From September 12 to 20, 2024, the 7th International UCA IEC61850 IOP Interoperability Test Conference was held in Birmingham, USA. The conference brought together over 100 participants from more than 30 enterprises worldwide, including power utilities, equipment manufacturers, and testing institutions. KETOP participated in the testing as an invited third-party testing institution for the seventh time. 

2024 IEC6180 IOP Group Photo

With the widespread adoption and continuous evolution of the IEC 61850 standard, the scope of the standard system is constantly expanding, and interoperability issues may still arise at different system levels within substations. This interoperability test gathered client, server, merging unit, network connection device, clock synchronization device, switch, and test set equipment from manufacturers including Meinberg, Siemens, Omicron, GE, SEL, Cisco, ATOP, RTDS, and NR Electric, and conducted interoperability testing on a constructed digital substation communication network with voltage levels of 220kV/14.4kV. The test items included PTP time testing in redundant networks, functional testing, and security authentication testing.

IEC 61850 Interoperability Testing Site

After ten days of interoperability testing, a total of 119 interoperability issues were identified. Some issues had their solutions clarified on-site by the testing committee, while those without a unified resolution were submitted to the IEC working group meetings for discussion.

As a UCA-certified Class A authorized laboratory, KETOP participated in the entire testing process, recorded interoperability issues, and submitted meeting ISSUEs. KETOP also engaged in discussions with attending experts on the implementation details and future development trends of the IEC 61850 standard, as well as the technical direction of the PTP time synchronization protocol. The company proposed a new method to enhance PTP clock accuracy using differential GPS, which gained recognition from experts in the relevant field.

UCA IEC61850 IOP Certificate

As an independent third-party testing institution, KETOP consistently adheres to the service tenet of "Speed, Smile, and Helping Clients Succeed," continuously enhancing its technical capabilities and service levels, and contributes to the development of the IEC 61850 standard and the global standardization of power systems.