Exploring

Distribution
Network
Automation
Automation of the electricity distribution grid provides substantial economic benefits for
utilities and society. Effective fault location and network restoration can in most cases be
converted to an algorithm, enabling the optimisation of network reliability and providing
resilience to network faults.

T
he techniques for achieving distribution network automation Logically, the intent is to maintain uptime of power availability for the
are varied, and whilst the merits of automation can be lauded critical load. Therefore, Recloser 1, the main supply, stays closed. In
as “network modernisation”, carefully considered automation this state, recloser 2 will be normally open (NO), and will see voltage
can create genuine returns for utilities. In the electricity distribution on both sides of the open circuit breaker. If supply 1 fails, Recloser 1
context, Distribution System Automation (DSA) can be summarised can detect this condition and open. Recloser 2 also notes the loss of
as the automation of reclosing (of circuit breakers) and switching supply and commences a countdown timer before closing in Supply
(of load break switches or isolators), with the goal of restoring 2. To prevent back-feeding into Supply 1, the only criteria necessary
power to the largest number of customers in the smallest, safest is for the opening recloser to be faster than the closing one. In this
time interval. This article covers the many Distribution Network case, Recloser 1 should trip on undervoltage before Recloser 2 closes
Automation techniques available to Power Systems engineers. The to restore power. NOJA Power’s OSM Reclosers can be configured
cases explored are: to re-arm their voltage restoration closing function if they opened
1. Simple Automation due to loss of supply, such as the Recloser 1 case mentioned above.
2. Auto Change Over (ACO) with Peer to Peer (P2P) Communications
3. Distributed Automation Benefits:
4. Centralised Automation Primary benefits of this system are simplicity and cost – there are no
5. IEC 61850 for Automation. communications systems necessary to implement the automation,
and only two reclosers to control the switching. The term “Critical
SIMPLE AUTOMATION Load” is also quite broad, not only could the load be a single building
The most elementary case is of an Auto-Changeover Scheme such as a hospital, but this method has been applied for supply to
without peer to peer communications, which is where we begin entire suburbs or towns, where two supply feeders at either ends
to explore the techniques and evaluate their costs, benefits and of the town work in tandem by sensing the voltage presence and
limitations of the simple Auto Changeover Scheme achieved with switching supply on the failure of the main supply.
Reclosers and no communications necessary. This case uses voltage
sensing on both the Supply and Load side of the Autorecloser. Drawbacks
The core issue is if there is a fault between the circuit breakers and the
load, the restoration system will cause an additional close onto the
fault, and hence a reenergisation of the fault site. This is a common
theme for automation schemes that do not have communications,
but if this additional single reclose is tolerable for the scenario then
the simple automation system can be highly effective in improving
network reliability.
Another possible challenge is the training of operations
personnel to understand that opening one circuit breaker,
particularly for line work, can cause another breaker to close
and energise the circuit. In our experience, this is handled well
through signage and interlocks at the controller site. Another
option is to have centralised communications to both devices,
Figure 1 A simple ACO Scheme allowing remote operators to disable the automation before work

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commences, but this adds complexity and cost, prompting the a topology with two incomers and one outgoing feeder. This unit
next evolution of distribution network automation: the inclusion can be used to achieve the above scheme in a single product.
of P2P communications for an ACO scheme.
Drawbacks
AUTO CHANGE OVER WITH PEER TO PEER The key drawback of this implementation is the addition of
COMMUNICATIONS communications. In areas where the geographic distance between
Now whilst the basic automation system described above is the the two reclosers becomes large and if communications are
cheapest, most simple system for implementing an automation unreliable, the scheme becomes less effective. However, it remains
scheme, it does have one major drawback: if the fault is in the the most popular simple automation scheme used in the electricity
critical load, without communications the devices will execute at distribution network worldwide.
least one extra close onto the fault.
The primary reason being that the Normally Open (NO) recloser DISTRIBUTED AUTOMATION - AUTOMATING RING
has limited scope to detect if there was a downstream fault while it NETWORKS WITHOUT COMMUNICATIONS
was open, as the fault current is not flowing through the NO recloser. Our first example demonstrating Smart Grid Automation without
It will then close onto the fault to attempt supply restoration, before communications is a concept that can be applied to the broader
tripping on protection itself. grid, with some forethought of the scenarios of network switching
that are likely to occur. When considering the design of reliable
Solving the Close-Onto-Fault Scenario: distribution networks, the “Ring” type network topology is
Simply, to stop closing onto faults, the reclosers need to be able to commonly used.
inform each other of fault passage, blocking the automation when a
downstream fault occurs. This Peer to Peer communications scheme
is so common in Recloser applications, that NOJA Power’s OSM
Recloser system has a dedicated ACO function designed to achieve
this as standard.

Figure 3 Ring Type Network Topology

The ring type network allows for effective switching isolation of

a faulted feeder, with the tie point, in this case Recloser 3, being
closed up to the faulted location. For illustration, let’s say the fault
occurs between Recloser 1 and 2, a manually re-switched network
Figure 2 ACO with a P2P Communications Link
isolating the fault and restoring the supply would be thus:

To implement this scheme, a communications link is created

directly between the two Reclosers. For an OSM Recloser system,
this can be a copper Serial connection with RS232 or RS485, or
an IP based communications scheme using WiFi, 4G/3G, Ethernet
or Fibre Optic Communications. This communications link allows
the reclosers to report when they tripped due to loss of supply vs
when they tripped due to a downstream fault, allowing the system
to proceed for restoration but disable when a downstream fault is
detected. This solves the key drawback of the communications’
free topology.
When communications between the devices are commissioned,
further benefits can be unlocked, such as resolving the operational
issues of managing an automation scheme. Field teams can visit a Figure 4 Fault Isolated State
single recloser and read the state of the other unit in the automation
pair, allowing for safer operation and field-based disabling of the
automation at a single site when works are required. In a manual process, the operator would first note that Recloser 1
has opened due to a permanent fault. The brute force method then
Benefits: is to close the tie point recloser, Recloser 3. Provided protection is
By adding communications between devices, we solve the key appropriately graded for directionality, Recloser 2 would then be the
drawback of a communications-free automation setup, with the closest unit to the fault, tripping faster than the upstream devices
added benefit of controlling the entire automation scheme at and effectively isolating the faulted section of the line.
one location. The communications infrastructure required for this When closing onto faults provides a low risk, the brute force
development can be relatively minor, particularly if the two reclosers method discussed above is the most-simple method to automate.
are in close geographic proximity to each other. It is functionally similar to the Auto-Changeover scheme without
The application is also common for underground networks, with communications, allowing for improved reliability of supply without
NOJA Powers Auto Changeover GMK product providing a single pad communications, but at the cost of one extra close-onto-fault in
mount kiosk with two reclosers and controllers inside, connected in each restoration. In the event of a loss of supply from one of the

www.powertrans.com.au TRANSMISSION & DISTRIBUTION 2

 SOURCE FEEDER TIE
RECLOSERS RECLOSERS RECLOSER

Reclosers R1 and R5 R2 and R4 R3

Scenario 1: Recloser No Action Detect Loss

Loss of Supply closest to the of Voltage on
substation must one side of the
detect loss of open breaker,
supply, and execute an
automatically automatic close
open to stop to re-energise
a backfeed the network.
energisation Should be
when the tie slower to close
point closes than the Isolate
Operation from
R1 or R5

Scenario 2: IF the fault is Trip based Detect Loss

Fault in a between the on Grading. of Voltage on
zone Source and the Possible one side of the
Recloser, open Grading open breaker,
as per scenario Margin issues execute an
1, otherwise after close automatic
trip based on (explored close to
grading in our next re-energise
edition, the network.
Automation Should be
IV) slower to
close than
the Isolate
Operation
from R1 or R5

Table 1 Implementation Overview:

substations, no extra close onto fault occurs, and the automation

scheme provides better reliability.
Using the same principle of voltage detection on either side of the
recloser, we can apply this logic to the reclosers in a ring scheme to
detect and isolate faults rapidly. The only cost in this scenario is that
fault conditions will cause one extra close onto fault. Figure 5 Ring Type Network Topology, post Isolation with R1 as the
Whilst this may seem like a significant drawback, network primary protective device, R3 as the automatic close, and R2 acting as
standards permit a maximum of 4 reclose operations in a single the second protection device to isolate the fault.
protection sequence, and with the automation closes having a
“one shot to lockout” policy, you can limit the protection operation protective recloses from the normal feed method and one close from
sequence to a maximum of 3 reclosers and remain standards the automation method and remain compliant.
compliant, provided that it is not a contravention of local energy However, this distributed automation configuration within a ring
distribution rules. mode does provide unique protection challenges. With a ring mode
In contexts where communications infrastructure is not configuration, there is a real possibility that power flow direction
sufficiently reliable for automation or an additional close onto fault may change depending on switching configuration. Consider the
is permittable, then distribution automation without comms can be case that Supply 1 failed:
a highly effective practice. Whilst this network practice does bring
an additional close onto a fault, the economic and reliability gains
are exceptional without dependence on communications, making
this a highly popular implementation of the Smart Grid.

DEALING WITH PROTECTION GRADING

When we explored the quintessential Ring Mode network design
configuration and the automation of switching to isolate faults
without the use of communications between the devices, this method
of distributed automation relies on sensing voltage presence on either
side of the circuit breaker, in this case a Recloser, to determine whether
to close to restore power. Of course, this leads to at least one more
reclose onto a fault, but this is mandatory for any communications- Figure 6 Supply One failure, Recloser 1 opens to prevent back
free automation scheme. Provided that local electricity policy permits feeding the substation, Tie point Recloser 3 closes to restore power up
the full four reclose operations stated in the standards, we can use 3 to Recloser 1

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In this case, Recloser 2 now has reverse power flow to standard Whilst 250ms is conservative by modern recloser standards (150ms
operation. Therefore, the use of directional protection becomes grading is comfortably reliable with modern equipment), it does
essential to provide grading. Under normal system configuration, limit the number of protective devices that can be switched in.
Recloser 2 is the furthest from the substation, closest to the tie Unless the devices switched in are Sectionalisers.
point. If supply 2 fails, it becomes the 2nd closest to the substation, If we consider the case of figure 3, but let’s assume a more
with 3 other downstream devices. In the case above, it becomes the conservative grading margin of 300ms with a 1 second substation
furthest recloser from the substation – each case requiring its own breaker time, we can only fit 3 protective reclosers in before the
protection grading. substation would trip. Under system normal, this would be easily
A quick reminder, Protection grading is the coordinated handled, but adding the two extra reclosers during an automation
configuration of tripping responses so that protection devices operation (R3 and R2), a race condition will be created if a fault
coordinate with each other to ensure the minimum zones are occurs between R1 and R2.
impacted by faults. In this case, we have three protection scenarios But if R2 is configured to operate as a sectionaliser in the reverse
we need to account for in our grading. We’ll use Recloser 2’s settings current flow direction, its response becomes determinate and it can
as our reference, although this simple situation analysis should be be graded with the rest of the system. R2 then acts as a normal
applied to all devices in the scheme for confirming settings. recloser in the System Normal and Supply 2 Failure cases, but under
the Supply 1 Failure case it will allow fault passage and open in the
dead time of the upstream breaker. By having the Recloser act as a
SCENARIO DIAGNOSIS CONSIDERATIONS sectionaliser in the reverse power flow condition, we can be assured
that the risk of mal-grades are mitigated.
Smart Grid Automation achieved using distributed logic based
System Normal Fastest tripping Can be automatically
on voltage presence is a highly reliable, cost effective method of
device, furthest switched to take
from the substation on the load implementing the smart grid. Without needing communications,
up to Recloser it is possible to effectively re-switch the network to isolate faults,
5. Therefore, and in this article we explored some of the technical considerations
Overcurrent and required for designing protection settings for these automatic
ratings need to allow switching networks. By using a scenario method, evaluating the
for load, and graded
up to R5
required protection settings becomes generally straightforward,
with a few constraints based on the amount of load that could
plausibly be added. These are generally considered when ring mode
Supply 2 Fails 2nd device in chain Need to grade with networks are designed originally, however it is worth revisiting the
R3, R4 and R5,
protection settings when developing an automation scheme.

Supply 1 Fails Last device in Need to grade in CENTRALISED AUTOMATION

chain, power flow reverse overcurrent Thus far, we have explored various use cases of Reclosers being
reversed with R5 the slowest
and R2 the fastest
deployed to automatically reconfigure the network to isolate faults
and restore supply. Fundamentally, the usage of voltage sensing
on either side of the interrupting device affords great capability in
Table 2 Protection Scenario planning for Recloser 2 network automation, as the presence/absence of voltage on a circuit
breaker can be used as an automation logic input. Cases which
Handling the system normal condition is equivalent to standard use only voltage sensing for automation schemes are considered
protection design, except that consideration must be given to the communications-free, as no dedicated information sharing is
additional load current taken on when the rest of the ring is added required between devices. These implementations are simple,
if supply 2 fails. This puts a limit on how low the overcurrent setting robust and cost effective, but require an additional close-onto-fault
can be configured at R2 (and its counterpart R4 when supply 1 fails). operation. The simple method to resolve the close-onto-fault case is
Therefore, from the perspective of Recloser 2, System Normal to introduce communications between devices, providing a data link
and Supply 2 fails require the same protection configuration, at between the reclosers to prevent this close-onto-fault behaviour.At
the cost of some sensitivity to overcurrent. In the case of Supply 1 a higher level however, this form of Smart Grid implementation can
failing, Recloser 2 needs to have direction overcurrent configured, be categorised as “Distributed Automation” – that is, automatic
where it acts faster than R3, R4 and R5. This can be accomplished re-switching of the network where the logic for the automation is
as standard with a NOJA Power OSM Recloser system, configuring controlled and implemented throughout the grid at the recloser/
the directional overcurrent to grade appropriately in this scenario. Intelligent Electronic Device (IED) level.
All cases explored thus far fall into the “Distributed Automation”
example. Distributed Automation is generally faster and more
reliable than other automation methods, as the decision making

Figure 7 S upply 1 failure simplified. Yellow current flow zones

indicate current flowing opposite to System Normal

HANDLING INSUFFICIENT GRADING MARGINS

Configuring the protection for these automation cases is generally
straightforward, provided that there is sufficient grading margin. In
the case that the substation breaker is set to trip at 1 second of
max fault current, grading margins of 250ms between coordinated Figure 8 S implified Network Diagram of a Centralised Automation
devices would allow for a maximum of 4 reclosers along the line. Scheme

www.powertrans.com.au TRANSMISSION & DISTRIBUTION 4

is executed closer to the fault sites and there is a limitation in distribution of messaging between IEDs. Distributed automation
communications propagation delays and calculation delays. It is achieved at the IED asset site requires an extra close-onto-fault
also the most cost-effective method of distribution automation, but when communications are not present, but this can be resolved at
it can become operationally challenging to manage and control, high speed with using GOOSE messaging.
requiring a substantial training overhead to ensure that network
operators are familiar with the schemes.
The counter-case to this decentralised model is the “Centralised
Automation” scheme, where a network central automation
server retrieves network parameters from field devices and makes
automatic re-switching decisions based on its programming logic.
Centralised automation can be implemented as a plug-in
extension to a utilities existing SCADA infrastructure. A SCADA
Master Station or Server (depending on your protocol) already has
access to all information necessary to automate switching decisions.
Centralised automation is essentially the automation of the activities
of a utility control room. Centralised automation necessitates the
implementation of reliable communications to the field devices, Figure 10 R
 ing Mode Network with High Speed Communications
as any effective SCADA controlled electricity distribution system Infrastructure for transporting GOOSE Messaging
requires. Implementing Centralised Automation becomes the natural
smart grid implementation method for a utility with a centralised
SCADA control room, as it brings the advantages of remote control If the centralised system is redesigned as high-speed communications
of the schemes and the simplification of automation control itself. LAN, IEC61850 GOOSE messaging can be used to publish trip
Reclosers remain the backbone of such an automation scheme, as and block commands to other connected devices based on the
they provide the fault interruption capacity in the field and the data performance. For instance, if Recloser 2 were to see a downstream
processing capability of network system parameters that can be fed fault condition, it could trip and issue a GOOSE message asking
back to the centralised SCADA system or automation controller. Recloser 3 to block the automation condition.
Switching commands are then returned from the automation A further improvement would be if Recloser 1 trips on a fault
controller to the field reclosers, as the automation system acts as between Recloser 1 and Recloser 2, it could issue a GOOSE
the smart grid orchestral conductor to the field instruments. message to trip Recloser 2 prior to the close operation of Recloser
Centralised Automation offers benefits in operations management 3, providing fault isolation prior to supply restoration, minimising
and simplicity of implementation at the cost of slightly slower fault reenergisation impacts and providing optimum network re-
automation response times, provided that there is a pre-existing switching to restore supply.
communications network and centralised SCADA control system in
place. For utilities that have not reached this level of SCADA who CONCLUSION
are committed to the centralised automation path, Centralised This overview of Smart Grid network topologies implemented with
Automation should remain a goal with centralised SCADA control distribution switchgear aims to provide a springboard for preliminary
as the first goal to achieve. research into the deployment of a Smart Grid automation system
The best network performance is reserved for utilities who for the electricity distribution grid. Beginning at simple automation
implement a hybrid of these two automation paradigms. By using the sensing of voltage, we have solved the drawbacks of this
using Distributed Automation for Auto-Changeover Schemes system through the addition of communications, then exploring
with a centralised control system, utilities capture the speed and the centralised model of automation before returning to a hybrid
reliability of distributed automation with the management simplicity system. The final hybrid system shows inter-device automation
and control of centralised automation. This is the most common using IEC 61850 GOOSE messaging, with a central server remaining
implementation in advanced utilities, combining the benefits and the grid scale automation engine. T D
mitigating the risks of both methods by using them simultaneously.

USING IEC 61850 IN AUTOMATION For further information, contact NOJA Power or visit
Whilst IEC 61850 is traditionally considered confined to larger www.nojapower.com.au
substations, IEC61850 Generic Object Oriented Substation Event
(GOOSE) Messaging has niche applications in achieving DSA when
applied to distributed pole mounted switchgear.

Figure 9 S implified Network Diagram of a Centralised Automation

Scheme

We explored the performance of centralised automation,

information had to be routed to a server for decision making.
IEC 61850 GOOSE Messaging however is optimised for rapid

5 TRANSMISSION & DISTRIBUTION DECEMBER-JANUARY 2020