Communication gateway links electrical assets

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Oct 9, 2006

Embedded communication gateway for both industrial and electrical utility applications acts as a hub for connecting protection relays and terminals to an upper-level control system.

The new COM 610 from ABB is an embedded communication gateway designed for both industrial and electrical utility applications, where it acts as a hub for connecting protection relays and terminals to an upper-level control system.

The COM 610 features innovative industrial design and extended communication capabilities that make it ideal for use in harsh and demanding environments where the need for real-time information is crucial.

Electrical engineers face a particular challenge in providing plant managers and users with a truly integrated system that does not rely on specifying a single manufacturer for all equipment.

All manufacturers have promoted open communication protocols for many years, without being able to deliver a solution for smaller networks or existing installations.

For larger installations they are able to use DCS (distributed control system) hardware and technology derived from control and instrumentation applications.

This is an excellent solution for major installations but cost prohibitive on smaller or existing installations.

ABB's COM 610 family of devices provides a solution that allows devices with differing protocols to communicate in a truly redundant manner with control and monitoring systems.

The COM 610 communication gateway connects substations, protection relays and terminals to the network control centre reliably and cost-effectively.

Its communication architecture is based on proven protocol implementations, using OPC frameworks (that provide open connectivity via open standards) that guarantee the flexible and extensive use of information.

The COM 610 has no theoretical limits on the number of master/slave protocols lines or devices, providing fully flexible configuration.

It is delivered with pre-installed software, so all the installer needs to do is to connect it and download the cross connection configuration.

The COM 610 features a compact and robust design that makes it ideal for harsh environments.

Its enclosure offers protection to IP50 and it has no moving or other vulnerable parts, while its modular software architecture guarantees easy expandability and ease of use.

Information modelling within the COM 610 gateway is based on the IEC61850 standard that ensures open and flexible information management.

The intuitive COM 610 configuration tool utilises pre-defined data templates for easy drag and drop operation.

When the configuration is complete, it is downloaded to the gateway over a TCP/IP connection, and the COM 610 is ready to use.

The COM 610 communication gateway is open to any master system using de facto master protocols.

Furthermore, the COM 610 is fully compatible with ABB's MicroScada technology.

Shared configuration concepts allow the transfer of configuration data and knowhow, the COM 610 also supports parameter setting and disturbance file upload from MicroScada Pro network control systems - for the creation of complete automation solutions.

Monitoring of the COM 610 is made simple by using either the configuration tool or a standard web browser.

The Communication Engineering Tool (CET) is an efficient tool for creating the protocol mapping.

Based on the IEC618570-7 model, cross referencing between protocols is unified and simplified.

The drag and drop signal mapping enables mapping of complete structures from the source data.

All status information is easily accessible through a web server, which allows the gateway supervision to be integrated flexibly with any other system and reduces the need for additional protocol analysers.