Digitization of Informational and Operational Technology Timing Domains

The power utility industry is in the midst of a digital modernization. Substations are going through major upgrades to much of their fundamental network infrastructure. The most common changes are the deployment of Ethernet communication throughout the substation local network and connecting it to the wide area network (WAN). 

This convergence of the two substation network segments provides greater interfacing between the two environments and creates an architecture that allows for centralized management and monitoring of substation events. 

A key element of this network convergence is the ability to provide an Ethernet-based network-wide common time base. By broadcasting a common time base throughout the network, all management and monitoring traffic can be accurately synchronized to a single source. This is crucially important when it comes to grid-wide protection, fault detection and voltage diversion, as it allows for synchronous multi-site intervention, for example, rerouting current in the event of a fault or maintenance. 

To achieve full digital modernization there are several recommended steps for utilities: 

1. Reduce analog cabling by removing or minimizing analog cabling and replacing with Ethernet Interfacing; doing so enables utilities to ensure that packets are not limited by incompatible technology.

2. Establish remote connections in order to remotely manage each local network. It is critical for network software to have the correct firewall permissions to access each part of the network. 

3. Train staff, as traditionally substation engineers have been electrical engineers, by transitioning to a more network-based architecture. Staff will require extra training to understand and implement the desired vision. 

4. Ensure the back-end infrastructure is suitable. While the load on back-end infrastructure is not intensive, it is important to ensure the infrastructure is able to support the vision and minimize time synchronization inaccuracy. 

Visit Resilient PNT Services for Power Utilities to learn more, including Microchip’s suite of timing systems for the power utilities industry. Download our Substation Timing White Paper to see how we can help to achieve your digitization goals.