Electricity and Control March 2024

TRANSFORMERS, SUBSTATIONS + CABLES

ate issue in substation environments. As more IoT devices are installed in utility distribution systems, a single virtual Orion on a server could be used to collect and manage data from thousands of sources. When all these devices must be hardwired, it can take several racks of Orions to collect all the data. A similar scenario could drive the use of the Orion be yond the substation environment and into any enterprise where thousands of devices are collecting data. With cloud computing and virtualisation changing the contours of many industries, momentum continues to build behind virtualising more of the work of a substation. The blueprint for tomorrow’s power system substation has yet to be fully written, but we will likely see more virtual environ ments emerge through the collective expertise of industry stakeholders. □

Digital substations deliver gains in safety, reliability, and productivity for grid operators, reducing overall substa tion costs. In this field, Hitachi Energy is advancing its pioneering digital substation technology with the new SAM600 3.0, a process interface unit (PIU), to help transmission utilities accelerate the adoption of digital substations. The new one-box, modular SAM600 consolidates three units in a single device, enabling it to be config ured as a merging unit, a switchgear control unit, or a combination of both, supporting different installation approaches. With only one device to engineer, wire up, test, and commission, customers gain improved device flexibility and simplified maintenance as well as lowering the carbon footprint of their operations. As a merging unit, SAM600 advances the upgrade of conventional substations to digital substations. The unit bridges the gap by converting analogue signals and dig itally distributing current and voltage information through out the substation and to the control centre. With digital substations, utilities and power system operators benefit from higher safety, lower capital costs, smaller footprints, and greater overall sustainability, reliability, and Substation virtualisation will result in significantly reduced hardware needs, with tasks being carried out on cloud servers instead. The virtual Orion system is currently in beta test at a util ity in Arizona with the full release planned for early 2024. Looking ahead “We are still in the early days of the deployment of the vir tual digital substations,” says Anderson. “There are some early adopters, but I anticipate that we are at least five years away from broad-based market adoption.” However, there is an opportunity to solve a more immedi Supporting the move to digital substations TRANSFORMERS, SUBSTATIONS + CABLES : PRODUCTS + SERVICES

NovaTech Automation, headquartered in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, is represented in South Africa by ACTOM.

For more information on the vPAC Alliance visit: www.vpacalliance.com. For more information on NovaTech Automation visit: www.novatechautomation.com

wiring to the control building substantially by providing an IEC 61850 digital interface to operate and monitor the equipment. “As the complexity and dynamics of power genera tion, transmission, and distribution continue to grow, mod ern digital substations provide the control and efficiency needed to address these challenges. The new SAM600 helps operators extend the life of their existing assets, delivering much-needed investment protection and new levels of system performance,” said Claus Vetter, Head of Automation and Communication at Hitachi Energy. “The compact and advanced product design meets our customers’ need for a solution that functions reliably in harsh environments, and its modularity facilitates on site service and repairs, which minimises downtime and related expenses,” said Vetter. New features of the SAM600 3.0 include: - State-of-the-art redundant communication archi tectures and the latest industry standards, includ ing IEC 61850 Ed 2.1 and IEC 61869 - Two compact form factors for installation in indoor and outdoor panels - Modular hardware architecture to adapt to different application needs - Direct breaker tripping with trip coil supervision and a high-accuracy analogue input system

The new, modular SAM600 PIU consolidates three units in a single device, to serve as a merging unit, a switchgear control unit, or a combination of both.

productivity. As a switchgear control unit, the device directly interfaces with circuit breakers, disconnectors, and earthing switches in the field. This helps to reduce

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22 Electricity + Control MARCH 2024