Description
This follow-up course is designed to take an entry-level student beyond a simple introductory understanding of IEC 61850 and into the practical engineering workflow used in real digital substations. The emphasis is on explaining the system step by step in very simple language, while still introducing the student to the actual file types, communication methods, and testing ideas used in the field.
The course consists in 8 lessons and 1 hour and 26 min. duration.
Why this course is needed
An introductory IEC 61850 course explains what the standard is and why it matters, but the next practical step is to show how an actual IEC 61850 system is engineered, configured, and tested in a substation environment. Industry training beyond the basics commonly moves into Substation Configuration Language (SCL), communication services such as GOOSE, MMS, and Sampled Values, and practical testing and troubleshooting.
A relay-specific drill-down such as an SEL-710 example can still be used inside the course as a worked example, but it should support the system explanation rather than replace it.
Course learning outcomes
After completing this course, learners will be able to:
- Explain, in simple terms, how IEC 61850 is used to engineer and operate a digital substation.
- Describe the meaning and purpose of Substation Configuration Language, or SCL, and identify the role of ICD, CID, and SCD files.
- Explain what an Intelligent Electronic Device, or IED, is and how logical devices, logical nodes, data objects, and data attributes are used to organize information.
- Distinguish between GOOSE, which means Generic Object Oriented Substation Event, MMS, which means Manufacturing Message Specification, and Sampled Values, and explain where each is used.
- Describe, at an introductory level, how communication networks, redundancy, and time synchronization support IEC 61850 systems in substations.
- Explain the basic idea of IEC 61850 testing, including simulation, test mode, and simple troubleshooting steps.
- Read a simple SCL-based engineering story from the system level down to a single IED configuration.
Lesson titles
The course can be organized into eight lessons so that the student moves from the overall picture toward engineering details and finally to testing.
- Lesson 0 – Introduction
- Lesson 1 – From Conventional to Digital Substations
- Lesson 2 – The Engineering Workflow and SCL File Types
- Lesson 3 – How IEC 61850 Organizes Information Inside an IED
- Lesson 4 – GOOSE Messaging Explained in Simple Terms
- Lesson 5 – MMS Communication for SCADA and Engineering Access
- Lesson 6 – Sampled Values and the Process Bus
- Lesson 7 – Network Design, Redundancy, and Time Synchronization
- Lesson 8 – Testing and Troubleshooting IEC 61850 Systems
Lesson layout and descriptions
Lesson 1 – From Conventional to Digital Substations
Purpose: This lesson gently moves the student from hard-wired substations into the idea of a digital substation.
Description: The lesson explains why utilities moved from many separate copper wires and vendor-specific schemes toward a common communication standard called IEC 61850. It introduces the idea that substations now exchange signals as data over Ethernet, and that this change improves flexibility, communication, and engineering consistency.
Lesson contents:
- What a conventional substation looks like.
- What a digital substation looks like.
- What IEC means, International Electrotechnical Commission, and what IEC 61850 covers.
- What an IED is, meaning Intelligent Electronic Device.
- The difference between wires carrying one signal and a network carrying many signals.
- A plain-language overview of station bus and process bus.
Lesson 2 – The Engineering Workflow and SCL File Types
Purpose: This lesson introduces the engineering paperwork and file structure behind IEC 61850 systems.
Description: The lesson explains that an IEC 61850 project is not only about relays and messages, but also about structured configuration files. It introduces Substation Configuration Language, or SCL, and explains in very simple terms how ICD, CID, and SCD files support the engineering process.
Lesson contents:
- What SCL means, Substation Configuration Language.
- Why the standard uses file-based engineering.
- What an ICD file is, Intelligent Electronic Device Capability Description.
- What a CID file is, Configured IED Description.
- What an SCD file is, Substation Configuration Description.
- Simple workflow from vendor template to system design to relay-specific file.
Lesson 3 – How IEC 61850 Organizes Information Inside an IED
Purpose: This lesson explains the data model in very simple steps.
Description: The lesson shows that IEC 61850 does not simply send random bits of data. Instead, it organizes information in a standard structure using logical devices, logical nodes, data objects, and data attributes so that equipment from different vendors can describe functions in a common way.
Lesson contents:
- What a logical device is.
- What a logical node is.
- Why standard names matter.
- What data objects and data attributes are.
- Simple examples such as breaker status and overcurrent protection functions.
- How the data model helps interoperability.
Lesson 4 – GOOSE Messaging Explained in Simple Terms
Purpose: This lesson introduces fast relay-to-relay messaging.
Description: The lesson explains that GOOSE stands for Generic Object Oriented Substation Event and is used when one IED must send an important event quickly to another IED across the station network. It uses simple examples such as a breaker failure signal, an interlock, or a trip transfer to show why GOOSE matters.
Lesson contents:
- What GOOSE means.
- Why GOOSE is fast.
- Publisher and subscriber in plain language.
- Dataset and control block in simple terms.
- Examples of real substation uses.
- Basic engineering ideas behind GOOSE in SCL.
Lesson 5 – MMS Communication for SCADA and Engineering Access
Purpose: This lesson explains the slower but information-rich communication path used for monitoring and engineering.
Description: The lesson explains that MMS means Manufacturing Message Specification and is commonly used for client-server communication between IEDs and systems such as SCADA, Human-Machine Interface, or engineering workstations.
Lesson contents:
- What MMS means.
- Client and server in simple terms.
- Difference between GOOSE and MMS.
- How SCADA reads data from IEDs.
- How engineering software accesses the device.
- Examples of alarms, measurements, and status points.
Lesson 6 – Sampled Values and the Process Bus
Purpose: This lesson introduces digitized current and voltage values on the network.
Description: The lesson explains that Sampled Values are used to send measured current and voltage information over Ethernet, often from a merging unit to protection IEDs. It builds the student’s understanding of the process bus by comparing it with the older method of connecting instrument transformer secondary circuits directly by copper wiring.
Lesson contents:
- What Sampled Values are.
- What a merging unit is.
- Difference between station bus and process bus.
- Why digital current and voltage signals are useful.
- Simple idea of stream subscription.
- Practical cautions and engineering implications.
Lesson 7 – Network Design, Redundancy, and Time Synchronization
Purpose: This lesson explains the communication network that supports the IEC 61850 system.
Description: The lesson introduces Ethernet switches, simple network layouts, redundancy concepts such as Parallel Redundancy Protocol and High-availability Seamless Redundancy, and the need for time synchronization.
Lesson contents:
- Role of Ethernet switches.
- Simple substation network layouts.
- What redundancy means.
- What time synchronization means.
- Why time matters for records, events, and protection coordination.
- Common design concerns in plain language.
Lesson 8 – Testing and Troubleshooting IEC 61850 Systems
Purpose: This lesson shows how engineers confirm that the system works correctly.
Description: The lesson introduces the basic ideas of testing and troubleshooting, including test mode, simulation, packet checking, and verifying that one IED is correctly publishing or subscribing to data. It ends the course by tying together engineering files, messages, and device behavior into one practical workflow.
Lesson contents:
- Why IEC 61850 systems must be tested.
- Basic meaning of simulation and test mode.
- LPHD.Sim explained in simple terms.
- Checking GOOSE and MMS communications.
- Common troubleshooting ideas.
- A simple system-level test story from start to finish.
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