Power Pant Distributed Control System (new!!)

Overview

Industrial control systems are an integral part of critical infrastructures of power utilities. Distributed Control Systems (DCS) offer an extensive choice of possibilities to effectively support the implementation of complex control systems. The capabilities of networking these systems provide unprecedented opportunities to improve productivity, reduce impacts on the environment, and help provide energy independence. To improve the operations of infrastructures, it is essential that control systems use the latest networking technologies that ensure the continued reliability.

To enhance the Distributed Control Systems in power substation plants, a system integrating company has chosen to implement Korenix JetNet rackmount and Din rail switches with the MSR redundancy technology within the network infrastructure for highly reliable and real-time data transmission.

At the field level the JetNet 5010G switches are used to connect to IEDs and various measuring devices, such as IO sensors, thermometers, humidity controlling equipment …. through their 100Base-TX ports. Using the gigabit SFP interfaces they connect together and form rings to uplink the collected high-bandwidth data to IEC 61850-3 certified JetNet 5628G series managed switches located in site levels. The distance is extended over optical fiber by installing the SFP transceivers in giga combo ports. The Rapid Super Ring technology of the switches ensures the reliable data transmission where recovery time is less than 5ms. This redundancy of Korenix switches provides the necessary level of availability for loop control of the power plant processes.

In the station level, users benefit from the MultiRing technology of the JetNet 5628G modular switches to connect different stations together into another reliable ring, from where the data is uplinked to the remote substation control centers through extended gigabit fiber ports.

The enhanced management and security of both switch series ensure the high performance of data transmission inside the networks: specifically the VLAN and Private VLAN guarantee the isolation of traffic and enhance data security, the QoS provides data prioritization, and IGMP snooping helps transmit data to where it is required. As the switches also offer LLDP and JetView Pro software, users can automatically perform device discovery, topology visualization and thus easily and efficiently monitor networks.

The switches are chosen to be used in the project also for the industrial-grade designs. With ruggedized IP31 enclosures and -25~70^oC operating temperature the JetNet 5010G can resist severities in power field sites, while in station levels, the IEC61850-3 certified JetNet 5628G guarantees reliable operation by its fanless design and -40~85^oC wide operating temperature.

Combining the exclusive MSR ring redundancy into their intelligent design, the switches become perfect solutions for high performance and highly reliable DCS network construction in power plants.