A high-level framework for implementation and test of IEC 61850-based microgrid power management systems

A North American oil refinery recently improved on-site power system reliability by extensively modifying the inplant electric system. Simultaneously, the refinery upgraded protective relaying to support IEC 61850 GOOSE messaging. New load caused a generation deficit when islanded from the local utility. The project team implemented a power management system to preserve critical loads when the refinery microgrid is islanded from the utility. The power management controllers use IEC 61850 GOOSE messaging. The project team performed thorough hardware-in-the-loop testing using a Real Time Digital Simulator (RTDS) along with traditional protection test-set testing to validate system operation for designed transitions and anticipated equipment failure modes. In studying these projects, we have developed a framework, which this paper shares, for successfully implementing other, similar microgrid power management system projects.