Enhanced control of an electric substation in electrical network monitoring and control equipment

Abstract

An apparatus (1) for control and monitoring of an electric substation (2), configured to transform medium voltage electrical energy in a medium voltage electrical network (MV) into low voltage electrical energy in a low voltage electrical network (LV), comprises: at least one control unit (10) provided with a data bus (100), and acquisition means (15) for obtaining information from at least one peripheral unit (P). The control unit (10) is configured to: o generate a virtual replica (RD of a concentrator, said concentrator being configured to obtain consumption data from each electric energy meter (4), o generate a virtual replica (R2) of at least one component (C), said at least one component (C) being for collecting network data associated with said low voltage electrical network (LV) and / or said medium voltage electrical network (MV), and o enable, via said data bus (100), an exchange of said information and / or said consumption data and / or said network data between each virtual replica (R1, R2) and said at least one peripheral unit (P), so as to optimize the efficiency of said medium voltage electrical network (MV) and / or low voltage electrical network (LV).

Description

[0001] Enhanced control of an electric substation in electrical network monitoring and control equipment

[0002] FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Example aspects herein relate to the monitoring of electrical networks of medium and / or low voltage , and more speci fically to an apparatus and a method for control and monitoring of an electric substation, a system for control , and an electric substation .

[0004] BACKGROUND

[0005] Electrical energy in a medium voltage electrical network, usually defined to have a voltage in the range of 2 . 4 kVAC to 69kVAC, is trans formed to low voltage electrical and provided to a low voltage electrical network for distribution to users .

[0006] The trans formation of electrical energy i s performed by an electric substation . The electric substation comprises an enclosed box or housing for components , such as trans former ( s ) to trans form the electrical energy, components interfacing with the medium voltage electrical network and / or the low voltage electrical network, and components to monitor and control the good functioning of the electrical network connections and various components of the substation .

[0007] The operation of the electric substation can be improved by performing new functions for the monitoring, control or ef ficient trans formation of electrical energy . However, the limited physical space of the electric substation may make it di f ficult to install a new physical component each time the electric substation is to perform a new function .

[0008] Additionally, managing the components ( e . g . installing new components , updating, maintaining or replacing existing ones , etc . ) require a human technician to physically visit the electric substation .

[0009] This makes the maintenance of electrical networks , which may typically include thousands of electric substations , di f ficult .

[0010] Additionally, electric substations may need speci fic equipment based on their position within the electrical network, their geographic position, any function they should perform, etc .

[0011] There is therefore a need to improve the management of electric substations and the components therein .

[0012] SUMMARY OF INVENTION

[0013] According to a first example aspect herein, there is provided an apparatus for control and monitoring of an electric substation, wherein said electric substation is configured to trans form medium voltage electrical energy in a medium voltage electrical network into low voltage electrical energy in a low voltage electrical network, wherein said low voltage electrical network is provided with a plurality of electric energy meters , each electric energy meter being associated with a respective electricity user for measuring the consumption of electrical energy by the electricity user, wherein said apparatus for control and monitoring comprises : at least one control unit provided with a data bus , acquisition means for obtaining information from at least one peripheral unit , wherein said at least one control unit is configured to : generate a virtual replica of a concentrator, said concentrator being configured to obtain consumption data from each electric energy meter, generate a virtual replica of at least one component , said at least one component being for collecting network data associated with said low voltage electrical network and / or said medium voltage electrical network, and enable , via said data bus , an exchange of said information and / or said consumption data and / or said network data between each virtual replica and said at least one peripheral unit , so as to optimi ze the ef ficiency of said medium voltage electrical network and / or low voltage electrical network .

[0014] The term virtual replica is used herein to define any computer program running on processor ( s ) ( e . g . on a general processing computer ) to perform the same functions as the virtually replicated component ( including the concentrator ) , including receiving input data or signals from other components, processing data, and / or causing the generation of data / signals to other components of the electric substation or outside the electric substation. The virtual replica can therefore be executed on a processor of the apparatus and may communicate, via interface (s) of the apparatus with other components of the electric substation or outside the electric substation.

[0015] The peripheral unit may be any unit providing information related to the operation of components connected to the electrical network or components of the electric substation. This information may be indicative of the electrical energy flowing through the component, indicative of a state of the component (e.g. an indication of an anomaly of the component, a level of use / wear of the component) , or indicative of the environment in which the component operates (e.g. meteorologic environment such as a temperature, ambient moisture, etc.) . The information acquired from the peripheral unit(s) can be used to identify a status of the electrical network (s) and / or the electric substation, and to reduce risks of anomaly / failures that would result in loss of electrical energy, damage of component ( s ) , all of which would affect the efficiency of the electrical network (s) , indicating the amount of electrical energy that is provided to users.

[0016] By generating virtual replicas of the concentrator and the of at least one component that is for collecting network data, the apparatus can avoid the installation of separate components for the electric substation to have all required functions . Additionally, these virtual replicas may help avoid an increase in the physical space required in the electric substation .

[0017] The use of the data bus facilitates the exchange of information directly between multiple virtual components , and enables the transmission of data to multiple components ( e . g . multicast or broadcast ) without requiring additional cabling or communication links between each component . The virtuali zation of components allows the apparatus to receive information from all sources that would be connected to the virtuali zed components . Thus , the virtuali zation of components and the use of the data bus also enhances the monitoring / control of the electric substation, as each virtuali zed component can receive and process the information in parallel to each other, and from a greater number of sources .

[0018] Accordingly, the management of components can be facilitated whilst enhancing the monitoring / control of the electric substation .

[0019] Preferably, said control unit comprises at least one of : one or more processor, one or more working memories and one or more non-volatile instructions stores .

[0020] Preferably, said one or more non-volatile instruction stores are configured to store instructions which, when executed by said one or more processor , cause said one or more processor to implement one or more operating systems . Preferably, said at least one component comprises a detection device configured to detect failure and / or operating anomalies of said electric substation and / or said medium voltage electrical network, and wherein said virtual replica comprises a virtual replica of said detection device .

[0021] Electric substations may comprise one or more detection devices for the medium voltage side ( sometimes called a directional fault detector ) , to obtain data measured by sensor ( s ) at the medium voltage termination ( s ) ( i . e . the connection ( s ) between the medium voltage electrical network and elements of the electric substation trans forming the electrical energy into low voltage electrical energy, such as the trans former ) . The detection devices may also provide protection functions when a mal function or a fault is detected from the sensor data .

[0022] Accordingly, with the virtual replica of the detection device generated by the control unit , upon detection of an anomaly, the apparatus can cause the electric substation to perform a safety function such as interrupting the flow of electrical energy or isolating speci fic components from electrical energy . The use of virtual replicas of additional components also further facilitates the management of components in the electric substation and improves the exchange o f information between components . This may also help avoiding an increase in the amount of physical space required in the electric substation . Additionally, the sensor data from the medium voltage terminations can be provided to other virtual replica and / or other functions ( e . g . application programs , as explained below) executed by the apparatus ( in particular by the control unit ) .

[0023] Preferably, said at least one component comprises a monitoring device configured to monitor operating parameters of said medium voltage electrical network and / or low voltage electrical network, and wherein said virtual replica comprises a virtual replica of said monitoring device .

[0024] Electric substations may comprise one or more monitoring device ( s ) for monitoring operating parameters of the electrical networks , for example parameters related to the medium voltage / low voltage trans formation . These monitoring devices may also control elements ( e . g . switches , breaker ( s ) ) on the medium voltage side and / or the low voltage side of the electrical energy trans formation, to control the electrical energy trans formation .

[0025] With the virtual replica of monitoring device , the control unit can obtain information on the monitored operating parameters , and enable this information to be shared to the virtual replica of other components or to other functions executed by the apparatus , thus enhancing the monitoring / control of the electric substation whilst facilitating the management of components in the electric substation . Additionally, the apparatus can, upon detection of an anomaly, cause the electric substation to perform a safety function such as interrupting the flow of electric current , the isolation of speci fic components etc . , for example by controlling the elements on the medium voltage side and / or the low voltage side of the electrical energy trans formation .

[0026] Preferably, said apparatus for control and monitoring comprises first connection means for connecting said apparatus for control and monitoring to a remote control unit , wherein said at least one component comprises a router configured to enable said control unit to communicate , via said first connection means , with said remote control unit , and wherein said virtual replica comprises a virtual replica of said router .

[0027] The first connection means may be interfacing with the remote control unit directly or via a network, and may comprise any suitable means for exchanging ( transmitting and / or receiving) data with the remote control unit .

[0028] With the first connection means , the control unit can exchange information with the remote control unit , allowing a centrali zed monitoring and control of the electric substation . Additionally, with the virtual replica of the router, the apparatus can control the exchange of information with components outside the electric substation, remote devices or between components of the electric substation (whether virtual replica or physical components in the electric substation) , thus enabling the apparatus to oversee al l exchange of information related to the electric substation for an enhanced control / monitoring of the electric substation .

[0029] Preferably, said control unit is further configured to : associate each virtual replica with a respective category relative to the operation of each virtual replica, determine a priority level of each category, and manage an execution priority of each virtual replica based on said priority level .

[0030] The category may be based on whether the operation of the virtual replica relates to the safety of the electric substation, the trans formation of electrical energy, the monitoring of the electric substation, etc . The category of a virtual replica may be fixed, or it may change based on what operation the virtual replica is performing, or based on one or more operating parameter ( s ) indicating a state of the electric substation . In particular, depending on the operation performed by the virtual replica , the category may be defined as "Real-time" or "Batch" operations .

[0031] For example , a virtual replica of a component having an operation related to the monitoring of the electric substation and an operation related to the logging of data, may have di f ferent category associated with it depending on whether it is performing the logging operation or the monitoring operation . As another example , the operating parameter may indicate that a speci fic component of the electric substation should be prioriti zed, such as i f the value of the operating parameter (s) indicates that the specific component is at risk of malfunctioning (for example if the specific component is operating near a limit of its operating range) .

[0032] The category may be determined automatically by the control unit based on information related to the virtual replica or the component, or the category may be indicated by an external entity (for example by the remote control unit) or a human operator.

[0033] The control unit may manage priority by allocating resources (e.g. computing resources such as memory, processing resources, or bandwidth for transmitting / receiving data) proportionally to its priority. For example, a virtual priority having a higher priority may have guaranteed resources to ensure its correct and timely performance of its functions.

[0034] Accordingly, the apparatus can ensure that any virtual replica related to a function (or operation) that is critical to a safe operation (e.g. of the electric substation, its components, or the coupled electrical network (s) ) can be prioritized and allocated sufficient resources for a correct execution, in particular when a specific type of resource is limited.

[0035] Preferably, said control unit is configured to monitor an operating state of each virtual replica, and to generate, if said control unit detects a malfunction of any virtual replica, a further virtual replica to replace the virtual replica for which a malfunction is detected . Accordingly, the control unit can ensure or improve an operating continuity of each virtual replica and, accordingly, of the electric substation .

[0036] Preferably, said control unit is configured to execute at least one application program for the control and / or monitoring of at least one of said electric substation, said medium voltage electrical network and said low voltage electrical network .

[0037] By executing each application program, the control unit can perform additional functions or operations to ensure the electric substation and its components (whether virtual replica or physical components ) operate correctly .

[0038] An application program may be monitoring speci fic aspects of the electric substation, of the apparatus for control and monitoring, a virtual replica or another application program . For example , an application program may monitor the information processed, received and / or output by another application program or by a virtual replica , and may, in some cases , detect a mal function i f the monitored information includes a value deviating from a predicted ( or predetermined) value . An application may also perform a control function, for example by causing the control unit to transmit signals for controlling the state of elements in the apparatus and / or the electric substation, such as a control to recti fy any detected mal function ( e . g . by causing the trans formation of electrical energy to be interrupted, by disconnecting an element of the electric substation, etc . ) . An application program may also be receiving and processing information from a source of data ( e . g . a sensing unit coupled to the electric substation) other than those providing information to the virtual replica, so that a monitoring function of the application program is supplementary to those performed by the virtual replicas .

[0039] Accordingly, with the at least one application program, the apparatus may perform additional functions or operations to enhance the monitoring and control of the electric substation, e . g . to meet speci fic requirements of a local electric network and network provider .

[0040] Preferably, said apparatus for control and monitoring comprises first connection means for connecting said apparatus for control and monitoring to a remote control unit , and said control unit is further configured to receive , via said first connection means , first code data, and to execute said at least one application program by means of the first code data .

[0041] The first code data may comprise instructions ( e . g . computer readable instructions ) which, when executed by one or more processor, cause the one or more processor to execute the at least one application program .

[0042] Accordingly, the apparatus located in the electric substation may be used to execute new functions for the control and / or monitoring of the electric substation or the electrical networks coupled to the electric substation, or by improving the existing functions ( for example if an application program is replacing an existing program) .

[0043] For example, a remote control unit can control / monitor multiple electric substations each equipped with an apparatus for control and monitoring as explained above. The code data for the application program (s) may be provided by the remote control unit to the multiple electric substations, thus ensuring they each execute the same functions.

[0044] This also allows for a centralized determination of which application programs should be executed by each electric substation, which may be based on a type, location or function of the electric substation. For example, electric substations can be categorized into types based on the characteristics of the electrical energy being transformed (e.g. the operating voltage of the network (s) coupled to the electric substation, the quantity of electrical energy being transformed, the type of transformers or components used to transform the electrical energy) , where each type would need different application programs. As another example, the location of the electric substation in a given geographic zone can indicate that the electric substation may be susceptible to a specific risk to be monitored, such as potential natural disasters (flood, seismic, mudslide, etc.) that may affect the electric substation. As another example, some electric substations may be providing additional functions than transforming electrical energy, such as relaying communications between elements of the electrical networks ( e . g . between electric substations , network terminations , centrali zed control devices , etc . ) .

[0045] Accordingly, the application program ( s ) provided to an apparatus in such electric substations may relate to the additional function provided by the electric substation .

[0046] Preferably, the information obtained by the acquisition means from the at least one peripheral unit is information based on data generated by a sensing unit installed at the electric substation, wherein the application program is configured to process the information based on data generated by the sensing unit .

[0047] The sensing unit may comprise any suitable sensor to sense data related to the operation of the electric substation, the medium voltage electrical network and / or the low voltage electrical network . The sensing unit installed at the electric substation ( i . e . in, on or near the electric substation to allow communication with the acquisition means of the apparatus ) .

[0048] The sensing unit may be di f ferent from any unit from which the concentrator, the detection device and the monitoring device obtains data, and may be configured to interact with an associated application program . In other words , the application program and the sensing unit can be associated to each other by being together configured to exchange information in a defined way . For example , a sensing unit to be coupled to the electric substation can be selected based on a type , location or function of the electric substation, and an application program associated to the sensing unit may be executed by the apparatus for control and monitoring in that electric substation .

[0049] For example , the sensing unit may be a unit providing environment data on an environment in which the electric substation is ( e . g . meteorologic data, seismic data, etc . ) , and the application program may be configured to monitor the environment data to detect whether the environmental situation risks causing a mal function in the electric substation .

[0050] Preferably, said acquisition means is configured to acquire meter data from said at least one electric energy meter, and said virtual replica of said concentrator obtains said meter data including said consumption data via said acquisition means .

[0051] Preferably, each of said at least one electric energy meter is a smart meter . As used herein, an electric energy meter is configured to indicate ( e . g . via visual means ) a value of the instantaneous and / or cumulative consumption of electrical energy by the corresponding user, whereas a smart meter indicates a device comprising at least one additional function such as data related to an operating condition of the meter ( e . g . as a temperature of the meter or of an environment of the meter ) , recording and / or transmitting said consumption data or said data related to an operating condition of the meter, in a computer- readable format , displaying or causing an external device to display data ( e . g . said consumption data or said data related to an operating condition of the meter ) , for example on a display coupled to the smart meter or on a display of a device ( e . g . a smartphone ) of the corresponding user . It would be understood that to perform the above- function ( s ) , the smart meter may comprise at least one of : one or more sensors , a memory, a communication interface , data processing means , and a display .

[0052] Preferably, said acquisition means is configured to obtain data from one or more balance meters and / or one or more sensors provided in the electric substation to monitor the trans formation of electrical energy . Preferably, and said virtual replica of said concentrator obtains said meter data including said consumption data via said acquisition means .

[0053] Preferably, said acquisition means is configured to exchange ( receive and / or transmit ) data with said at least one peripheral unit , said at least one electric energy meter, said one or more balance meters and / or said one or more sensors , via one or both of a powerline communication and a wireless ( radio ) communication .

[0054] Preferably, said data is exchanged in the form o f one or more signals .

[0055] Preferably, said control unit is configured to obtain, from said acquisition means , data obtained via said radio communication and / or via said power-line communication .

[0056] Preferably, said acquisition means comprises one or more circuit board, each circuit board having located thereon one or more components of the acquisition means .

[0057] As used herein, a circuit board (which may be referred to as an electronic, wiring, printed wiring or printed circuit board) would be understood to be a piece of electronic equipment comprising electronic components located on a substrate ( e . g . silicone-based substrate ) and where the electronic components are connected to each other via one or more wires of electrically conductive material , which may be printed or deposited on the substrate . The circuit board may have one or more interface to mechanically and / or electrically couple with electric / electronic component ( s ) external the circuit board, to enable elements of the circuit board and the external component ( s ) .

[0058] Preferably, said acquisition means comprises at least one first circuit board configured to manage a reception of data from said at least one electric energy meter and a transmission of said received data to said control unit . Preferably, said at least one first circuit board forms a meter management unit , and more preferably a smart meter management unit .

[0059] Preferably, said acquisition means comprises at least one measurement acquisition unit , each measurement acquisition unit being configured to obtain measurement data, from at least one of said medium voltage electric network and said low voltage electric network . Preferably, each of said at least one measurement acquisition unit is implemented on at least one circuit board . Preferably, said at least one measurement acquisition unit is implemented on a same circuit board .

[0060] Preferably, said acquisition means comprises at least one environmental unit , each environmental unit being configured to obtain data indicative of an environment in which the component operates ( e . g . meteorologic environment such as a temperature , ambient moisture , humidity, etc . ) . Preferably, each of said at least one environmental unit is implemented on at least one circuit board . Preferably, said at least one environmental unit is implemented on a same circuit board . Preferably, said control unit is further configured to enable , via said data bus , a direct exchange of information between said at least one peripheral unit and said at least one application program .

[0061] By direct exchange of information, this is intended to mean the information transit from the at least one peripheral unit to the application program ( and / or vice-versa ) without being processed by one of the virtual replica or other application program connected to the data bus . Accordingly, additional peripheral ( e . g . sensing) unit can be installed at electric substation having a speci fic risk or parameter to be monitored, and the apparatus in that electric substation can execute an application program associated with that additional peripheral unit to monitor the speci fic risk or parameter . This allows the installation of tailored peripheral unit and to process data from that tailored peripheral unit to enhance the control and monitoring of the electric substation .

[0062] Preferably, said control unit is configured to generate a virtual replica of the peripheral ( e . g . sensing) unit .

[0063] Accordingly, the exchange of information between the sensing unit and the application program can be made similarly to the exchange of information with any other virtual replica . The information from the peripheral unit may also be distributed to additional virtual replica and / or application program, via the data bus , to enhance their respective monitoring or control functions .

[0064] Preferably, one or more of said at least one application program is configured to perform an analysis of data received from at least one of : the virtual replica of said monitoring device , the virtual replica of said detection device , and the virtual replica of said concentrator .

[0065] By analyzing the data of ( e . g . received by, output by or the processing of data of ) a virtual replica, it becomes possible to detect any inconsistency between di f ferent virtual replica, or to detect any mal function of the virtual replica . Furthermore , operational estimating functions and / or network diagnosis functions can be performed by the application program based on the data exchanged with the virtual replica of said monitoring device , the virtual replica of said detection device , and the virtual replica of said concentrator, thereby providing an operator and / or the remote control unit with control data enabling an enhanced management of the electric substation and of the network .

[0066] Preferably, said control unit is further configured to : -associate each of said at least one application program with a respective category relative to the operation of each application program;

[0067] - determine a priority level of each category, and manage an execution priority of each application program based on said priority level .

[0068] As explained in connection with the virtual replica above , the prioriti zation allows the apparatus to ensure that any application program related to a function ( or operation) that is critical to a safe operation ( e . g . of the electric substation, its components , or the coupled electrical network ( s ) ) can be prioriti zed and allocated suf ficient resources for a correct execution, in particular when a speci fic type of resource is limited .

[0069] In some cases , the prioriti zation of the virtual replica and the at least one application program may be combined ( i . e . a defined order of priority level i s provided to each category of virtual replica and each category of application program) . This may help the apparatus ensure a correct execution of the virtual replica and / or the application program, especially when these compete for the same resources to perform their functions . In one embodiment , a priority level is associated to each virtual replica and each application programs that is executed ( or generated) by the control unit . This allows to rank all software modules run by the apparatus and optimi ze the respective resource allocation, while ensuring continuity / execution of the most critical functions .

[0070] Preferably, the control unit may be configured to receive association information indicating the association between a category and an application program via the first connection means . This association information may be transmitted together with the code data for the application program ( e . g . as metadata in the code data ) , or separately ( e . g . as information associating one or more application programs and respective categories ) .

[0071] Accordingly, the prioriti zation of resources can be determined centrally, and one or more electric substations can be remotely controlled to operate in the same way .

[0072] Preferably, the control unit is further configured to execute a message-oriented middleware for communication between said at least one application program with at least one further application program, between said at least one application program and each of said virtual replica, and / or between each of said virtual replica .

[0073] Accordingly, information can be exchanged between application programs and / or virtual replica whilst reducing the risk that a mal function in the execution of one application program and / or virtual replica affects the execution of another application program and / or virtual replica.

[0074] Preferably, the message-oriented middleware uses an asynchronous messaging system, a messaging system having a public API, and / or an open-source messaging system.

[0075] Accordingly, an exchange of information can take place even between application programs developed independently of each other, such as application programs developed by different sources or in different environments (e.g. operating systems) , thus improving the interoperability of the application programs executed by the control unit.

[0076] Preferably, said control unit is further configured to enable communication between said at least one application program and at least one further application program asynchronously via NATS, Neural Automatic Transport System, messages.

[0077] As an open source, asynchronous messaging system, using NATS messages lead to the advantages explained above .

[0078] Preferably, each application program is a containerized type of application program, preferably based on a Snap or Docker software package.

[0079] Accordingly, the control unit can execute programs in different environments (e.g. operating systems) , thus improving the interoperability of the application programs executed by the control unit, and reducing the risk that a malfunction in the execution of one application program af fects the execution of another application program .

[0080] Preferably, said one or more non-volatile instruction stores are configured to store instructions which, when executed by said one or more processor, cause said one or more processor to implement one or more functions , optionally each function being implemented as an application program .

[0081] Preferably, said control unit comprises at least one circuit board, each circuit board having located thereon one or more components of the control unit .

[0082] Preferably, said apparatus comprises a remote terminal unit comprising at least one interface for connecting with input / output devices . Preferably, said remote terminal unit comprises at least one circuit board .

[0083] Preferably, said apparatus comprises at least one universal input / output unit , each comprising one or both of ingress means and egres s means , wherein each ingress means is configured to receive digital and / or analog data, and each egress means is configured to transmit digital and / or analog data .

[0084] Preferably, said apparatus comprises at least one communication unit , wherein each communication unit comprises at least one of : an encoder / decoder , a modulator / demodulator (modem) , one or more input / output ports , and a switching fabric .

[0085] Preferably, said apparatus comprises at least one protection unit . Preferably, said apparatus comprises at least one first protection unit configured to exchange ( receive and / or transmit ) sensor data relating to a protection function of said medium voltage electric network .

[0086] Preferably, at least one of said first connection means and said acquisition means is configured to exchange ( reception and / or transmission) data with at least one remote unit via said power-line communication . Preferably, said first connection means comprises one or more circuit board, each circuit board having located thereon one or more components of the first connection means . Preferably, said control unit is further configured to enable communication between the virtual replica of the concentrator and the virtual replica of the at least one component for collecting network data and / or any additional application program asynchronously via NATS messages .

[0087] Preferably, at least one of , or all of , said virtual replica is a containeri zed type of application , preferably based on a Snap or Docker software package .

[0088] That is , at least one of , or all of , said virtual replica of the concentrator, the virtual replica of the at least one component for collecting network data, and the virtual replica of the peripheral unit ( e . g . sensing unit ) is a containeri zed type of application .

[0089] Preferably, said control unit is further configured to receive , via said first connection means , second code data, and to execute at least one of said virtual replica by means of the second code data . As with the first code data, the second code data may comprise instructions ( e . g . computer readable instructions ) which, when executed by one or more processor, cause the one or more processor to execute the at least one application program .

[0090] Accordingly, the virtual replica of these components can be provided to the apparatus so as to cause the electric substation to perform a new function, or to replace an existing function ( e . g . to upgrade a function, or correct a faulty function ) .

[0091] Preferably, the control unit is configured to use the data bus for communication between said at least one application program .

[0092] Preferably, said control unit is configured to monitor an operating state of each of said at least one application program, and to generate , i f said control unit detects a mal function of any application program, a further application program from received code data to replace the application program for which a mal function is detected .

[0093] Accordingly, the control unit can ensure or improve an operating continuity of each application program .

[0094] Preferably, the apparatus for control and monitoring further comprises : second connection means for connecting said apparatus for control and monitoring to at least one first commutation part of the electric substation, said at least one first commutation part being connected to said medium voltage electrical network and configured to switch from a first position enabling a flow of medium voltage electrical energy between the medium voltage electrical network and the electric substation, to a second position interrupting the flow of medium voltage electrical energy, and third connection means for connecting said apparatus for control and monitoring to at least one second commutation part of the electric substation, said at least one second commutation part being connected to said low voltage electrical network, and configured to switch from a first position enabling a flow of low voltage electrical energy between the low voltage electrical network ( LV) and the electric substation, to a second position interrupting the flow of low voltage electrical energy .

[0095] Each commutation part may comprise any suitable means for selectively interrupting the flow of electrical energy, such as a circuit breaker ( e . g . mechanical or motori zed circuit breaker ) , a switch, etc .

[0096] Accordingly, the apparatus can communicate to the first commutation part ( s ) via the second connection means when a mal function related to the medium voltage electrical network is detected, to cause the first commutation part ( s ) to interrupt the flow of medium voltage electrical energy towards the electric substation . Similarly, the apparatus can communicate to the second commutation part ( s ) via the third connection means when a mal function related to the low voltage electrical network is detected, to cause the second commutation part ( s ) to interrupt the flow of low voltage electrical energy towards the electric substation . The mal function may be occurring in one or more components of the electric substation interfacing with the electrical network, or a mal function occurring in the electrical network itsel f .

[0097] Preferably, said second connection means comprises one or more circuit board, each circuit board having located thereon one or more components of the second connection means .

[0098] Preferably, said third connection means comprises one or more circuit board, each circuit board having located thereon one or more components of the third connection means .

[0099] Preferably, said second connection means and said third connection means are located on a same circuit board .

[0100] Preferably, said control unit comprises at least one second protection unit configured to exchange ( receive and / or transmit ) data with said second connection means to operate said at least one first commutation part .

[0101] Preferably, said apparatus comprises at least one third protection unit configured to exchange ( receive and / or transmit ) data with said third connection means to operate said at least one second commutation part .

[0102] Preferably, said apparatus comprises at least one fourth protection unit for an arc- flash-mitigation protection function of said electric substation . Preferably, each of said at least one fourth protection unit comprises at least one ingress means and at least one egress means for said arc flash mitigation protection function .

[0103] Preferably, each of said at least one fourth protection unit is coupled to at least one light sensor configured to detect an arc flash in said electric substation .

[0104] Preferably, each of said at least one fourth protection unit comprises at least one contact each controlling a circuit breaker, preferably a high-break high-speed type of circuit breaker .

[0105] Preferably, said at least one application program comprises one or more first programs related to a medium voltage protection function .

[0106] Preferably, said at least one application program comprises one or more second programs related to said remote terminal unit .

[0107] Preferably, at least one of said one or more second programs comprises a modular software architecture . Preferably, said modular software architecture includes one or more modules , each module being associated with a respective service .

[0108] Preferably, said electric substation comprises at least one component operating at said medium voltage , and wherein said at least one application program comprises one or mor third programs related to an arc flash mitigation protection function for said at least one component of said electric substation operating at said medium voltage . Preferably, said at least one application program comprises one or more third programs configured to communicate with one or more smart meters . Preferably, each of said one or more third programs is configured to support one or more communication protocol used by said one or more smart meters .

[0109] Preferably, each of said one or more third programs supports a protocol based on a PRIME communication standard .

[0110] Preferably, each of said one or more third programs supports a protocol based on a G3 communication standard .

[0111] Preferably, said at least one application program comprises one or more fourth programs for a fault detection function in said medium voltage electric network .

[0112] Preferably, at least one of said one or more fourth programs is for assisting the locali zation of a fault detected in said medium voltage electric network .

[0113] Preferably, at least one of said one or more fourth programs is for performing a virtuali zed phasor measurement function . Preferably, said virtuali zed phasor measurement function is for identi fying and / or locating a fault occurring in said medium voltage electric network and / or in said low voltage electric network .

[0114] Preferably, said at least one application program comprises one or more fi fth programs for controlling a variable trans former coupled to said medium voltage electric network and / or said low voltage electric network .

[0115] Preferably, said at least one application program comprises one or more sixth programs for managing environmental sensor data relating to an environment in or near the electric substation, and for transmitting said environmental sensor data to a centrali zed data collection system .

[0116] Preferably, said at least one application program comprises one or more seventh programs for a remote backup function of operating parameters of said apparatus .

[0117] Preferably, such remote backup function is for enabling a virtuali zation of the apparatus at a remote location, for monitoring the apparatus and / or the electric substation .

[0118] Preferably, at least one of said one or more seventh programs is configured to cause a back-up of said operating parameters , including a transmission of information indicating a respective value for each of said operating parameters to a remote location, for example the remote control unit .

[0119] Preferably, at least one of said one or more seventh programs is configured to cause a reception of information indicating said value for each of said operating parameters from a remote location, for example the remote control unit . Preferably, said reception is triggered in case of an initiali zation, restoration or replacement of said apparatus . According to a second example aspect herein, there is provided a method for control and monitoring of an electric substation, by an apparatus for control and monitoring as described in connection with the first example aspect above , wherein said method comprises the following steps :

[0120] - generate , by said control unit , a virtual replica of a concentrator, wherein said concentrator is configured to obtain consumption data from each electric energy meter,

[0121] - generate , by said control unit , a virtual replica of at least one component , wherein said at least one component is for collecting network data associated with said low voltage electrical network and / or said medium voltage electrical network,

[0122] - acquire , by said acquisition means , information from at least one peripheral unit ,

[0123] - share , by said data bus , said information and / or said consumption data and / or said network data in said data bus , to enable an exchange of said information and / or said consumption data and / or said network data between each virtual replica and said at least one peripheral unit , so as to optimi ze the ef ficiency of said medium voltage electrical network and / or low voltage electrical network .

[0124] According to a third example aspect herein, there is provided a system for control comprising at least one apparatus for control and monitoring as described in connection with the first example aspect above . The system may include also the remote control unit as described in connection with the first example aspect above .

[0125] According to a fourth example aspect herein, there is provided an electric substation comprising at least one apparatus for control and monitoring as described in connection with the first example aspect above .

[0126] Preferably, said electric substation comprises : at least one first commutation part , connected to said medium voltage electrical network, and configured to switch from a first position enabling a flow of medium voltage electrical energy between the medium voltage electrical network and the electric substation, to a second position interrupting the flow of medium voltage electrical energy, and at least one second commutation part connected to said low voltage electrical network, and configured to switch from a first position enabling a flow of low voltage electrical energy between the low voltage electrical network and the electric substation, to a second position interrupting the flow of low voltage electrical energy .

[0127] Accordingly, the apparatus can cause the commutation parts to interrupt the flow of electrical energy, thus reducing risk that a mal function occurs in the electric substation which may damage components .

[0128] Preferably, said electric substation comprises at least one trans former provided with at least one primary winding and at least one secondary winding, wherein said at least one first commutation part comprises means for operatively connecting said primary winding to said medium voltage electrical network, and wherein said at least one second commutation part comprises means for operatively connecting said at least one secondary winding to said low voltage electrical network .

[0129] Accordingly, the apparatus can cause the commutation parts to isolate the primary winding from the medium voltage electrical network and / or the secondary winding from the low voltage electrical network, thus reducing risk that a mal function causes damage to the trans former .

[0130] According to a fi fth example aspect herein, there is provided a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by one or more processor, cause the one or more processors to perform the method of the second aspect as summari zed above .

[0131] LIST OF FIGURES

[0132] Embodiments of the present invention, which are presented for better understanding the inventive concepts , but which are not to be seen as limiting the invention, will now be described with reference to the figures in which :

[0133] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a system for control in example embodiments ;

[0134] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an apparatus for control and monitoring in example embodiments . Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of elements of a control unit in example embodiments ;

[0135] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an application program and virtual replicas in example embodiments ;

[0136] Figure 5 shows a process performed by an apparatus for control and monitoring in example embodiments . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0137] Although example embodiments will be described below, it will be evident that various modi fications may be made to these example embodiments without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention . Accordingly, the following description and the accompanying drawings are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive .

[0138] Components described herein such as the first connecting means , second connecting means , acquisition means , peripheral unit , sensing unit may use any suitable communication link to exchange data, such as wireless ( or radio ) communication link ( for example a Wi-Fi , cellular telephone data link such as LTE / 5G, Bluetooth or Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE ) ) , a wired communication link ( e . g . DSL, fiber-optic cable , Ethernet , power-line carrier communication etc . ) . Each communication link may not be permanent .

[0139] In the following description and in the accompanying figures , numerous details are set forth in order to provide an understanding of various example embodiments . However, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that embodiments may be practiced without these details .

[0140] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a system for control in example embodiments .

[0141] In the system S , an electric substation 2 comprises an apparatus 1 for control and monitoring, a first commutation part 20 , a second commutation part 21 , and a peripheral unit P . Additionally, the electric substation 2 comprises a trans former (not shown) which has a primary winding and a secondary winding . However , it would be understood the number of each of these elements is purely illustrative, and the electric substation 2 may comprise any number of these elements .

[0142] The electric substation 2 is connected to a medium voltage electrical network MV via the first commutation part 20 , and to a low voltage electrical network LV via the second commutation part 21 .

[0143] The first commutation part 20 has a first position enabling a flow of medium voltage electrical energy between the medium voltage electrical network MV and the electric substation 2 , and a second position interrupting the flow of medium voltage electrical energy . The first commutation part 20 can switch between the first position and the second position to selectively allow medium voltage electrical energy to flow .

[0144] The second commutation part 21 has a first position enabling a flow of low voltage electrical energy between the low voltage electrical network LV and the electric substation 2 , and a second position interrupting the flow of low voltage electrical energy. The second commutation part 21 can switch between the first position and the second position to selectively allow low voltage electrical energy to flow.

[0145] When electrical energy is to be distributed to users, the first commutation part 20 allows medium voltage electrical energy to flow towards the electric substation 1, by operatively connecting a termination of the medium voltage electrical network MV to the primary winding of the transformer. The transformer converts the medium voltage electrical energy (e.g. at 15kVAC) , to a low voltage electrical energy (e.g. at 120VAC) . The low voltage electrical energy is provided to a number of electricity users.

[0146] Each electricity user is associated with a respective electric energy meter 4 for measuring the consumption of electrical energy by the associated electricity user. Figure 1 shows two electric energy meters 4, although any other number of electric energy meters 4 can be provided with low voltage electrical energy from the electric substation 2. It would be understood that whilst each electrical energy meter 4 may be of different types, each is a smart meter capable of providing data remotely, to the apparatus 1. Each smart meter may have different capability and may communicate via different types of communication links. Each smart meter may also have other "smart" capabilities such as displaying consumption data or other data related to the meter to the user, etc. Each smart meter may communicate using a different communication protocol . For example the apparatus 1 may communicate with a first smart meter using a communication protocol according to a PRIME communication standard . That is , a standard defined by the PRIME Alliance (www . prime -alliance . org ) , such as the PRIME Speci fication vl . 3 or vl . 4 . The apparatus 1 may communicate with a second smart meter using a communication protocol according to a G3 communication standard . That is , a standard defined by the G3 Alliance (www . g3- alliance . com) .

[0147] It would be understood that any other communication protocol may be used instead or in addition to the above examples .

[0148] The apparatus 1 is connected, via a network N, to a remote control unit 3 , to exchange information with the remote control unit 3 . The network N may comprise one or more networks , such as the Internet , a telephone network, a cellular data network, etc . The network N may also comprise a virtual private network (VPN) , a local area network ( LAN) , a wide area network (WAN) , or any other form of network .

[0149] The apparatus 1 is also connected to at least one peripheral unit P . Each peripheral unit P provides , to the apparatus 1 , data associated with said low voltage electrical network LV and / or said medium voltage electrical network MV ( also called network data ) , and / or data associated with the electric substation 2 . For example , a peripheral unit may comprise a sensor configured to sense operating parameter ( s ) at the connection between the medium voltage electrical network MV and the electrical substation 2, at the connection between the low voltage electrical network LV and the electrical substation 2, etc.

[0150] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an apparatus 1 for control and monitoring in example embodiments .

[0151] The apparatus 1 comprises a control unit 10, first connection means 11, second connection means 12, third connection means 13, acquisition means 15, and a memory 16.

[0152] The control unit 10 (i.e. a control logic unit, or a controller) is configured to control an exchange of information between various elements of the apparatus 1 for optimizing the efficiency of the electrical networks and / or the electric substation. The control unit 10 comprises a data bus 100 for enabling an exchange of data / inf ormation between various elements, either within the apparatus, the electric substation, or with elements external to the electric substation, as explained below. The control unit 10 may also comprises one or more processor (e.g. a single / multiple core CPU, one or more microprocessors etc.) , one or more working memories (e.g. random-access memory, RAM, flash memory etc.) and one or more nonvolatile instructions stores (e.g. read-only memory (ROM) , programmable ROM (PROM) , erasable PROM (EPROM) , electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM) , flash memory, etc.) storing computer-readable instructions. The processor (s) executing the computer-readable instructions in the instruction store (s) generates the virtual replica R1 and R2 , enables exchange of information via the data bus 100 , and executes application programs A and A' .

[0153] In some exemplary embodiments , the application programs A and A' , and the virtual replica R1 and R2 may be running on an operating system implemented when the processor ( s ) execute the computer-readable instructions in the instruction store ( s ) .

[0154] Given its control function, the control unit 10 may also be referred to as a head unit of the apparatus 1 .

[0155] The first connection means 11 connect the apparatus 1 to a remote control unit 3 ( shown on Figure 1 ) . The control unit 10 can transmit data, or receive data from the remote control unit 3 via the first connection means 11 .

[0156] The second connection means 12 connect the apparatus 1 to the at least one first commutation part 20 ( shown on Figure 1 ) of the electric substation 2 . Similarly, the third connection means 13 connect the apparatus 1 to the second commutation part 21 ( shown on Figure 1 ) of the electric substation 2 .

[0157] The acquisition means 15 is communicatively coupled to the at least one peripheral unit P, to obtain information therefrom ( e . g . the network data described above and / or the data related to the electric substation) . The acquisition means 15 provides this information to the control unit 10 , to be processed by control and / or monitoring functions executed on the control unit 10 . As will be explained in the following, the virtual replicas and application programs generated on the control unit obtain inf ormation / data from external sources, such as the electrical energy meters 4. To this effect, the acquisition means 15 may acquire meter data (which can include consumption data) from each electric energy meter 4. The virtual replicas (including the virtual replica R1 for the concentrator) can then obtain the meter data.

[0158] The acquisition means 15 may also obtain information from peripheral units in the electric substation 2 such as balance meters and sensors, and provide this data to the control unit 10 (and specifically to virtual replicas and / or application programs generated by the control unit 10) .

[0159] The acquisition means can exchange (i.e. receive and / or transmit) data with the peripheral unit(s) , the electric energy meter (s) 4, the balance meter (s) , the sensors, etc. via any suitable communication link such as a power-line carrier and / or a radio communication, which may involve for example the transmission of signals. The memory 16 may comprise any number of working memories, and / or instruction stores storing computer-readable instructions which can be executed by one or more processors to perform the processing operations as described hereinafter.

[0160] An instruction store is a non-transitory storage medium, which may comprise a non-volatile memory, for example in the form of a read-only-memory (ROM) , a flash memory, a magnetic computer storage device (for example a hard disk) or an optical disk, which is pre- loaded with the computer-readable instructions. Alternatively, an instruction store may comprise writeable memory, such as random access memory (RAM) and the computer-readable instructions can be input thereto from a computer program product, such as a non- transitory computer-readable storage medium (for example an optical disk such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, etc.) or a computer-readable signal carrying the computer-readable instructions.

[0161] The apparatus 1 can be connected to various external devices, such as the peripheral unit P, first commutation part 20, the second commutation part 21, the remote control unit 3 or the electric energy meters 4, via any suitable communication link. For example, the acquisition means 15 may communicate with the electric energy meters 4 via a first type of wireless communication (e.g. cellular data link) , and with the peripheral unit P with a second type of wireless communication (e.g. Bluetooth Low Energy) , whereas the first connection means 11 may communicate with the remote control unit 3 via a power-line carrier communication or via a dedicated wired data link.

[0162] In one exemplary implementation, element (s) of the apparatus 1, such as the control unit 10, the first connection means 11, the second connection means 12, the third connection means 13, the acquisition means 15, and the memory 16, may each comprise one or more circuit boards (e.g. printed circuit boards) , which are mechanically and communicatively coupled to each via a computer bus .

[0163] The acquisition means 15 can be understood to be comprising a meter management unit configured to manage the reception of meter data from the electric energy meters 4 (which may also be referred to as a smart meter management unit ) .

[0164] The acquisition means 15 can also be understood to be comprising a measurement acquisition unit which is configured to obtain measurement data from the medium voltage electric network and / or the low voltage electric network, for example via peripheral unit ( s ) P .

[0165] The acquisition means 15 can also be understood to be comprising an environmental unit being configured to obtain data indicative of an environment in which the component operates ( e . g . meteorologic environment such as a temperature , ambient moisture , humidity, etc . ) , from the peripheral unit P .

[0166] Additionally, the elements of the apparatus 1 communicating with remote devices , such as the acquisition means 15 , and the f irst connection means 11 , may be understood to form a remote terminal unit , a universal input / output unit , and / or a communication unit . These elements comprising at least one interface for connecting with input / output devices , with ingress means to receive digital and / or analog data, and egres s means configured to transmit digital and / or analog data .

[0167] Although not shown, it would be understood that to perform its functions described herein, the apparatus 1 can comprise a communication unit ( e . g . comprising at least part of the acquisition means 15 , the first connection means 11 , the second connection means 12 and / or the third connection means 13 ) , where the communication unit comprises an encoder / decoder , a modulator / demodulator (modem) , one or more input / output ports , and / or a switching fabric, to generally distribute ( route ) the data to the appropriate destination .

[0168] In addition, the apparatus 1 can be understood to comprise one or more protection units . For example , a first protection unit (which may comprise at least a part of the second connection means 12 and / or at least a part of the acquisition means 15 ) exchanges sensor data relating to a protection function of the medium voltage electric network, such as data from a sensor or other unit coupled to the first commutation part 20 or a remote unit ( e . g . sensor ) coupled to the medium voltage electric network remote from or in the vicinity of the electric substation 2 . The second connection means 12 and / or the acquisition means 15 may communicate with the remote unit via any communication link, such as a power-line carrier communication .

[0169] The apparatus 1 ( e . g . the control unit 10 ) may also be understood to comprise a second protection unit configured to exchange data with the second connection means 12 to operate the first commutation part 20 . For example , the second connection means 12 may provide to the second protection unit information on a state of the first commutation part 20 , and the second protection unit may transmit a command to the second connection means 12 to switch, when necessary, the state of the first commutation part 20 .

[0170] The apparatus 1 ( e . g . the control unit 10 ) may also be understood to comprise a third protection unit which operates with the third connection means 13 to operate the second commutation part 21 in a similar way to the second protection unit described above .

[0171] In some implementation, the electric substation 2 may have an arc- flash-mitigation protection function, which mitigate risks of arc-flash occurring in the electric substation 2 and / or mitigate risks of damage from such arc, by interrupting the flow of electric energy when a flash arc is detected . For example , one or more light sensors can be located in the electric substation 2 ( e . g . in the vicinity of the commutation parts or the trans former ) to detect an arc flash .

[0172] The electric substation 2 may also comprise a circuit breaker configured to operate when such an arc flash is detected . In particular, this may be a high- break high-speed type of circuit breaker to reduce the duration of any arc flash .

[0173] The apparatus may therefore have a fourth protection unit , with ingress means ( e . g . an interface of a communication link) which receives information from the light sensors when an arc flash is detected, and with egress means ( e . g . electrical contacts ) to trigger the high-break high-speed circuit breaker to interrupt the circuit when an arc flash is detected . Preferably, each of said at least one fourth protection unit comprises at least one contact each controlling a circuit breaker, preferably a high-break high-speed type of circuit breaker

[0174] In some implementations , respective sets o f circuit board ( s ) of the apparatus 1 may form parts the aforementioned meter management unit , remote terminal unit , measurement acquisition unit , and environmental unit . Any of the circuit boards may belong to more than one set .

[0175] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of elements of a control unit in example embodiments .

[0176] The control unit 10 generates a virtual replica R1 for a concentrator, a virtual replica R2 for each of a detection device D, a monitoring device M, a router R, and a peripheral unit P . In addition, the control unit 10 executes a first application program A and a second application program A' .

[0177] The concentrator is a component obtaining consumption data from each electric energy meter 4 . The concentrator can also collect data from one or more balance meters and sensors provided in the electric substation 2 , to monitor the trans formation of electrical energy .

[0178] The detection device D ( e . g . a directional fault detector ) is configured to obtain data measured by sensor ( s ) at the medium voltage termination . When the data measured by these sensors indicate a fault , the detection device D activates protection functions to isolate the terminations or the trans former from the medium voltage electrical energy ( e . g . using circuit breakers ) .

[0179] The monitoring device M is configured to monitor operating parameters of the medium voltage electrical network MV and / or the low voltage electrical network LV . For example , the monitoring device M may obtain an operating voltage , a current in each phase of the connection between the electric substation 2 and one or both of the electrical networks (MV and LV) , etc .

[0180] Each of the virtual replica R1 and R2 , the first application program A and the second application program A' is connected to the data bus 100 , to communicate with each other using the data bus 100 .

[0181] Speci fically, in an example , the control unit 10 executes a NATS server allocating to each virtual replica and application program a respective URL . These URLs is used to transmit data to the corresponding virtual replica or application program, thus enabling an exchange of information obtained by each virtual replica and application program, such as the information from the peripheral unit , the consumption data and / or data from the balance meter ( s ) , sensors etc . obtained by the concentrator, the data obtained by the detection device , data on the operating parameters monitored by the monitoring device M, etc . In addition, information that is processed by the application programs can also be provided to virtual replica or to other application programs .

[0182] In the present example , the application program A receives data from the virtual replica R1 of the concentrator and the virtual replica R2 of the monitoring device M, as will be explained below.

[0183] Referring now to Figure 4, the application program A receives a value II provided to the virtual replica R1 as an input, and a value 01 output by the virtual replica R1. Additionally, the application program A receives a value 12 provided to the virtual replica R2 (M) of the monitoring device as an input, and a value 02 output by the virtual replica R2 (M) .

[0184] In the present example, the values II, 12, 01 and 02 are all broadcast using NATS messages via the data bus 100, and the values II, 12, 01 and 02 are all transmitted to the URL of the application program A in addition to the other intended target (e.g. the virtual replica R1 for the value II, the virtual replica R2 of the monitoring device M for the value 12, etc.) .

[0185] By way of example, the value II may be a value of the low voltage electrical energy measured by a given electric energy meter 4, and the value 12 may be a value of the electrical energy measured in the low voltage electrical network LV, at a point between the electric substation 2 and that electric energy meter 4. In other words, the value 12 corresponds to the electrical energy indicated by the value II and the electrical energy distributed to other electric energy meters 4, such that the ratio between 12 and II can be predetermined. The application program A can determine whether the value II is a predetermined ratio (or proportion) of the value 12. Similarly, the value 01 may be a sum of medium voltage electrical energy at each termination of the medium voltage electrical network MV, and the value 02 may be indicating a temperature o f components near the termination of the medium voltage electrical network MV . In that case , the application program may determine whether the values 01 and 02 correspond to each other .

[0186] Accordingly, the application program A can perform an analysis of data received from at least one of the virtual replica R2 of the monitoring device M, the virtual replica R2 of the detection device D, and the virtual replica R1 of the concentrator , to either provide an additional layer of monitoring or to determine whether a mal function may be occurring in one of the virtual replicas .

[0187] Returning now to Figure 3 , the control unit 10 may have received as code data from the remote control unit 3 to execute the application program A and stored the code data on the memory 16 for execution, or the code data may have been stored in the memory 16 by other means ( for example by being pre-stored in the memory 16 ) .

[0188] For the application program A' , the control unit 10 receives code data from the remote control unit 3 , and stores the code data in the memory 16 . The control unit 10 then executes computer readable instructions in the received code data to perform the function of the application program A' .

[0189] The application program A' is configured to communicate with the virtual replica R2 of the peripheral unit P using NATS messages transmitted via the data bus 100 . In addition, i f the analysis performed by the application program A' indicates a high risk of failure ( for example a seismic event likely to damage or disconnect components ) , the application program A' may transmit an alert for risk of failure to an application program or virtual replica on the control unit 10 , or to the remote control unit 3 .

[0190] For example , the peripheral unit P may comprise a meteorological or seismologic sensor that is installed at the electric substation 2 speci fically to provide data to be processed by the application program A' , which is installed on the apparatus 1 in the electric substation 2 ( i . e . stored in the memory 16 ) . The application program A' may therefore be a program to monitor a speci fic environmental risk that is particularly important for the electric substation 2 , to supplement the monitoring functions provided by the virtual replicas R1 and R2 .

[0191] Accordingly, the application program A' provides an electric substation with a customi zed monitoring / control function to operate with a customi zed sensing unit installed at that electric substation . Once the sensing unit is installed at the electric substation 2 , the customi zed monitoring / control function can be installed or updated on the apparatus via the remote control unit 3 , without requiring a physical component or installation by a human operator . In the present example, each of the virtual replicas Rl, R2 and the application programs A and A' is a container based on a respective Docker package. Accordingly, they can each operate independently of each other whilst exchanging information via the data bus 100.

[0192] In some cases, for example if fluctuations of data volume may be difficult to predict accurately, the control unit 10 may have insufficient resources (e.g. computing resources such as computation time, memory 16, bandwidth on the data bus 100 and / or via one of the first, second and third connection means towards the outside of the apparatus 1) to execute all virtual replicas and application programs. As such, the control unit 10 categorizes the virtual replicas or application programs based on the operation they provide to prioritize critical operations and ensure these are performed correctly.

[0193] By way of example, the virtual replica Rl of the concentrator and the application program A may be associated with a category Cl for monitoring. The application program A' may be associated with a category C2 for failure risk alert. The virtual replica R2 of a peripheral unit P (in this case, a sensing unit) may be associated with a category C3 for logging data .

[0194] The categories Cl, C2 and C3 may be determined to have a priority level LI, L2 and L3, respectively. This determination may be based on predetermined associations between the categories and their priority level , or the association information may be provided by the remote control unit 3 ( for example when transmitting code data for a virtual replica or an application program) .

[0195] The priority level LI may be prioriti zed by having minimum guaranteed allocated resources .

[0196] The priority level L2 may have a guaranteed bandwidth for transmission via the first connection means 11 for all transmission .

[0197] The priority level L3 may have allocated memory resources , and a bandwidth for transmission on the bus data 100 .

[0198] The updating of applications depends on the network infrastructure into which the apparatus 1 i s integrated, which obviously must be adequate to manage it and meet the required use cases .

[0199] Regardless of the network access technology, a minimum bidirectional bandwidth of 2Mb / s can be considered . In summary, it will be appreciated from the description above that certain example embodiments perform processing operations to ef fect a method as shown in Figure 5 that is performed by an apparatus for control and monitoring as described above .

[0200] At step S50 , the control unit 10 generates a virtual replica R1 of a concentrator . The concentrator is configured to obtain consumption data from electric energy meters 4 .

[0201] At step S51 , the control unit 10 generates a virtual replica R2 of at least one component C . The at least one component C is for collecting network data associated with the low voltage electrical network LV and / or the medium voltage electrical network MV .

[0202] At step S52 , the acquisition means 15 acquire information from said at least one peripheral unit P .

[0203] At step S53 , the data bus 100 shares the information and / or the consumption data and / or the network data in the data bus 100 , to enable an exchange of the information and / or the consumption data and / or the network data between each virtual replica Rl , R2 and the at least one peripheral unit P, so as to optimi ze the ef ficiency of said medium voltage electrical network MV and / or low voltage electrical network LV .

[0204] MODI FICATIONS AND VARIATIONS

[0205] Although the electrical networks are described to have alternative current (AC ) electrical energy, it would be understood that the medium voltage electrical network MV and / or the low voltage electrical network LV may operate with direct current (DC ) electrical energy instead . The electric substation 2 may comprise , in some cases , means for converting AC electrical energy to DC electrical energy, or vice-versa .

[0206] The apparatus may have fewer or more virtual replicas than those described in the embodiments above .

[0207] In some cases , multiple copies of virtual replicas of the same component may be used, and / or multiple copies application programs may be executed in parallel , for redundancy and to ensure the correct operation of the virtual replicas and / or the application programs .

[0208] It would be understood that any of the application programs A, A' can comprise a modular software architecture . Preferably, the modular software architecture includes one or more modules , each module being associated with a respective service to be provided by the application program .

[0209] It would be understood that the application programs A, A' may include one or more programs related to the remote terminal unit of the apparatus 1 .

[0210] It would be understood that the application programs A, A' may include one or more programs related to an arc flash mitigation protection function for component ( s ) of the electric substation 2 operating at the medium voltage , such as the f irst commutation part 20 .

[0211] It would be understood that the application programs A, A' may include one or more programs to communicate with the electric energy meters 4 ( i . e . smart meters ) , and supporting the communication protocol used by said one or more smart meters . For example , there may be a separate program provided for each communication standard to be used by the smart meters . Thus , when a new communication standard is to be supported by the apparatus , a new program can be installed via the remote control unit 3 easily . Alternatively, a program acting as a universal translator may be configured to interface with the acquisition means 15 and adapt data exchanged with each smart meter into a common format that can be processed by the various virtual replicas and other application programs implemented on the control unit 10 .

[0212] It would be understood that the application programs A, A' may include one or more programs for a fault detection function in the medium voltage electric network . These programs may be configured to process data received from data sources ( e . g . remote sensing units ) coupled to the medium voltage electric network and assist , for example by implementing a virtuali zed phasor measurement function, in the locali zation of the fault . A similar function may be implemented for a fault detection function in the low voltage electric voltage , where data provided by the electric energy meters 4 can be used to locali ze the fault .

[0213] It would be understood that the application programs A, A' may include one or more programs for controlling a variable trans former coupled to said medium voltage electric network and / or said low voltage electric network . For example , these programs may transmit command ( s ) to control electrical quantities ( e . g . voltage , current , etc . ) of the electrical power output by the variable trans former .

[0214] It would be understood that the application programs A, A' may include one or more programs for managing environmental sensor data relating to an environment in or near the electric substation, and for transmitting the environmental sensor data to a centrali zed data collection system . For example , these programs may obtain information, via the acquisition means 15 , data from temperature, humidity, moisture sensors located in the electrical substation 2 , or located in the vicinity of the electrical substation 2 . These programs may process the data to obtain information defining an environment of the electrical substation 2 and cause the transmission of the information to the remote control unit 3 via the first connecting means 11 .

[0215] It would be understood that the application programs A, A' may include one or more programs for remote backup function of operating parameters of said apparatus 1 .

[0216] For example , when the apparatus 1 is installed in the electrical substation 2 , or during a maintenance , update , various operating parameters of the apparatus 1 may be collected and stored by these programs . These operating parameters may include , for example , a list or a backup of virtual replicas it generates , or values of speci fic electrical quantities related to the electrical substation such as a medium and / or low voltage reference value , etc . These programs may then cause the collection of operating parameters to be transmitted to the remote control unit 3 via the network . Accordingly, i f the apparatus 1 were to be replaced, or reinitiali zed, the value of the operating parameters on the remote control unit 3 may be used to easily restore the apparatus ( or its replacement ) into the same operating state . These operating parameters may also be used at the remote control unit 3 to determine which data should be transmitted to the apparatus 1 to update programs and virtual replicas .

[0217] Thus , the programs may cause the first connection means 11 to transmit a query to the remote control unit 3 for a value of the operating parameters , thus restoring the apparatus 1 ( or its replacement ) to its previous state .

[0218] It would be understood that the above-described transmission of (values of ) operating parameters can be defined as a back-up function, which may be performed repeatedly ( for example at predetermined intervals or when a predetermined event occurs , such as a request from the remote control unit , or a loss of communication link with peripheral units P, or a detection of a potentially unsafe environment in the electrical substation 2 ) .

[0219] The backup function would also be understood to enable the remote control unit 3 to generate a virtual copy ( or twin) of the apparatus 1 , and thus monitor that the apparatus 1 operates correctly and / or that no fault may be occurring in the electric substation 2 .

Claims

CLAIMS1. An apparatus (1) for control and monitoring of an electric substation (2) , wherein said electric substation (2) is configured to transform medium voltage electrical energy in a medium voltage electrical network (MV) into low voltage electrical energy in a low voltage electrical network (LV) , wherein said low voltage electrical network (LV) is provided with a plurality of electric energy meters (4) , each electric energy meter (4) being associated with a respective electricity user for measuring the consumption of electrical energy by the electricity user, wherein said apparatus (1) for control and monitoring comprises : at least one control unit (10) provided with a data bus (100) , acquisition means (15) for obtaining information from at least one peripheral unit (P) , wherein said at least one control unit (10) is configured to: o generate a virtual replica (Rl) of a concentrator, said concentrator being configured to obtain consumption data from each electric energy meter (4) , o generate a virtual replica (R2) of at least one component (C) , said at least one component (C) being for collecting network data associated with said low voltageelectrical network (LV) and / or said medium voltage electrical network (MV) , and o enable, via said data bus (100) , an exchange of said information and / or said consumption data and / or said network data between each virtual replica (Rl, R2 ) and said at least one peripheral unit (P) , so as to optimize the efficiency of said medium voltage electrical network (MV) and / or low voltage electrical network (LV) .

2. The apparatus (1) for control and monitoring according to claim 1, wherein said at least one component (C) comprises a detection device (D) configured to detect failure and / or operating anomalies of said electric substation (2) and / or said medium voltage electrical network (MV) , and wherein said virtual replica (R2) comprises a virtual replica of said detection device (D) .

3. The apparatus (1) for control and monitoring according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said at least one component (C) comprises a monitoring device (M) configured to monitor operating parameters of said medium voltage electrical network (MV) and / or low voltage electrical network (LV) , and wherein said virtual replica (R2) comprises a virtual replica of said monitoring device (M) .

4. The apparatus (1) for control and monitoring according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein said apparatus (1) for control and monitoring comprises first connection means (11) for connecting said apparatus (1) for control and monitoring to a remote control unit (3) , wherein said at least one component (C) comprises a router (R) configured to enable said control unit(10) to communicate, via said first connection means(11) , with said remote control unit (3) , and wherein said virtual replica (R2) comprises a virtual replica of said router (R) .

5. The apparatus (1) for control and monitoring according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein said control unit (10) is further configured to: associate each virtual replica (Rl, R2 ) with a respective category (Cl, C2) relative to the operation of each virtual replica (Rl, R2 ) ,- determine a priority level (LI, L2) of each category (Cl, C2) , and- manage an execution priority of each virtual replica (Rl, R2 ) based on said priority level (LI, L2) .

6. The apparatus (1) for control and monitoring according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein said control unit (10) is configured to monitor an operating state of each virtual replica (Rl, R2 ) , and to generate, if said control unit (10) detects a malfunction of any virtual replica (Rl, R2 ) , a further virtual replica(Rl' , R2' ) to replace the virtual replica (Rl, R2 ) for which a malfunction is detected.

7. The apparatus (1) for control and monitoring according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein said control unit (10) is configured to execute at least one application program (A) for the control and / or monitoring of at least one of said electric substation (2) , said medium voltage electrical network (MV) and said low voltage electrical network (LV) .

8. The apparatus (1) for control and monitoring according to claim 7, wherein said apparatus (1) for control and monitoring comprises first connection means (11) for connecting said apparatus (1) for control and monitoring to a remote control unit (3) , and wherein said control unit (10) is further configured to receive, via said first connection means (11) , first code data, and to execute said at least one application program (A) by means of the first code data .

9. The apparatus (1) for control and monitoring according to claim 7 or claim 8, wherein the information obtained by the acquisition means (15) from the at least one peripheral unit (P) is information based on data generated by a sensing unit installed at the electric substation (2) , wherein the application program (A) is configured to process the information based on data generated by the sensing unit.

10. The apparatus (1) for control and monitoring according to any of claims 7 to 9, wherein said control unit (10) is further configured to enable, via said data bus (100) , a direct exchange of information between said at least one peripheral unit (P) and said at least one application program (A) .

11. The apparatus (1) for control and monitoring according to claims 9 or 10, wherein said control unit (10) is configured to generate a virtual replica of the sensing unit.

12. The apparatus (1) for control and monitoring according to any of claims 7 to 11, wherein one or more of said at least one application program (A) is configured to perform an analysis of data received from at least one of: the virtual replica of said monitoring device (M) , the virtual replica of said detection device (D) , and the virtual replica of said concentrator .

13. The apparatus (1) for control and monitoring according to any of claims 7 to 12, wherein said control unit (10) is further configured to: -associate each of said at least one application program with a respective category (Cl, C2) relative to the operation of each application program (A) ;- determine a priority level (LI, L2) of each category (Cl, C2) , andmanage an execution priority of each application program (A) based on said priority level (LI, L2) .

14. The apparatus (1) for control and monitoring according to any of claims 7 to 13, wherein said control unit (10) is further configured to enable communication between said at least one application program (A) and at least one further application program (A' ) asynchronously via NATS, Neural Automatic Transport System, messages.

15. The apparatus (1) for control and monitoring according to any of claims 7 to 14, wherein each application program (A) is a containerized type of application, preferably based on a Snap or Docker software package.

16. The apparatus (1) for control and monitoring according to any of claims 1 to 15, wherein said control unit (10) is further configured to enable communication between the virtual replica (Rl) of the concentrator and the virtual replica of the at least one component (C) for collecting network data and / or any additional application program asynchronously via NATS, Neural Automatic Transport System, messages.

17. The apparatus (1) for control and monitoring according to any of claims 1 to 16, wherein at least one of, or all of, said virtual replica is acontainerized type of application, preferably based on a Snap or Docker software package.

18. The apparatus (1) for control and monitoring according to any of claims 1 to 17, wherein said control unit (10) is further configured to receive, via said first connection means (11) , second code data, and to execute at least one of said virtual replica (Rl, R2 ) by means of the second code data.

19. The apparatus (1) for control and monitoring according to any of claims 1 to 18, further comprising: second connection means (12) for connecting said apparatus (1) for control and monitoring to at least one first commutation part (20) of the electric substation (2) , said at least one first commutation part (20) being connected to said medium voltage electrical network (MV) and configured to switch from a first position enabling a flow of medium voltage electrical energy between the medium voltage electrical network (MV) and the electric substation (2) , to a second position interrupting the flow of medium voltage electrical energy, and third connection means (13) for connecting said apparatus (1) for control and monitoring to at least one second commutation part (21) of the electric substation (2) , said at least one second commutation part (21) being connected to said low voltage electrical network (LV) , and configured to switch from a first position enabling a flow of low voltageelectrical energy between the low voltage electrical network (LV) and the electric substation (2) , to a second position interrupting the flow of low voltage electrical energy.

20. Method (5) for control and monitoring of an electric substation (2) by an apparatus (1) for control and monitoring according to any of claims 1-19, wherein said method (5) comprises the following steps:- generate (50) , by said control unit (10) , a virtual replica (Rl) of a concentrator, wherein said concentrator is configured to obtain consumption data from each electric energy meter (4) ,- generate (51) , by said control unit (10) , a virtual replica (R2) of at least one component (C) , wherein said at least one component (C) is for collecting network data associated with said low voltage electrical network (LV) and / or said medium voltage electrical network (MV) , acquire (52) , by said acquisition means (15) , information from at least one peripheral unit (P) ,- share (53) , by said data bus (100) , said information and / or said consumption data and / or said network data in said data bus (100) , to enable an exchange of said information and / or said consumption data and / or said network data between each virtual replica (Rl, R2 ) and said at least one peripheral unit (P) , so as to optimize the efficiency of said medium voltage electrical network (MV) and / or low voltage electrical network (LV) .

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