Distribution Automation Laboratory Assignments for Students in Tampere University of Technology

Distribution automation is a fundamental part of distribution network operation. In Finland, the goal is to increase the number of automated functions in a distribution network, because of the constantly tightening requirements for decreasing the duration of outages. For students, who study power engineering, it is beneficial to understand the possibilities of distribution automation. In Tampere University of Technology, the course Distribution Automation ensures the understanding of the fundamentals of distribution automation and network operation for students. The course includes lecture subjects, written exercises and laboratory assignments. The main objective of this thesis is to improve and update laboratory environments of distribution automation for the course Distribution Automation. The laboratory environments should help students understand distribution network protection, the role of DMS and SCADA system, and smart metering. This thesis examines previous laboratory implementations on the course and distribution automation in general. The laboratory environments and students’ feedback from previous laboratory implementations are presented in this thesis. The chapter on distribution automation displays information about distribution network protection, SCADA and DMS systems, AMI system and protocols. The distribution network protection section presents basic needs and regulations for distribution network protection. SCADA and DMS section introduces functionalities of these systems whereas smart metering section describes AMI system naming and structure. Protocols and standards section describes IEC 104, IEC 61850, OPC, DLMS/COSEM, object oriented information models and OSI model communication structures. As a result of this thesis, implementations from two different laboratory environments are introduced. The first laboratory implementation includes distribution network protection and IEDs. The second laboratory implementation includes a smart meter, DMS and SCADA systems, and remote communication between the control center, the substation and the smart meter