A Review of the Methods Used to Model Traffic Flow in a Substation Communication Network

A significant component in electrical power systems are substations, in which the substation communication network is essential. Due to the evolving nature of communication protocols, and the introduction of the IEC 61 850 standard, substation communication networks can provide fast and reliable information transmission. Such improvements in transmission allow for improved protection and control of the power system network. A well-designed substation communication network can be achieved with the use of appropriate modeling, and as a result, this paper aims the review the methods in which parts of, or the entire substation communication network can be modeled. Modeling methods aim to determine various parameters of a substation communication network design, which include the traffic load distribution, and various message delays under different network conditions that may be experienced. In order for modeling to be carried out, a general structure of a substation communication network must be defined, which is laid out by the IEC 61 850 standard. The findings of the review in this paper show that there are various methods in which a substation communication network can be modeled, which include analytical modeling, software-based modeling, hardware/experimental modeling, and time-series based modeling. However, each method enables for different parameters to be found, with some of the methods having drawbacks including a limited network model size, and inability to find certain necessary parameters. The methods reviewed in this paper can be used and expanded on to create useful and accurate models of a substation communication network.