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IEC 61850 Training Part 3 - Communications Webinar
Part 4

Testing in IEC 61850 Systems

From Design Simulation to Maintenance

Wednesday, November 5th, 2025 at 10 AM EST

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About This Session

Following the success of our previous sessions on IEC 61850 fundamentals, data modeling, and communication services, we invite you to join us for Part 4: “Testing in IEC 61850 Systems – From Design Simulation to Maintenance.”

This session explores how testing is performed throughout the lifecycle of an IEC 61850 system — starting with design verification using a simulation of the System Configuration Description (SCD) file, and continuing through unit, factory, commissioning, and maintenance testing.

Participants will learn how the same test scripts created during early simulation can be reused, refined, and migrated across each testing stage, reducing setup time and ensuring consistent validation results throughout the system’s lifecycle.

Testing plays a vital role in confirming that systems behave as designed and that protection and control schemes operate safely and reliably. This webinar demonstrates how IEC 61850 provides standardized mechanisms to support testing — including simulation flags, logical node behavior, and virtual isolation — supporting utilities and vendors with the validation of complex systems.

You’ll also see how Triangle MicroWorks testing tools, such as Distributed Test Manager (DTM) and IEC 61850 Test Suite Pro (TSP), can be applied to create, maintain, and execute test scripts that evolve from simulated environments to live systems.

What You'll Learn:

  • How IEC 61850 supports testing across the full system lifecycle and enables test script reuse:
    • Simulate SCD File Design – Begin by validating the system design through simulation of the SCD file, creating baseline test scripts that validate both the exchange of signals and the GOOSE messages used to configure these signal exchanges.
    • Unit Testing – Reuse and refine these scripts to validate each IED’s configuration early in a project, checking both logic and IEC 61850 communication configuration.
    • Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) – Simulating missing IEDs and validating inter-bay communication using DTM and TSP.
    • Commissioning and Site Acceptance Testing (SAT) – During this stage, you can reuse the test scripts developed earlier to validate the final system. This ensures consistent results and streamlines the deployment process.
    • Maintenance Testing with Virtual Isolation – Continue using and updating these test scripts for maintenance purpose like routine testing or equipment replacement, using virtual isolation and simulation flags to test safely without physical disconnection.

    Additional topics include:

    • How simulation flags and the LGOS logical node provide visibility into simulated GOOSE streams.
    • How the Mode/Beh mechanism governs which data attributes are acted upon or ignored during testing.
    • Best practices for designing systems to be testable like:
      • Including .q attributes in GOOSE datasets.
      • Designating dedicated Report Control Blocks (RCBs) for test tools.
      • Include testing of virtual isolation in test plans for design and commissioning of the system.
  • Who Should Attend

    Protection and control engineers, system integrators, test engineers, and anyone responsible for validating IEC 61850-based systems — from simulation and lab development through commissioning and ongoing maintenance.


Companion Lab Exercise

As with previous sessions, attendees will receive access to an optional hands-on lab exercise designed to reinforce the material presented in the webinar. Using tools like Test Suite Pro and Distributed Test Manager, you'll simulate communication scenarios and validate IEC 61850 configurations.

Extended trial licenses will be provided for both tools, and participants are welcome to submit their completed exercises to receive a certificate of completion and 2 PDH hours.

Series Information

This is Part 4 of a multipart training series. If you'd like to receive updates on future modules, Join the Notification List 

If you missed the earlier sessions or would like to catch up, you can view Part 1,  Part 2,  and Part 3 on our IEC 61850 Training Series page. Both include companion exercises and live demo recordings.

Future Training Modules Include:

Bottom-Up vs Top-Down IEC 61850 Engineering Process

IEC 61850 Engineering Process including Application Modeling (BAPs)

Security in IEC 61850

Time Synchronization and Product Guidelines for Digital Substations

Don't Miss Out!

Join industry experts and peers for this comprehensive training on IEC 61850 communications.

Register Now - It's Free! 

 

Check out and view recordings of our previous webinars:

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