KEMA Labs hosting the Interoperability Test of IEC 61850 Users Group 

From July 14th to July 22nd, KEMA Labs (CESI’s Testing, Inspection and Certification Division) hosts the IEC 61850 User Group and their Interoperability (IOP) Test in the CESI Auditorium, in Milan, Italy. 

​​​​​​​This important event aims to improve interoperability and reliability of protection and substation automation equipment using the IEC 61850 communication protocol . Several different companies (18 Manufacturers and 9 Witnessing companies) take part in the encounters, for a total of 80 participants hosted in our auditorium in Milan , in which a complete network of several equipment will be set up and tested . 

IOPs participants are looking for problems that occur during the integration of multi-vendor IEC 61850 systems and, thus, are focusing on “fails.” It is through detecting these types of issues during the ‘controlled chaos’ that is a UCAIug IEC 61850 IOP that the issues can identified and fixed.

Therefore, vendors can use the IOP to find problems that would normally not be stageable in a test lab or would be extremely difficult to diagnose if deployed to the field; witnesses (e.g. utilities and consultants) can help develop test procedures that reflect their concerns and observe and learn about IEC 61850. Moreover, problems with standards can be noted, identified, and suggested for changes.  

If you want to know more in depth about IOP Tests , read this interesting article written by Herbert Falk, Vice President of Testing for the UCA International User Group (UCAIug).