Substation IED Configuration via Digital Twin Sequence Prediction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current substation automation systems face challenges in validating Intelligent Electronic Device (IED) configurations, leading to errors and inconsistencies, particularly when expanding or changing functionalities over time, due to offline engineering not matching the real hardware, and invalid configurations not being evident until faults occur.
Innovation Solution
A method utilizing a cloud-based digital twin of IEDs for engineering configurations, employing a sequence prediction machine learning algorithm to generate and verify automated or guided configurations, ensuring compatibility with the physical IED's model and firmware version, and allowing for step-wise recommendation of configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If offline engineering tools are used to configure IEDs, then configuration can be performed before hardware arrival, but the engineered configurations may not match the real hardware leading to errors and inconsistencies
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing configuration engineering before hardware arrival using offline tools, but enhances it by validating configurations against a digital twin that mirrors the actual hardware specifications. This allows configuration work to start early while ensuring accuracy through pre-validation against the virtual model that represents the real device's firmware version and hardware characteristics.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a digital twin (virtual model) that is a copy of the actual IED hardware and firmware. This virtual copy is used to validate configurations before deployment to the real device. The digital twin replicates the hardware's behavior and specifications, allowing engineers to test and verify configurations in a virtual environment that accurately reflects the physical device, thereby preventing mismatches between engineered and actual hardware.
2Adaptability or versatility
If IED functionality is expanded or changed over time, then the IED can adapt to new requirements, but engineering additional functionality requires re-configuring the IED which may introduce new errors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback by continuously validating IED configurations against the digital twin whenever functionality is expanded or modified. The system provides feedback on configuration validity by comparing the engineered configurations with the virtual model's expected behavior and specifications. This feedback mechanism detects invalid configurations or sub-configurations early, before they cause faults during operation, allowing corrections to be made while the IED is still being configured.
Solution Approach 2:
When functionality needs to be expanded or changed, the patent applies preliminary action by validating the new configurations against the digital twin before deploying them to the actual IED. This pre-validation ensures that any additional functionality is properly integrated and does not introduce errors, maintaining configuration validity even as the IED's capabilities evolve over time.
3Ease of manufacture
If configurations are validated only after deployment, then implementation is simple, but invalid configurations are not evident until after a fault or warning during operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs configuration validation as a preliminary action before deploying configurations to the actual IED. The digital twin validates configurations by comparing them against the virtual model's specifications, firmware version requirements, and expected behavior. This preliminary validation catches invalid configurations, syntax errors, or logical inconsistencies before they are deployed, preventing operational faults and warnings that would otherwise occur during device operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary anti-action by using the digital twin to preemptively identify and prevent configuration errors before they can cause harmful effects. The validation process actively searches for and flags invalid configurations, incorrect parameter settings, or incompatible firmware versions before deployment. This preliminary counter-measure prevents the harmful effects of configuration errors from manifesting during IED operation, eliminating faults before they occur rather than reacting to them after deployment.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for configuring an intelligent electronic device (IED) from a plurality of IEDs connected in a communication network of a substation with a computing system includes a computing system communicatively connected in the communication network of the substation for transmitting a configuration of at least one application function to the IED for operating an electrical equipment in the substation. The method for configuring the IED comprises using a virtual model of the IED to generate the IED configurations through a simulation that involves a sequence prediction technique. The sequence prediction technique facilitates generating a sequence of functions arranged in an order and sequentially determining connections between at least one input and at least one output of the one or more functions that comprises the application function. The generated sequence of functions and sequence of connections constitute the IED configuration corresponding to a given application function.