IEEE PES ISGT ASIA 2012 1569539587

Risk Analysis and Research Based on IEEE 1588

in Smart High Voltage Substation
Bian Baoyin, Tang Xiaojun,Huang Xin
State Grid Electricity Power Research Institute SGEPRI Nanjing 210061 China
High-tech Industrial Development Zone, Road No. 19-1
bianbaoyin@gmail.com
Abstract:This paper describes the current Smart high

intelligent primary equipments and secondary equipments

voltage substation where Merging Units and other

will be greatly improved in digital substation based on

protection

time

IEC 61850, which share digital information and realize

synchronization, and analyzes the time synchronization

distributed protection and control functions via common

significant role in the Smart substation. With the expansion

Ethernet network. The majority of IEDs need collect

of the IEC 61850 standard in Smart substation automation

large amounts of multiple digital signals (such as the IEC

applying,

achieve

61850 9-1 packets need 12 channels of signal

sub-microsecond level of accuracy seems to be a promising

transmission capacity).The Merging Units (MUs) that

way to satisfy the synchronization requirements of Smart

acquire currents and voltages from CTs/PTs must be

substation. The authors provide brief introduction to the

synchronous in different interval to ensure data

time synchronization of Smart substation, then provide

consistency. For the other secondary devices, such as

details

time

longitudinal differential protection for transformers and

synchronization and describe the potential risks of the IEEE

bus differential protection, which work with remote data,

1588 time synchronization system implemented in the Smart

require much higher time synchronization accuracy in

high voltage substation, and finally make a thorough

order to prevent protection misoperation. Second, data

research of the improved methods that have successfully

recording and analysis devices, such as power system

applied in a 330kV Smart substation in the northwestern

Sequence Of Events (SOE) recording, fault recorder

province of China.

device and network data recorder, also need high

Key word: IEEE 1588, Smart Substation,Risk,Netwok

precision to facilitate future data query and analysis.

of

devices

the

require

IEEE

IEEE

1588

1588

high-precision

which

standard

can

for

precise

Time synchronization system has three main ways in

Anomaly

I. INTRODUCTION

the substation: (1) the use of Global Positioning System

With the rapid development of Chinese Smart Grid,

(GPS) synchronization that provides time information in

Smart high voltage substations using IEC 61850

all weather, anywhere on the Earth, where there is an

standards

traditional

unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites.

substations. After the first and second batch of

Currently, GPS is only applicable to the substation master

substations based on the IEC 61850 standard have been

clock as time source; (2) Encoding, such as IRIG-B that

built and put into operation in the State Grid Corporation,

originally developed by the Inter-Range Instrumentation

Smart substations begin large-scale promotion. Electronic

Group (IRIG), is suitable for the substation secondary

Potential Transformers (PTs), current transformers (CTs)

equipment except master clock. It has high accuracy in

and Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs) have been

the case of shorter line delay; (3) Network based time

widely used in the Smart substation. In Smart substation,

synchronization, including Network Time Protocol (NTP),

digital signal acquisition and transmission need time

Simple Network time Protocol (SNTP) and IEEE 1588, is

based on uniform time standard to ensure data accuracy,

mainly through the network to complete the accurate time

reliability, and validity. Time synchronization technology

setting. NTP and SNTP can not meet the accuracy

plays an important role in Smart substation. First,

requirements of the Smart substation relay protection

are

gradually

replacing

the

equipments because of their millisecond accuracy. IEEE

Management node. The Ordinary clock can be a master

1588 has similarity with NTP or SNTP because it

clock, or it can be a slave clock in time synchronization

provides time synchronization over Ethernet network.

system. Ordinary clock communicates with the network

However, IEEE 1588 is different from them in one

via two logical interfaces based on same physical port in

important aspect that allows for hardware assisted time

Precision Time Protocol (PTP) interaction. The Boundary

stamping. The ability of hardware for time-stamping in a

clock typically has multiple physical ports with each port

way like IRIG-B is what allows a high degree of precise

communicating with the network via two logical

time down to the nanosecond level. IEEE 1588 will play

interfaces: event and general. The port of a Boundary

an important role in the Smart substation. IEEE 1588 risk

clock and the port of an ordinary clock is alike with the

analysis is very essential because there are a lot of

following exceptions: The data sets and local clock of all

insecurity in the distributed network of Smart substation.

ports are common. End-to-end transparent clock can be

used as a repeater forwarding all messages, which is

II. IEEE1588 Synchronization Principle

similar to the function of switch. However, for the event

A. IEEE1588 Message Type

messages, the residence time repeater computes the

The protocol defines event and general PTP

residence time of event messages (the time the message

messages. Event message is a timed message in which an

passes through the transparent clock). These residence

accurate timestamp is generated at transmission and

times

receipt. General message does not require accurate

correctionField, of the PTP event message or the

timestamps. The set of event messages consists of Sync,

associated Follow-Up message (Follow_Up message or

Delay_Req, Pdelay_Req and Pdelay_Resp messages

Pdelay_Resp_Follow_Up

which are used to generate and communicate the timing

transparent clock differs from the End-to-end transparent

information

and

clock in the way it corrects and handles the PTP timing

boundary clocks using the delay request-response

messages. In all other factors, it is identical to end-to-end

mechanism. The set of general messages consists of

transparent clock.

Follow_Up,

needed

to

synchronize

Delay_Resp,

ordinary

are

accumulated

in

special

message).The

field,

the

Peer-to-peer

Pdelay_Resp_Follow_Up,

The Peer-to-peer transparent clock has an additional

Announce, Signaling and Management messages. The

block used to measure the link delay between a port and a

Pdelay_Req, Pdelay_Resp, and Pdelay_Resp_Follow_Up

similarly port on another clock sharing the link.

messages are used to compute the link delay between two

Management node has one or more physical ports linked

clock nodes implementing the peer delay mechanism.

to the network. It can serve as an human or programmatic

The link delay is used to regulate information in Sync

interface to PTP management messages or be combined

and Follow_Up messages in the IEEE 1588 system

with any of the clock types.

consisted of peer-to-peer transparent clocks. Ordinary

C.

IEEE 1588 time synchronization system

clocks and boundary clocks which implement the peer

IEEE 1588 time synchronization system mainly

delay mechanism can be synchronized using the time

includes delay request-response mechanism and peer

information in the Sync and Follow_Up messages and the

delay

measured link delays. The Announce message is used to

mechanism uses the messages Sync, Follow_Up,

set up the synchronization hierarchy. The Management

Delay_Req and Delay_Resp as shown in the diagram of

message is used to update and query the time information

Figure

sets maintained by clocks. The Signaling message is used

independently in each supported domain of the two

to communicate among clocks for other purposes.

clocks. First, the master sends the Sync message while

capturing the time timestamp TM 1 . If the slave receives

B. IEEE 1588 Device Type

mechanism.

2.

This

The

delay

mechanism

shall

request-response

be

executed

Ordinary clock, Boundary clock, end End-to-end

the Sync message, then it captures the Sync received

time TS1 . The master sends a Follow_Up message

transparent clock, Peer-to-peer transparent clock and

with TM 1 . The slave stores TS 2 , when it receives a

There are five types of IEEE 1588 devices including

Follow_Up message. Then, the slave sends the master a

Delay_Req message. The master captures the received
time TM 2 when it receives the Delay_Req message.

TS1
TM 1
TM 2

Then, the master sends a Delay_Resp message with TM 2

TS2

to slave.
..

TM 1

TS1

Figure.3.Peer delay link measurement

TS2

First, the slave generates a timestamp TS 1 , for a

TM 2

..

Pdelay_Req message. The master receives the

Pdelay_Req message at TM 1 and sends a Pdelay_Resp
message while capturing the time timestamp TM 2 . The
slave receives the Pdelay_Resp message from the master,
then it stores the Pdelay_Resp received time TS 2 .And the

Figure.2.Delay request-response path length

measurement

master sends a Pdelay_Resp_Follow_Up capturing the

correctionField with T T = TM 2 TM 1 , as soon as
possible after the transmission of the associated

Upon receipt of the Delay_Resp message by the

Pdelay_Resp message. The slave then uses these four

slave, the meanPathDelay TDelay and offsetFromMaster

timestamps to compute the pathDelay. The delay of

master-to-slave

TOffset shall be computed as:

can

be

rewritten

as:

TDelay _ master _ to _ slave = TM 1 TS 1 .And the delay of slave-to-

TDelay =

(TS 1 TM 1 ) + (TS 2 TM 2 )
2
,

TOffset =

(TS 1 TM 1 ) (TS 2 TM 2 )
2

master can be rewritten as: TDelay _ slave _ to _ master = TS 2 TM 2 .

Assumed the link is symmetrical, so:

TDelay _ slave _ to _ master = TDelay _ master _ to _ slave (1)

The peer delay mechanism measures the port-to-port

propagation time, i.e., the link delay, between two
communicating

ports

supporting

the

peer

TDelay =

delay

(TDelay _ master _ to _ slave + TDelay _ slave _ to _ master )

2

mechanism. The peer delay mechanism uses the

messages

Pdelay_Req,

Pdelay_Resp,

(2)

According to (1), (2) can be rewritten as:

and

Pdelay_Resp_Follow_Up, as shown in the diagram of

TDelay =

Figure 3.

TS 2 TS 1 T
2

III. RISK ANALYSIS AND RESEARCH

A. IEEE 1588 Synchronization in Smart Substation

The IEEE 1588 Transmits via Sampled Values (SV)
network or Generic Object Oriented Substation Event
(GOOSE) network in Smart Substation, and the network
model is shown in the Figure 4.

Figure.4.Architecture of Smart Substation Automation System

Figure 4 shows the architecture of Smart substation

Network storm mainly includes broadcast storm,

automation system. This figure shows the logical view of

multicast storm and unicast storm. The networking load

IEC 61850 network architecture. Station Network is

has a great influence on the stability of the networks in

physically separated from Process Network, and IEDs are

the Smart substation where all data transmit through

connected to both networks via independent network

same network within a bay. When the networking load

interfaces. The IEC 61850 Station Network interconnects

reaches the rate limit, normal data exchanges of the MU,

all bays with the Bay Control Level and carries control

protective devices and fault recorders will be seriously

information such as measurement, interlocking and

affected because of frame-loss. For the precise time

operations. The IEC 61850 Process Network connects the

synchronization system the IEEE 1588 sharing the

IEDs e.g. MU, within a bay which carries real-time

network with GOOSE or SV is through request-response

information from the protective devices. Process Network

mechanism to establish the master-slave hierarchy, and

provides the digital links to the primary equipments. It

the loss of key messages will result slave clocks, such as

makes the maintenance of IED panels safer and easier in

IEDs,loss the precise time source and rely upon

control room to get signals from the primary equipments.

themselves to time keeping. But for the high cost of

crystal oscillator, IEDs do not support the time keeping

B. Risk Analysis in Smart Substation

except master clock and MUs in the Smart substation.

This paper combines with State Grid pilot project

The Figure 5 shows the time accuracy of a MU in the SV

applying the IEEE 1588 as precise time synchronization

network within broadcast storm. The MU can not work

system in a Shanxi 330kV Smart substation, and

properly and its own time will result larger jitters for his

discusses the potential risks existed in the time

poor time keeping (4 microseconds in 10 minutes).

synchronization system where IEEE 1588 sharing a

Besides, the IEDs may cannot work, even hang or restart,

common set of Ethernet switches with other IEDs in the

if the physical ports unfilter the storm. It will cause a

same physical network, mainly focuses on the network

great risk to the system of Smart substation.

storm, network anomalies influence and security.

C. Network Storm

Figure.5. Time Accuracy of an MU within Broadcast Storm

D. Network Anomaly

Master

Slave

Network anomaly refers to the occurrence of an

unstable state in the network. Network anomalies
discussed in this paper mainly include frame-loss,

Sync

TM 1

Sync

frame-duplicated, frame-reordered and so on.

Frame-loss occurs when one or more frames of data

Follow_up

traveling across network fail to reach their destination.

TM 2

TS1'
TS1
TS2

Delay_Req

For the IEEE 1588 synchronization system, frame-loss

Delay_Resp

includes Sync, Follow_Up, Pdelay_Req and Pdelay_Resp

..

messages loss. In the field test, we tested frame-loss of

the above messages in which Sync messages loss had a
worse effect on the synchronization system.
Sync

messages

loss

mainly

affects

Figure.6. Diagram of Synchronization Messages

the

with Sync Messages Lost

synchronization performance of slave clock, such as the

IEDs getting time from master clock as slave clock,
which does not receive the Sync message and receives

The value of Offset is an implementation-specific

the Follow_Up message with the same. As Figure 5

representation of the current value of the time difference

shown, we have simulated this situation by network tester.

between a master and a slave as computed by the slave.

In this situation, if slave clock that does not make a

And the value of Delay is the current value of the mean

judgment on the Field<sequenceId>, sends a Delay_Req

propagation time between a master and slave clock as

message, the master clock will respond by a Delay_Resp

computed by the slave As Figure 6 shown, if the Sync

message to the slave clock.

message is lost in TM 1 , slave computes the Offset and

Delay as follows:

'
TOffset
=

(TS1' TM 1 ) (TS 2 TM 2 )
2

'
TDelay
=

(TS1' TM 1 ) + (TS 2 TM 2 )
2

of originTimestamp whose value is TS1 .

SyncInterval always specify 1 second between Sync

Master

messages in Smart substation system. TS 1 is the

TM 1

assumed current Sync message reception time if the Sync

'
S1

message is not lost, and T

and TS'1

Sync

TS1

Follow_up

is the last Sync message

reception time. The interval of TS1

Slave

TM 2
(1)
TM1

is:

TS2
Delay_Req

TS1(1)

Sync
Delay_Resp

TS1 - TS'1 =1s,so the actual deviation of calculated Offset is

'
up to: TOffset
= TOffset TO' ffset =1/2s.At this moment, the

time of IEDs as slave will have a jitter of 1/2 seconds,

Figure.7. Diagram of Synchronization Messages

more than the tolerance limit of the substation system,

with Sync Messages Duplicated

what will bring great influence on the security and

stability to the Smart substation system in which

However, the Delay and Offset are no longer the

secondary equipments lost the consistency of time.

actual values of the synchronization system. The

Frame-duplicated occurs when same frames of data

deviation between current Offset and the actual value

traveling across network reach their destination received

is

at different time. The IEEE 1588 messages from master

or slave may arrive in destination through different paths.

(1)
(1)
TOffset
= TOffset TOffset
= (TS1 TS1(1) ) / 2

.The

time

generated by slave will have a (TS1 TS1(1) ) / 2 offset to

In a PTP system, each message sent only once. But in the

field test, we can control the frame-duplicate at different

the masters. And the closer of distance between time

frequency. During the test, our focus is mainly on the

duplicated Sync message received and the time

SYNC message frame-duplicated. The slave will receive

Delay_Resp message received, the larger of deviation.

Frame-reordered occurs when arrival sequences of

same Sync message at different time which used to

frames traveling across network reach their destination

update the value of the originTimestamp field ( TS1 ) of

are changed. In a PTP system, messages exchange of PTP

slave. As Figure 7 shown, when the duplicated Sync

timing information is orderly. When frame-reordered

message is received before the Delay_Resp message in

happens, the Offset computed by slave with the above

an entire exchange, the value of Offset and Delay shall be

four timestamps will be incorrect. Although messages

computed by the slave as follows:

may reorder in different ways, this paper just discusses

(1)
Offset

(1)
Delay

the reordered sequence of Sync and Follow_Up message.

(T (1) TM 1 ) (TS 2 TM 2 )
= S1
2

First, the Sync message arrived after Follow_Up message

and before the Delay_Resp message received by slave.
The slave processes the four time stamps just as the upper

(T (1) TM 1 ) + (TS 2 TM 2 )
= S1
2

frame-duplicated. Second, the Sync message arrived after

the Delay_Resp message received by slave. The slave
processes the four time stamps just as the upper

(1)
where TM1
is the time of the original Sync message

frame-loss.
E. Analysis

sent from master, TS1(1) is the time of the duplicated Sync

For

the

risk

of

Smart

substation

time

synchronization system, testing methods must meet the

message received by slave, and TS1(1) replaces the value

actual application requirements. In the 330kV Smart

substation, IEEE 1588 getting the time source from

feasible solutions. The IEEE 1588 will have a more

GPS/BeiDou, uses the same Ethernet network with

extensive application in power system if we make fully

Sampled Values or GOOSE and involves in the PTP

risk analysis and design improvements.

exchange via switch set for Transparent Clock. Time

References

synchronization is very importance for Smart substation,

so the above risks this paper described, must be

[1]IEEE Std. 15882008 IEEE Standard for a Precision Clock

appropriately handled. Firstly, for the effect of network

Synchronization Protocol for Networked Measurement and Control

overload, the non-PTP messages transmitted through the

SystemsS, July. 2008.

network should be filtered or discarded in the ports

[2]Fred

Steinhauser,

Christian

Riesch.

IEEE

1588

for

Time

connected master clock, and slave clock, i.e. MU, should

Synchronization of Devices in the Electric Power Industry.

have the ability to restrict broadcast storm, multicast

June.2010.

storm and unicast storm. Secondary, for the effect of

[3]Jim McGhee, Maciej Goraj. Smart High Voltage Substation based on

network anomaly, the slave can determine the PTP

IEC 61850 Process Bus and IEEE 1588 Time Synchronization. Aug.

messages whether they should be discarded or accepted

2010.

on the basis of their sequenceId. Meanwhile, the slave

[4]J.C. Tournier, Xiao Yin. Improving Reliability of IEEE1588 in

should support a timeout mechanism, and the value of

Electric Substation Automation, ISPCS 2008,Sept. 2008.

timestamp should be reset at expiration to avoid the slave

[5]Chongning Na, Philipp Wolfrum.Optimal Estimation and Control of

unable to complete the exchange for a long time.

Clock Synchronization Following the Precision Time Protocol. Sep.

IV. Conclusion

2010.

The Smart Grids with the latest developments in

[6] G. Giorgi and C. Narduzzi, Performance analysis of Kalman filter

communications solutions is replacing the traditional and

based clock synchronization in IEEE 1588 networks, International

making reality the concept of Smart substation. Precise

IEEE Symposium on Precision Clock Synchronization for

time synchronization plays an important role in Smart

Measurement, Control and Communication, Sep.2009.

substation. But the application of IEEE 1588 in Smart

[7] Daniele Fontanelli, David Macii. Accurate Time Synchronization in

substation is not mature yet. It has a great significance for

PTP-based Industrial Networks with Long Linear Paths. Mar. 2010.

the risk research of application. This paper mainly

[8] M. Lixia, C. Muscas, and S. Sulis, Application of IEEE 1588 to the

focuses on the network storm, network anomalies

measurement of synchrophasors in electric power systems, ISPCS,

influence and security of IEEE 1588, and proposes the

Oct. 2009