by Catherine Dalton, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)
PES Power System Relaying and Control (PSRC) Committee is responsible for the development of standards, guides and reports covering different aspects of protection and control of electric power systems.
We hope that all is well for our IEEE families as we continue to work through these currently challenging times. This environment has forced many of us to GROW in ways we would have never imagined and more quickly than we would have ever imagined. Growth is a choice, since a lot of it occurs when you are uncomfortable.
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Due to the current state of the universe, the IEEE PES Power System Relay Committee (PSRC)meeting scheduled in May 2020 was cancelled, and the September meeting will be a virtual meeting.
In the meantime, the subcommittees have been busily at work. These subcommittees: Advisory, System Protection, Line Protection, Relaying Communications, Relaying Practices, Rotating Machinery Protection, and Substation Protection subcommittees, have been in regular contact and able to provide updates of subcommittee activity.
Updates from each subcommittee are described herein. The Advisory committee continues to strengthen PSRC awareness by preparing technical articles as may be required for the promotion of technical committee working group activities about the art of relaying, and the work of the PSRC.
Awards and Recognition: Once we can all reconvene in person, the PSRC will be starting a new format for its Monday evening welcome reception and dinner, by including an awards ceremony. All future May and September PSRC meetings will feature this awards ceremony, but not January JTCM meetings. Please take this into consideration when making travel plans for future PSRC meetings. Please don’t miss any opportunities to help recognize or be recognized for the work that our Committee and fellow PSRC members do throughout the year.
PSRC Technical Subcommittee Updates:
Each PSRC technical subcommittee has numerous working groups that are working on new and existing standards and guides.
- The System Protection (C) subcommittee reports that the WG C24 report on Modifications to Fault Study Programs for Wind Turbine Generators has been published on the IEEE PES Resource Center (TR-78). This report also feeds into the Standard P2030.12 “Guide for the Design of Microgrid Protection Systems” under development.
WG C28 is working through the comment resolution after the initial ballot of C37.242, IEEE Guide for Synchronization, Calibration, Testing and Installation of PMUs. This guide is intended to be used by power system protection professionals for PMU installation and covers the requirements for synchronization of field devices and connection to other devices including PDCs. The document provides guidance for synchronization, calibration, testing, and installation of phasor measurement units (PMUs) applied in power system protection and control. The following are addressed in this guide:
a) Considerations for the installation of PMU devices based on application requirements and typical bus configurations
b) Techniques focusing on the overall accuracy and availability of the time synchronization system
c) Test and calibration procedures for PMUs for laboratory and field applications
d) Communications testing for connecting PMUs to other devices including Phasor Data Concentrators PDCs)
The WG C32 report on Protection Practices for Interconnecting Solar or Other Inverter Based Generation to Utility
Transmission Systems has been approved and after some final editing, will be published on the IEEE PES Resource Center (TR-81).
WG C36 is finalizing their IEEE Transaction Paper based on the C2 report: Role of Protection Relaying in the Smart Grid.
Some working groups are continuing their work through web meetings.
The Line Protection (D) Subcommittee update for recent activities is as follows:
Several working groups have met remotely and discussed business electronically over the last three months to continue their work on guides.
Working Group D39 met remotely to continue revising IEEE C37.104 – Guide for Automatic Reclosing on AC Distribution and Transmission Lines.
Working Group D28 met remotely to resolve the comments from the recirculation ballot for IEEE PC37.230 – Guide for Protective Relay Applications to Distribution Lines.
Both Working Group D42 and Working Group 44 met remotely and conducted business electronically to finalize the scope and purposes of their guides so PARs can be created.
Working Group D42will revise IEEE C37.113-2015 – Guide for Protective Relay Applications to Transmission Lines.
Working Group D44 will revise IEEE C37.114 – Guide for Determining Fault Location on AC Transmission and Distribution Lines.
- The Relaying Communications and Control Subcommittee (H) currently has 16 active Working Groups (WGs): 8 are producing IEEE PSRC Standards, 8 are generating IEEE PES Reports.
WG H6 has reached its final approval stage for the report on IEC 61850 Application Testing. This group has been active for over 20 years and made significant contributions to adoption of IEC 61850 technology by the power industry.
WG H32 completed TR-76 Report on Channel Performance Considerations for Ethernet circuits applied to teleprotection. TR-76 Report was published on IEEE PSRC and IEEE PES websites.
WG H22 plans to ballot IEEE PC37.249 Guide for Categorizing Security Needs for protection related data files in October 2020.
Revision process for IEEE C37.239 COMFEDE standard was started in HTF51, group’s first meeting is planned for September 2020.
The first WG H49 meeting on a Report/Tutorial on Application Considerations for use of packet-switched communications for teleprotection is planned for September 2020.
- The Relaying Practices Subcommittee (I) has continued its work since the January 2020 meeting. Due to the cancellation of the in-person May 2020 PSRC meeting, the I-Subcommittee held an on-line meeting on May 28, 2020, to receive reports from its Working Groups.
Five Working Groups (I31, I36, I37, I40, and I41) are coordinating and harmonizing the IEEE C37.90.x family of Standards for Relays, Relay Systems, and Control Devices used for Protection and Control of Electric Power Apparatus with the IEEE 1613 Standard for Environmental and Testing Requirements for Devices with Communications Functions Used with Electric Power Apparatus and with related IEC standards. The I4 WG on International Standards provided input and comment to the IEC TC95 for standards currently under development, including 60255-1, -26, and -27.
Working Groups I29, I30, and I38 also continued their work on revision of standards and guides for application of current transformers (IEEE C37.110), Rogowski Coils (IEEE C37.235), and other Low-Energy Analog sensors (IEEE C37.92). WG I43 also met to continue its work on a Report to Investigate Response to USA Executive Order on EMP Protection.
The I Working Groups have been meeting on-line to continue their work despite travel restrictions due to COVID-19 and are planning their upcoming meetings in conjunction with the on-line PSRC meetings in September.
Task Force groups have been formed to investigate the need for a Report on Skills Required of Technicians to Install, Commission, and Maintain Protective Relay Systems Utilizing IEC 61850 Technology (ITF 44) and to Investigate the need for a Report on Grounding and Bonding Issues Associated with Protective Relays, Instrumentation, and Related Systems (ITF 45). Contributors to these efforts will be eagerly welcomed!
- The Rotating Machinery Protection Subcommittee (J) has progressed on the revision of three guides; J16 PC37.101, Guide for Generator Ground Protection, J17 PC37.102 Guide for AC Generator Protection, and J19 PC37.106 Guide for Abnormal Frequency Protection for Power Generating Units.
Two working groups: J14 -Plant protection issues related to Black Starting and J12 – Improved generator ground fault protection have completed subcommittee balloting. These reports will be available in the near future.
J13 – Modeling of Controls for Coordinating Generator Relays has completed WG balloting and will begin subcommittee ballots soon.
J15 – Investigation of the Criteria for the Transfer of Motor Buses is in the process of completing its report and working group balloting is expected to begin soon.
The J SC has a working group tasked with the investigation of the effect sub-synchronous oscillations due to inverter-based resources (IBR) on rotating machinery protection and control (J18). There was a presentation in the last meeting on recent SSO events in North America, China, and the UK.
Work is progressing well on each of the newest working groups J20 -Practices for Generator Synchronizing Systems and J21-Motor Protection Tutorial.
Finally, the J SC plans to create two new task forces. JTF1-Investigate the need for a Generator Condition Monitoring WG and JTF2 – Investigate the need for a Disturbance Recording WG. Work on these will commence in September.
- The Substation Protection (K) Subcommittee update is as follows: Though there were no face-to-face meetings in May, the PSRC Substation Protection (K) Subcommittee has pressed forward with its work. All of the working groups that would have needed to meet in person in May, instead held online meetings to accomplish their work.
The K11 WG completed their work earlier this year, and their PES-TR75 technical report entitled “Methods for
Detecting and Analyzing an Open Phase Condition of a Power Circuit to a Nuclear Plant Station Service or Startup Transformer” is available in the IEEE PES Resource Center.
Another K working group, K27, formed this year and will work on revising IEEE Std C37.95, IEEE Guide for Protective Relaying of Utility-Consumer Interconnections.
Working groups, task forces and subcommittees plan to meet again virtually in September 2020. The PSRC continues to recruit additional participants to offer their expertise and knowledge in the areas of power system relaying.
Please visit our website at http://sites.ieee.org/pes-psrc /
for an update of ongoing activities. Future meetings:
September 21-24 –Virtual; January 10 – 14, 2021 – New Orleans, LA, USA
Biography:
Catherine Dalton is a Strategic AccountExecutive at EPRI. Shehas broad experiencein the electric utilityindustry. She is aSenior Member ofthe IEEE, and anactive participantin IEEE PES PSRC.She has a master’sdegree in electricalengineering (OhioState University,) and a MBA from the University of Dayton. Previously she workedfor American ElectricPower, Basler Electric,SEL and BeckwithElectric.
