Low Voltage Transformation Site Communications with Distributed Security in an Evolving Smart-Grid Network

Summary description

The customer is an electricity distribution system operator that deploys a new smart-grid network, including smart-meters and distributed grid automation.

Emerging electricity smart grid solutions optimize the electricity network by adding distributed mini-generators, enhancing the distributed automation of the grid and dynamically adjusting the power consumption of the consumers. The resulting smart grid introduces additional elements into the distributed medium/low voltage transformation sites such as smart meter concentrators, grid automation monitoring and control devices. As a result, they evolve into intelligent secondary sub-stations with online communication with the control center.

The RADiFlow 3080 industrial Ethernet switch available from RAD Data Communications is deployed at every secondary sub-station to connect local devices to the aggregation network via an external PLC and/or WiMAX modems with RSTP topology for redundancy. In addition, the switch provides a service-aware firewall for the IEC 104 protocol to secure the distributed automation arriving to the controllers at each site.

Main benefits

• Optimized networking solution for secondary sub-stations using the compact yet highly integrated functions in the ruggedized switch include Ethernet switching and IP routing, encrypted IPSec tunnels, a variety of interfaces, including Ethernet, copper and fiber, and an integrated cellular modem.
• Advanced security solution protecting distributed automation devices from malicious access by attackers who already have gained access to the internal network. This is achieved using the service-aware firewall integrated into the switch, which continuously analyzes the grid automation communication protocols that reach every secondary sub-station.

Detailed description

As the smart grid evolves, the secondary sub-stations of the distribution network now include, in addition to the traditional MV/LV transformers, smart-meter concentrators and grid automation monitoring and control functions.

• Such intelligent functionality requires online communications, which presents several challenges for the electricity distribution system operator:
• Fitness for harsh environmental conditions
• Support for various wireline and wireless backbone connections
• Securing sensitive information when using a public network
• Securing the critical distributed automation application
• Connecting legacy equipment to the IP-based network

The RADiflow 3080 is uniquely optimized to meet all of these requirements by providing:

• A ruggedized system compliant to IEC 61850-3/IEEE 1613 requirements
• Copper and fiber Ethernet ports and integrated 2G/3G cellular modem
• GRE over IPSec tunnels for use over the public backbone
• Application security using a distributed service-aware firewall for the specific industrial automation protocols used in the smart-grid network (i.e. IEC 104)
• Application convergence, using Ethernet and serial user ports, with an application gateway for serial-based devices to the Ethernet network (i.e. IEC 101 to IEC 104 gateway)