Mapping, Analysis and Simulation on the Use of Time-Sensitive Networking in Digital Substations

The energy transition is bringing new challenges into the electrical infrastructure in general, and in the substations in particular. Specifically, more devices are expected to be connected, increasing the demands on the network infrastructure. Time-Sensitive Networking is a promising solution to drive this transition, as it provides different real-time guarantees for critical applications, such as those executed in substations. Digital sub-stations rely on the IEC 61850 protocol to exchange information to perform the control of the grid devices. The integration of TSN into substation networks could improve the handling of this traffic and, consequently, the controllability of power grids. This paper investigates the use of TSN in an IEC 61850 process bus typically implemented in an substation. We use simulations over OMNeT++, as well as scheduling and analysis of TSN traffic to evaluate the impact on the jitter when compared to traditional solutions using IEC 61850 over non-real-time Ethernet.