Enhancing Visibility of Legacy IEDs in SCADA Systems for Substations

The power industry’s successes are driven by improved energy efficiency and the guarantee of high-quality electrical supply. Real-time monitoring of intelligent electrical devices (IEDs) has become crucial in substations, where these devices oversee switchgear and transformers. Automation in substations now revolves around collecting and integrating data from all IEDs and subsystems into robust and secure control systems. This facilitates effective monitoring of all IEDs and networking equipment, significantly impacting the supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system’s performance.

The Emergence of MMS

The adoption of the MMS protocol for IP networking in IEC 61850-compliant substations has been increasing. This unified communication paradigm simplifies network management, enabling devices like industrial Ethernet switches and embedded computers to communicate through MMS. Though not all equipment in substations, especially legacy IEDs, support MMS, which has led to the integration of serial device servers to bridge the gap without requiring costly replacements.

Encountering Difficult Situations

Within substation automation systems, engineers face the challenge of managing separate networks for networking equipment and IED operations, utilizing protocols like SNMP and Modbus. The lack of comprehensive network information due to limited monitored attributes leads to increased downtime and troubleshooting complexities. Overcoming these challenges necessitates solutions that enhance visibility of serial devices and streamline network troubleshooting.

Transitioning from Obscurity to Clarity

Serial device servers that don’t support MMS pose integration challenges, emphasizing the need for solutions that ensure visibility of the serial side of a network. Enhancing visibility of serial devices simplifies troubleshooting and accelerates issue resolution, with a focus on enabling power SCADA systems to monitor and control the serial side efficiently. Implementing such solutions improves operational efficiency in substations.

Moxa’s Innovative Approach

Moxa’s NPort S9000 Series is a groundbreaking serial device server that supports IEC 61850 MMS, empowering power SCADA systems to effectively manage and monitor the device server. This solution provides enhanced options for substation automation, ensuring seamless operation and improved network visibility.