language out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Substation Configuration Language in simple terms?

Why does Substation Configuration Language matter?

Because it connects several computer 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 Substation Configuration Language?

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 Substation Configuration Language.