IEC TR 61850-90-4-2020 PDF

Full title and description

IEC TR 61850-90-4:2020 — Communication networks and systems for power utility automation — Part 90-4: Network engineering guidelines. This Technical Report provides guidance for engineering local area networks to meet IEC 61850 substation automation requirements, covering topics such as topology, redundancy, clock synchronization, multicast of sampled values and GOOSE, and testing and configuration examples.

Abstract

IEC TR 61850-90-4:2020 (2nd edition) is intended for readers familiar with network communications and IEC 61850-based systems — notably substation protection and control equipment vendors, network equipment vendors and system integrators. The report focuses on engineering a substation LAN for IEC 61850, discussing pros and cons of topologies and redundancy schemes, high-precision clock distribution (process-bus and synchrophasors), reliable multicast transport for large sampled-value flows from merging units, SCL configuration examples and test procedures. The document explicitly excludes network security topics (refer to IEC 62351 / IEC 62443) and wide-area network technologies (covered in other 61850 TR parts).

General information

• Status: Published / Current (Technical Report, edition 2).
• Publication date: 25 May 2020.
• Publisher: International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).
• ICS / categories: 33.200 — Telecontrol. Telemetering.
• Edition / version: Edition 2.0 (2020). This second edition cancels and replaces IEC TR 61850-90-4:2013.
• Number of pages: approximately 358 pages (published pagination reported between ~358–362 pages by national bodies/distributors).

Scope

This Technical Report gives network engineering guidelines limited to IEC 61850-based substation automation LANs. It addresses deterministic transport of protection/control messages (GOOSE), high-volume sampled-value (SV) multicast from merging units, redundancy (seamless and fast-recovery schemes), high-precision time distribution (PTP/profile guidance), SCL configuration examples and testing recommendations. It is not a general tutorial on networking, does not cover network security (see IEC 62351 / IEC 62443) and does not fully cover wide-area network technologies (other 61850 TR parts address WAN and routable-IP scenarios). System integrators remain responsible for application-specific analyses.

Key topics and requirements

• Network topologies suitable for IEC 61850 substations (ring, star, hierarchical, bridged designs).
• Redundancy and availability: seamless-redundancy recommendations and failure-recovery strategies for protection-related traffic.
• Multicast transport for high-rate sampled values (SV) and GOOSE messaging requirements and behaviors.
• High-precision time distribution and synchronization (PTP/time profiles, clock models and distribution best practices).
• SCL (Substation Configuration Language) examples and configuration guidance tied to topology and timing requirements.
• Testing methodologies and test cases for verifying timing, multicast performance and failover behavior.
• Object models for bridges and clocks (UML autogeneration) and example SCL topology configurations introduced in the 2020 revision.
• Clear exclusions: network security and WAN-specific communication are outside this TR’s coverage (see related standards).

Typical use and users

Primary users are substation automation network engineers, system integrators, protection and control equipment vendors, network-equipment vendors and utilities planning or upgrading substations. The report is used during network architecture selection, SCL configuration, testing and commissioning of IEC 61850-based installations and when designing process-bus / sampled-value deployments.

Related standards

IEC TR 61850-90-4:2020 is part of the IEC 61850 family and should be used together with core IEC 61850 parts (modeling, services, SCL), IEC 62351 and IEC 62443 for security, and other 61850 TR parts addressing routable-IP and wider-area communications such as IEC TR 61850-90-1, -90-2, -90-5 and -90-12. Users commonly consult these documents in parallel when addressing end-to-end protection, control and wide-area interoperability.

Keywords

IEC 61850, TR 61850-90-4, network engineering, substation LAN, GOOSE, Sampled Values (SV), process bus, PTP (time synchronization), redundancy, SCL, multicast, protection messaging, system integrator.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: It is IEC TR 61850-90-4:2020 — a Technical Report providing network engineering guidelines for IEC 61850-based substation automation (edition 2, published 25 May 2020).

Q: What does it cover?

A: Engineering guidance for substation LANs used with IEC 61850: topologies, redundancy, multicast handling for SV and GOOSE, high-precision clock distribution, SCL examples and testing recommendations. It excludes network security and WAN-specific technologies.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Network and protection/control engineers, system integrators, equipment vendors and utilities deploying or upgrading IEC 61850 substations.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: The 2020 edition (edition 2.0) replaces the 2013 edition; it is the current technical-report edition published in May 2020 (stability date reported through 2026). Users should check IEC publications for any corrigenda or later revisions.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes — it is Part 90-4 within the IEC 61850 family (communication networks and systems for power utility automation). Related TRs in the 90-series (e.g., 90-1, 90-2, 90-5, 90-12) cover other networking scenarios and wide-area aspects.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: IEC 61850, network engineering, substation automation, GOOSE, sampled values (SV), process bus, PTP/time sync, redundancy, SCL, multicast.