IEC TS 61850-2:2003

Communication networks and systems in substations - Part 2: Glossary

Contains the glossary of specific terms and definitions used in the context of Substation Automation Systems which are standardized in the various parts of the IEC 61850 series.
This publication is of core relevance for Smart Grid.

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 06-Aug-2003
• ICS: 33.200 - Telecontrol. Telemetering
• Technical Committee: TC 57 - Power systems management and associated information exchange
• Drafting Committee: WG 10 - TC 57/WG 10
• Current Stage: DELPUB - Deleted Publication
• Start Date: 30-Dec-2016
• Completion Date: 17-Apr-2019

Relations

• Revised: IEC TS 61850-2:2019 - Communication networks and systems for power utility automation - Part 2: Glossary
• Effective Date: 05-Sep-2023

Standards Content (Sample)

TECHNICAL IEC
SPECIFICATION
TS 61850-2
First edition
2003-08
Communication networks and systems
in substations –
Part 2:
Glossary
Reference number
IEC/TS 61850-2:2003(E)
Publication numbering
As from 1 January 1997 all IEC publications are issued with a designation in the

60000 series. For example, IEC 34-1 is now referred to as IEC 60034-1.

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amendments 1 and 2.
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TECHNICAL IEC
SPECIFICATION
TS 61850-2
First edition
2003-08
Communication networks and systems
in substations –
Part 2:
Glossary
 IEC 2003  Copyright - all rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without permission in writing from the publisher.
International Electrotechnical Commission, 3, rue de Varembé, PO Box 131, CH-1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland
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PRICE CODE
Commission Electrotechnique Internationale
X
International Electrotechnical Commission
Международная Электротехническая Комиссия
For price, see current catalogue

– 2 – TS 61850-2  IEC:2003(E)

CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 3

1 Scope . 5

2 Terms and definitions. 5

3 Abbreviations .28

Bibliography .40

TS 61850-2  IEC:2003(E) – 3 –

INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION

___________
COMMUNICATION NETWORKS AND SYSTEMS

IN SUBSTATIONS –
Part 2: Glossary
FOREWORD
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all national electrotechnical committees (IEC National Committees). The object of IEC is to promote
international co-operation on all questions concerning standardization in the electrical and electronic fields. To
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The main task of IEC technical committees is to prepare International Standards. In

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• the required support cannot be obtained for the publication of an International Standard,
despite repeated efforts, or
• the subject is still under technical development or where, for any other reason, there is the
future but no immediate possibility of an agreement on an International Standard.
Technical specifications are subject to review within three years of publication to decide
whether they can be transformed into International Standards.
IEC 61850-2, which is a technical specification, has been prepared by IEC technical committee
57: Power system control and associated communications.

– 4 – TS 61850-2  IEC:2003(E)

The text of this technical specification is based on the following documents:

Enquiry draft Report on voting

57/615/DTS 57/645/RVC
Full information on the voting for the approval of this technical specification can be found in the

report on voting indicated in the above table.

This publication has been drafted in accordance with the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.

IEC 61850 consists of the following parts, under the general title Communication networks and
systems in substations.
Part 1: Introduction and overview
Part 2: Glossary
Part 3: General requirements
Part 4: System and project management
Part 5: Communication requirements for functions and device models
Part 6: Configuration description language for communication in electrical substations

related to IEDs
Part 7-1: Basic communication structure for substation and feeder equipment – Principles and
models
Part 7-2: Basic communication structure for substation and feeder equipment – Abstract
communication service interface (ACSI)
Part 7-3: Basic communication structure for substation and feeder equipment – Common data
classes
Part 7-4: Basic communication structure for substation and feeder equipment – Compatible
logical node classes and data classes
Part 8-1: Specific communication service mapping (SCSM) – Mappings to MMS (ISO/IEC
9506-1 and ISO/IEC 9506-2) over ISO/IEC 8802-3
Part 9-1: Specific communication service mapping (SCSM) – Sampled values over serial
unidirectional multidrop point to point link
Part 9-2: Specific communication service mapping (SCSM) – Sampled values over
ISO/IEC 8802-3
Part 10: Conformance testing
The committee has decided that the contents of this publication will remain unchanged until
2005. At this date, the publication will be either
• reconfirmed;
• withdrawn;
• replaced by a revised edition, or
• amended.
___________
Under consideration.
TS 61850-2  IEC:2003(E) – 5 –

COMMUNICATION NETWORKS AND SYSTEMS

IN SUBSTATIONS -
Part 2: Glossary
1 Scope
This part of the IEC 61850 series applies to Substation Automation Systems (SAS). It defines
the communication between intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) in the substation and the
related system requirements.
This part of the IEC 61850 series contains the glossary of specific terminology and definitions
used in the context of Substation Automation Systems within the various parts of the standard.
2 Terms and definitions
The following terms and definitions apply to all parts of the IEC 61850 series .
2.1
abstract communication service interface
virtual interface to an IED providing abstract information modelling methods for logical devices,
logical nodes, data, and data attributes, and communication services for example connection,
variable access, unsolicited data transfer, device control and file transfer services, independent
of the actual communication stack and profiles used
[IEC 61850-1]
2.2
access point
communication access point to an IED. This may be a serial port, an Ethernet connection, or a
client or server address dependent on the stack being used. Each access point of an IED to a
communication bus is uniquely identified. Each server has only one, logical, access point
[IEC 61850-6]
2.3
application layer
layer 7 in the OSI reference model for Open Systems Interconnection comprising the interface
between the OSI environment and the IED’s or user’s application
[ISO/IEC 7498-1]
2.4
association
conveyance path established between a client and a server for the exchange of messages
[IEC 61850-7-1]
___________
References to other standards given below certain definitions indicate that the term is either described or used in
the cited standard. All references are listed in the bibliography.

– 6 – TS 61850-2  IEC:2003(E)

2.5
attribute
named element of data and of a specific type

[IEC 61850-8-1]
2.6
bay
a substation consists of closely connected sub parts with some common functionality.

Examples are the switchgear between an incoming or outgoing line, and the busbar, the bus
coupler with its circuit breaker and related isolators and earthing switches, the transformer with
its related switchgear between the two busbars representing the two voltage levels. The bay

concept may be applied to 1½ breaker and ring bus substation arrangements by grouping the
primary circuit breakers and associated equipment into a virtual bay. These bays comprise a
power system subset to be protected, for example a transformer or a line end, and the control
of its switchgear that has some common restrictions such as mutual interlocking or well-
defined operation sequences. The identification of such subparts is important for maintenance
purposes (what parts may be switched off at the same time with minimum impact on the rest of
the substation) or for extension plans (what has to be added if a new line is to be linked in).
These subparts are called ‘bays’ and may be managed by devices with the generic name ’bay
controller’ and have protection systems called ‘bay protection’.
The concept of a bay is not commonly used in North America. The bay level represents an
additional control level below the overall station level
[IEC 61850-1]
2.7
bay level functions
functions that use mainly the data of one bay and act mainly on the primary equipment of that
bay. Bay level functions communicate via logical interface 3 within the bay level and via the
logical interfaces 4 and 5 to the process level, i.e. with any kind of remote input/output or with
intelligent sensors and actuators
EXAMPLES Feeder or transformer, protection, control and interlocking.
[IEC 61850-5]
2.8
broadcast
message placed onto a communication network intended to be read and acted on, as
appropriate, by any IED. A broadcast message will typically contain the sender’s address and a
global recipient address
EXAMPLE Time synchronising.
[IEC 61850-7-2]
2.9
bus
communication system connection between IEDs with communication facilities
[IEC 61850-1]
2.10
class
description of a set of objects that share the same attributes, services, relationships and
semantics
[IEC 61850-7-1]
TS 61850-2  IEC:2003(E) – 7 –

2.11
client
entity that requests a service from a server, or which receives unsolicited data from a server

[IEC 61850-7-1]
2.12
communication connection
connection which utilises the communication mapping function of one or more resources for

the conveyance of information
[IEC 61850-10]
2.13
communication stack
multi-layer stack. In the 7 layer OSI reference model for Open Systems Interconnection, each
layer performs specific functions related to Open Systems Interconnection communication
[ISO/IEC 7498-1]
2.14
configuration (of a system or device)
step in system design for example selecting functional units, assigning their locations and
defining their inte
...