Communication Network Analysis
X-ray Vision for Substation Networks
In power utilities, deterministic, reliable IEC 61850 communication on process and station bus networks is essential for the stable operation of protection, automation, and control (PAC) systems. Our test solutions make the entire communication network transparent, enabling you to spot hidden bottlenecks, configuration errors, and unusual traffic patterns during operation.
Challenges
Tackling Constant Change with a Holistic Approach
Transitioning to digital substations
Power utilities and grid operators must manage a stepwise shift from conventional to digital substations. Hybrid or fully digital systems require careful IEC 61850 signal testing and network traffic analysis to ensure interoperability, availability, and standard compliance.
Communication network complexity
Digitalizing power utilities increases system complexity and introduces new failure modes in PAC systems. This requires analyzing and visualizing the signals in the communication network holistically, as well as testing the entire configuration, including redundancy, filtering, and time synchronization.
Wide-area communication
New capabilities of intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) and modern communication technologies distribute PAC system functions more widely. Properly operating the underlying wide-area communication networks is crucial and calls for distributed network testing solutions with multiple time-synchronized devices.
Recommended Solutions
Find The Right Solution for Your Application
Network performance testing
Record and analyze messages in local and wide-area substation networks, including IEC 61850 GOOSE, Sampled Values, and other substation network traffic. Measure network load, end-to-end packet propagation delays, and jitter to identify bottlenecks and verify performance margins. Configure and control multiple devices for coordinated, time-synchronized measurements – even across WAN connections between substations.
Network traffic supervision
Log relevant events such as lost samples, GOOSE timing issues, and time synchronization irregularities by automatically triggering data traffic recordings. Use DANEO Control for targeted supervision of substation communication network traffic to detect sporadic events. Realize extended, continuous functional monitoring of substations in operation with StationGuard.
Network redundancy testing
Validate the behavior of redundant network architecture, such as PRP/HSR topologies, under normal and failure conditions. Ensure no loss of time-critical IEC 61850 GOOSE and Sampled Values packets. Measure switchover time, path delays, and packet loss during failures to confirm compliance with your performance requirements.
PTP time synchronization testing
Verify correct and robust time synchronization as per IEC 61850-9-3 and IEEE 1588 v2.0 in your digital substations. Evaluate sub-microsecond time inaccuracies introduced by devices under test and communication paths to ensure reliable time-critical protection applications.
“Testing the network performance of the GOOSE communication via a 5G connection between substations was crucial to our project. Using DANEO Control was straightforward for performing propagation delay measurements and analyzing sporadic dropped GOOSE packet issues.”
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Why is communication network analysis and supervision critical in IEC 61850 digital substations?
Ethernet‑based networks form the backbone of the PAC system. Their performance and availability directly determine the reliability of protection, automation, and control functions.
Which parameters should be tested in a substation communication network?
Key parameters include network load, end‑to‑end delay, and jitter for GOOSE and Sampled Values, packet loss, redundancy behavior, and time synchronization quality.
How do OMICRON solutions support continuous communication network supervision?
DANEO Control and StationGuard analyze traffic, detect anomalies and configuration issues, log relevant events, and provide information for fast troubleshooting.
DANEO Control’s supervision and recording functions support targeted investigations and troubleshooting specific problems. StationGuard’s functional monitoring is the solution for continuous communication network monitoring in substations.
How can I ensure correct time synchronization in time‑critical applications?
You should perform dedicated PTP time synchronization tests to verify the clock hierarchy, path delays, and device time inaccuracies, and to confirm that all devices provide consistent, accurate time stamps.
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