IEC-61850is the main data transfer protocol in power substation automation systems (relay protection devices, power quality analyzers and other devices). Ethernet networks are used as the interface.

The protocol contains the following subprotocols:

MMS- transmission of current values ​​via the TCP / IP protocol.

GOOSE- Initiated transmission by the device of a broadcast message with messages.

File transfer- obtaining various files from the device (for example, oscillograms).

OPC server IEC61850 MasterOPC Server developed by InSAT is designed to work with any equipment that supports data exchange using the protocol described in the IEC-61850 standard. The server is implemented as a plugin for.

IEC61850 MasterOPC Server is licensed for the number of polled variables (I / O points) with the following gradations - 32, 500, 2500, unlimited. The 32-point version is distributed free of charge.

Benefits of the IEC61850 OPC Server

The main advantages of the OPC server are high performance, ease of installation and ease of use. It minimizes connection breaks and crashes. This ensures stable operation and uninterrupted collection of information. Most often, the program is purchased for the automation and dispatching of high-voltage substations.

Main characteristics of IEC61850 OPC server:

• support for OPC DA, OPC HDA, OPC UA standards;
• communication with devices via Ethernet;
• monitoring the values ​​of variables;
• remote access to the server via DCOM;
• simultaneous connection to several devices;
• work simultaneously with several clients;
• export and import of tags and devices;
• archiving of tags with transfer of archives via OPC HDA.

Main functions of IEC61850 OPC server:

Polling of the current values ​​in the "client-server" mode via the MMS protocol;

Receiving events from the device using the GOOSE protocol;

Support for embedded and dynamic datasets (REPORT) to speed up polling;

Formation of OPC quality attributes and labels based on the $ q and $ t attributes received from the device;

Reading files from the device, including reading waveforms. For processing oscillograms, MasterSCADA has developed a special free;

Support for redundancy of communication channels (up to 4 channels);

Built-in utility for importing tags from the device.

Supported operating systems:

• Windows 7;
• Windows Server 2008R2
• Windows 8, Windows 8.1;
• Windows Server 2012
• Windows 10.

Currently, it is a period of breakthrough in the development of digital technologies, along with this exception is not electrical equipment, the work of which manufacturers are constantly trying to improve. All new developments must comply with the ISO international quality standard, but, nevertheless, domestic manufacturers were interested in their own quality standard and such was created - this is IEC 61850, which characterizes the systems and networks of electrical substations.

Prehistory of the creation of the IEC 61850 standard

Computer technologies keep pace with electrical networks, on the reliability of which their further effective functionality depends. In 2003, the new domestic standard in question was presented as a necessity for modernity, although its expediency was discussed back in the distant sixties. The main essence of the standard is the use of special protocols, with the help of which it is possible to control electrical networks as such. It is due to their implementation that today it is possible to monitor the continuous operation of all power grids.

The implementation in practice of the IEC 61850 standard has led to the fact that the developers of computer equipment began to pay attention not only to its modernization, but also to contribute to the creation of systems that allow you to quickly and efficiently identify possible problems faced by the end user of computer equipment.

IEC 61850 test

The applied standardization protocol was tested in the eighties. Then its modifications were tested, such as IEC 61850-1, it turned out to be unsuccessful. In the domestic open spaces, the test was stopped, but in Western Europe this modification was taken as the basis for the creation of the UCA2 protocol, which gained very wide popularity in the nineties.

How does the domestic standard IEC 61850 work?

Let's talk a little about what IEC 61850 really is and how it works. People who are beginning to master a computer hardly know what it is.

The main essence of the standard is that a microprocessor chip is introduced into the operating substation, which causes the transmission of data on the operability of the entire system to a central point, called a terminal, which carries out the main control of the network. This is a high-speed connection. In other words, the chip is chained to the closest type of LAN.

The so-called DAS - information collection system works on the basis of 64-bit transmission, while using a certain data encryption algorithm. Over the course of testing, it was found that these operating conditions of the system are, in principle, also very vulnerable. This vulnerability is global in nature. A breakdown in one place incapacitates the entire line, as in the plots of interesting American thrillers. If the lights go out, then in the whole block at once.

Thanks to the IEC 61850 protocol, it is possible to control power grids through any external source, which will be discussed a little below. Well, now let's move on to the system requirements of the IEC 61850 protocol.

Domestic Power Grid Management Standard - Basic System Requirements

The protocol in question was widely used in telephone lines, that is, the signal was transmitted through them directly to the center. Today, developments have made great strides forward. Modern chip models transmit data regardless of providers, which provide a standard service for connecting to a particular communication line.

The chip built into the system operates on the basis of its own protocol, without being tied to the generally accepted TCP / IP standard. However, these are not all the features of the domestic network management standard.

So the standard itself is the data transfer protocol that the chip uses, while it has a secure connection. That is, it can seamlessly connect to the Internet, mobile communications and other types of data transmission. The specific method of data transmission used has become in demand today as never before.

In the settings of the data transfer protocol, the parameters of the secure parameters of proxy servers are used.

Scope of IEC 61850

Where is the created standard applicable in practice? Naturally, according to the requirements of GOST, it cannot be practically used in an ordinary transformer box. For this, at least, it would be necessary to ensure the presence of a BIOS input-output system and communication for data transmission.

But if you use a chip in the center of the control element of a common network, then you can get access to the functionality of absolutely all power plants that are included in the network. If you show this with an example, the best option is the fantastic film "The Earth's Core", in the storyline of which a hacker manages to disable all the power plants responsible for feeding the planet's core.

Many may ask about what the fiction has to do with it. However, it is precisely this fantastic functionality that the creators of the IEC 61850 standard were teasing about, although hardly anyone is talking about this directly. But the primitive mechanism of its operation shows just such a model of action. Thanks to the introduction of such virtualization, many earthly disasters that humanity had to face in modern times could have been avoided. Yes, at least to assess the scale of the disaster that occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. After all, it could have been avoided if the IEC 61850-1 standard, albeit a primitive one, was introduced into the system even then.

The consequences of the incident turned out to be much larger than anticipated. Today, few people already remember the tragedy, but it still continues to operate, because the decay period of plutonium and uranium does not occur for several decades.

But the application of the standard could have avoided a catastrophe if it had been introduced into the station's systems in time.

How real protocols are modeled and converted

All networks are wired. But the iron wires themselves do not transmit any signals. For this purpose, special repeaters are built into the system, which are capable of receiving information and decrypting it. It is on this principle that the IEC 61850 standard works.

Receiving a signal is the simplest thing to do. But in order to decipher it, it takes a lot of effort.

When using the IEC 61850 protocol in the network, systems such as P3A, SCADA, called visualization systems, are used to decode signals. They use wired means to read received signals, therefore the main protocols that determine their operation are MMS, GOOSE, which have nothing to do with mobile traffic.

First, MMS comes into play, after which it is the turn of GOOSE, which ultimately makes it possible to make the information displayed thanks to P3A.

Substation configurations - basic views

Substations operating with the protocol under consideration must have a minimum set of elements for signal transmission. And this is nothing more than the use of a physical device with logical units. That is, the device itself must concentrate information at the expense of a gateway or some kind of intermediary transmitting data. The so-called logical nodes for redistribution of information can belong to a certain class, these can be:

• automated control systems (A);
• measuring systems (M);
• telemetric control (C);
• settings or modules of general functionality (G);
• data archiving or communication means (I);
• system segments (L);
• sensors (S);
• transformer substations (T);
• communication block equipment (X);
• protection (P);
• network of protective elements (R) ...

With the implementation of the IEC 61850 protocol, fewer wires and cables are used when creating network lines, which is an acceptable advantage of using it. However, despite the possibility of decrypting the data and their timely transfer, in practice it is still possible not to read all the information even when using modern software applications. The developers of IEC 61850 believe that this is a temporary urgent task, the solution of which will be found soon.

Standard protocol software

Despite some imperfection in comparing the IEC standard with modern software applications, this does not give a reason not to use it effectively in operating systems of any kind, and even in a mobile one, mind you. Why is IEC used? Yes, because it makes it possible to spend much less time on processing incoming information than it did without it. We are talking about the simplest information of local networks with its subsequent decryption. Such systems are very widely applicable and their main drawback is their high cost, since they use P3A equipment, that is, they are considered so-called microprocessor systems.

Everything mentioned above is a solid theory of facts, how does everything actually work?

Testing IEC 61850 in practice

Let's take a closer look at the principle of operation of the IEC with a specific example, in order to eventually understand the meaning and necessity of its application.

Let's take as a basis a power substation with a three-phase power supply and several measuring inputs, for example, two. Let the standard logical node be called MMXU. In this case, we are dealing with MMXU1 and MMXU2.

Each of them can also include some additional prefix. The main elements that will be included in each of the nodes:

• counting operations performed (OpCnt);
• determination of location in the network - remote or local (Loc);
• network operator (Pos);
• enable blocking (BlkCls);
• disable blocking (BlkOpn);
• triggering of switching mode (CBOpCap).

So, we are dealing with a system of a modified version 7-3, the configuration of which has a number of features:

• the presence of one control point;
• functional limitations;
• extended definition of the endowed system parameters.

The logical process of information processing by the system - receiving and decoding it - includes such components as quality (q), time (t) and properties (stVal). As a result, an Ethernet-type connection comes out, which effectively uses the TCP, IP protocols with the interpretation of information in MMS, which ultimately makes it possible to read the information in the form of visualized data.

The IEC 61850 standard protocol is an abstract model for the processing and transmission of information as such. But it is he who is the basis of all information transfer processes occurring in the network. And this will allow electronic chips to see all devices of the created and existing networks, even those that are connected to the energy saving system.

The theory behind the creation of the protocol is that the mechanism used can be transformed into any type of electronic data, if we are talking about the MMS and ISO 9506 standards. Why then, in practice, we are talking about the new IEC standard? It turned out that it is the IEC that reduces the time required to transfer and decrypt any data. Whereas the usual methods are more labor-intensive and budget-intensive.

Data verification - answers to basic questions

The use of the IEC standard implies not only the reception and transmission of encrypted information. Electronic chips embedded in power grids allow the exchange of information data both at the substation level, and at the level of central control systems, and even with each other, if you use special additional equipment in the network.

For example, the chip reads data about the voltage sieve in a certain area. Based on the information received, other sections of the network either turn off the power or try to rectify the voltage, using special reserves for this. The success of this event still largely depends on the level of the power surge. If the standard is 220 Volts or 230 Volts by European standards, then the permissible limit of changes is either 15% or 5%, respectively. Now it becomes clear why imported equipment fails with insignificant voltage drops by our standards.

Naturally, the end consumer of electrical appliances does not have protection against such incidents, since a transformer box of Soviet times is operated in almost every yard, which has nothing to do with chips and cannot have anything.

Domestic power supply companies cannot widely apply the existing domestic protocol IEC 61850, although it already exists due to imperfect equipment of power transmission lines. Moreover, we are talking not just about the imperfection of equipment, but also about the possible bankruptcy of them when introducing a system that will cut most of the consumption of electrical products by the population. This is the whole disadvantage of the implementation and implementation of the standard in practice as such.

Let's summarize

In theory, the domestic standard protocol itself is simple, but in practice it is very complex. The problems lie not in the lack of the necessary perfect software, but in the fact that the entire energy system of the country today functions according to the principles of the Soviet era and is not at all adapted to any changes. If you have to change something in relation to the ubiquitous distribution of IEC, then you will have to change absolutely everything and everyone.

In addition to this, the low qualifications of those persons who serve all sections of the power supply are added, so it is still very early to talk about the widespread introduction of electronics. The mentality of our electricians is to fix problems as late as possible and with poor quality, ensuring a constant work process - today, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow ...

If in practice the IEC standard was applicable, then the cause of the breakdowns would be eliminated exactly at the place of breakdown, and all other areas remained viable. And this is how the entire neighborhood or city is turned off.

For the end user of the energy resource, IEC 61850 is an uninterrupted power supply. Can you imagine that this is possible in principle? At the same time, one could forget about voltage drops in the network forever. And this is the preservation of the operability of household and computer equipment, which are very sensitive to such unpredictable surprises of power grids. Then it would not be about the operation of uninterruptible power supplies, voltage stabilizers in principle.

Now people are faced not only with breakdowns of household appliances as a result of voltage surges, but also with the output of wiring throughout the house.

But while there is a theoretical and practical debate on the feasibility of expanding the horizons of the implementation of the domestic IEC 61850 protocol, no one is making any gestures in the direction of something to budge, and specifically to change the power supply system in the bud.

The IEC protocol itself is designed to efficiently search for areas of breakdowns and eliminate defects within them, without affecting other areas of power grids. The logical principle of the standard is quite clear, while the logic of why so little attention is paid to its implementation in life is also understandable.

At the moment, both the benefits of its use and the future losses associated with its implementation have been calculated. So far, this protocol is very disadvantageous to the standard foundations of energy enterprises. Only the end consumer of the energy resource benefits from its implementation.

With the development of digital technologies, manufacturers of electrical equipment did not stand aside either. Despite the presence of the international ISO classification, the European standard IEC 61850 was used in Russia, which is responsible for substation systems and networks.

A bit of history

The development of computer technology has not spared the power grid management system. The generally accepted IEC 61850 standard was originally introduced in 2003, although attempts to implement systems on this basis were carried out back in the 60s of the last century.

Its essence boils down to the use of special protocols for managing electrical networks. On their basis, the monitoring of the functioning of all networks of this type is now being carried out.

If earlier the main attention was paid exclusively to the modernization of computer systems that control the electric power industry, then with the introduction of rules, standards, protocols in the form of IEC 61850, the situation has changed. The main task of this GOST was to provide monitoring in order to timely identify malfunctions in the operation of the corresponding equipment.

IEC 61850 protocol and its analogues

The protocol itself began to be used most actively in the mid-1980s. Then, as the first tested versions, modifications of IEC 61850-1, IEC 60870-5 versions 101, 103 and 104, DNP3 and Modbus were used, which turned out to be completely untenable.

And it was the initial development that formed the basis for the modern UCA2 protocol, which was successfully applied in Western Europe in the mid-90s.

How it works

Dwelling on the issue of functioning, it is worth explaining what the IEC 61850 protocol is for “dummies” (people who only comprehend the basics of working and understanding the principles of communicating with computer technology).

The bottom line is that a microprocessor chip is installed at a substation or power plant, which allows transferring data on the state of the entire system directly to the central terminal that carries out the main control.

But, as practice shows, these systems are also quite vulnerable. Have you watched American films when in one of the episodes the power supply of an entire block is cut off? Here it is! Management of electrical networks based on the IEC 61850 protocol can be coordinated from any external source (it will be clear below why). For now, let's take a look at the basic system requirements.

Standard R IEC 61850: Requirements for communication systems

Whereas earlier it was understood that the signal should be transmitted using the telephone line, today the means of communication have made great strides forward. Built-in chips are capable of providing transmission at the level of 64 Mbit, being completely independent from providers providing standard connection services.

If we consider the IEC 61850 standard for “dummies”, the explanation looks quite simple: the power unit chip uses its own data transfer protocol, and not the generally accepted TCP / IP standard. But that's not all.

The standard itself is the IEC 61850 protocol for data transmission with a secure connection. In other words, the connection to the same Internet, wireless network, etc. is done in a very specific way. In the settings, as a rule, the parameters of proxy servers are used, since it is these (even virtual ones) that are the most secure.

General scope

It is clear that according to the requirements set by GOST IEC 61850, it will not be possible to install equipment of this type in an ordinary transformer box (there is simply no place for a computer chip).

Such a device will not work with all the desire. He needs at least an initial I / O system akin to BIOS, as well as an appropriate communication model for data transfer (wireless network, wired secure connection, etc.).

On the other hand, in the control center of the public or local power grid, you can get access to almost all functions of power plants. An example, albeit not the best, is the film "The Core", when a hacker prevents the death of our planet by destabilizing the energy source that feeds the "backup" version of promotion

But this is pure fantasy, rather even a virtual confirmation of the IEC 61850 requirements (although this is not directly stated). Nevertheless, even the most primitive IEC 61850 emulation looks like this. How many catastrophes could have been avoided?

The same 4th power unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, if it had installed diagnostic tools that meet the IEC 61850-1 standard, perhaps it would not have exploded. And since 1986, all that remains is to reap the benefits of what happened.

Radiation - it is such that it acts secretly. In the first days, months or years, they may not appear, not to mention the half-lives of uranium and plutonium, which few people pay attention to today. But the integration of the same into a power plant could significantly reduce the risk of being in this zone. By the way, the protocol itself allows transferring such data at the hardware and software level of the involved complex.

Modeling Technique and Conversion to Real Protocols

For the simplest understanding of how, for example, the IEC 61850-9-2 standard works, it is worth saying that no iron wire can determine the direction of the transmitted data. That is, you need an appropriate repeater capable of transmitting data about the state of the system, and in an encrypted form.

It turns out to be quite simple to receive a signal. But in order for it to be read and decrypted by the receiving device, you will have to sweat. In fact, in order to decode the incoming signal, for example, based on IEC 61850-2, at the initial level, you need to use visualization systems like SCADA and P3A.

But based on the fact that this system uses wired communication, GOOSE and MMS are considered the main protocols (not to be confused with mobile messages). This transformation of the IEC 61850-8 standard is performed by sequential use of MMS first, and then GOOSE, which ultimately makes it possible to achieve information display using P3A technologies.

Basic types of substation configuration

Any substation using this protocol must have at least a minimum set of means for data transmission. First, it concerns the physical device itself connected to the network. Secondly, each such unit must have one or more LUNs.

In this case, the device itself is capable of performing the function of a hub, gateway, or even a kind of intermediary for the transfer of information. The logical nodes themselves have a narrow focus and are divided into the following classes:

• "A" - automated control systems;
• "M" - measurement systems;
• "C" - telemetry control;
• "G" - modules of general functions and settings;
• "I" - means of establishing communication and applied methods of data archiving;
• "L" - logical modules and system nodes;
• "P" - protection;
• "R" - associated protective components;
• "S" - sensors;
• "T" - measuring transformers;
• "X" - block-contact switching equipment;
• "Y" - power type transformers;
• "Z" - everything else that is not included in the above categories.

It is believed that the IEC 61850-8-1 protocol, for example, is capable of providing less use of wires or cables, which, of course, only positively affects the ease of configuration of the equipment. But the main problem, as it turns out, is that not all administrators are able to process the received data, even with the appropriate software packages. Hopefully this is a temporary problem.

Application software

Nevertheless, even in a situation where the physical principles of operation of programs of this type are not understood, IEC 61850 emulation can be performed in any operating system (even in a mobile one).

It is believed that management personnel or integrators spend much less time processing data from substations. The architecture of such applications is intuitive, the interface is simple, and all processing consists only in the introduction of localized data with the subsequent automatic output of the result.

The disadvantages of such systems can be attributed only to the overestimated cost of P3A equipment (microprocessor systems). Hence the impossibility of its mass application.

Practical use

Prior to that, everything stated in relation to the IEC 61850 protocol concerned only theoretical information. How does it work in practice?

Let's say we have a power plant (substation) with a three-phase power supply and two measuring inputs. When defining a standard logical node, the name MMXU is used. For the IEC 61850 standard, there can be two of them: MMXU1 and MMXU2. Each such node may contain an additional prefix to simplify identification.

An example is a simulated XCBR node. It is identified with the use of some basic operators:

• Loc - determination of local or remote location;
• OpCnt - a technique for counting the performed (in progress) operations;
• Pos - the operator responsible for the location and similar to the Loc parameters;
• BlkOpn - switch blocking off command;
• BlkCls - enable blocking;
• CBOpCap - selection of the switch actuation mode.

This classification for the description of CDC data classes is mainly used in modification systems 7-3. However, even in this case, the configuration is based on the use of several features (FC - functional limitations, SPS - state of a single checkpoint, SV and ST - properties of substitution systems, DC and EX - description and extended definition of parameters).

Regarding the definition and description of the SPS class, the logical chain includes properties stVal, quality - q, and parameters of the current time - t.

Thus, data on Ethernet connection technologies and TCP / IP protocols are transformed directly into the MMS object variable, which is then identified with the assigned name, which leads to obtaining the true value of any currently used indicator.

In addition, the IEC 61850 protocol itself is only a generic and even abstract model. But on its basis, a description of the structure of any element of the power system is made, which allows microprocessor chips to accurately identify each device involved in this area, including those that use energy saving technologies.

In theory, the protocol format can be converted to any data type based on the MMS and ISO 9506 standards. But why, then, was the governing standard IEC 61850 chosen?

It is associated exclusively with the reliability of the received parameters and the easy process of work with the assignment of complex names or models of the service itself.

Such a process without using the MMS protocol turns out to be very laborious even when generating requests like "read-write-report". No, of course you can do this type of conversion even for the UCA architecture. But, as practice shows, it is the application of the IEC 61850 standard that makes it possible to do this without much effort and time-consuming.

Data verification issues

However, this system is not limited to transmission and reception only. In fact, embedded microprocessor systems allow data exchange not only at the substation and central control system level. They can, with the appropriate equipment, process data among themselves.

An example is simple: an electronic chip transmits data on the strength of the current or voltage in the responsible area. Accordingly, any other subsystem based on the voltage drop can activate or deactivate the additional power system. All this is based on the standard laws of physics and electrical engineering, however, it depends on the current. For example, our standard is 220 V. In Europe - 230 V.

If you look at the criteria for deviations, in the former USSR it is +/- 15%, while in developed European countries it is no more than 5%. It is not surprising that branded Western appliances simply fail only due to voltage surges in the power grid.

And probably needless to say that many of us observe in the courtyard a building in the form of a transformer box, built during the Soviet era. Do you think it is possible to install a computer chip there or connect special cables to obtain information about the status of the transformer? That's just it, that no!

New systems based on the IEC 61850 standard allow full control of all parameters, but the obvious impossibility of its widespread implementation repels the relevant services like Energosbytov in terms of using protocols of this level.

There is nothing surprising in this. Companies that distribute electricity to consumers may simply lose profits or even privileges in the market.

Instead of a total

In general, the protocol, on the one hand, is simple, and on the other, very complex. The problem is not even that there is currently no corresponding software, but that the entire system of control over the electric power industry, which we inherited from the USSR, is simply not prepared for this. And if we take into account the low qualifications of the service personnel, there can be no question that someone is able to control or eliminate problems in a timely manner. How is it with us? Problem? We de-energize the microdistrict. That's all.

But the application of this standard allows you to avoid such situations, not to mention any rolling blackouts.

Thus, it remains only to summarize. What is the end user benefit of using the IEC 61850 protocol? In the simplest sense, it is an uninterrupted power supply with no voltage drops in the network. Note that if an uninterruptible power supply or voltage stabilizer is not provided for a computer terminal or laptop, a drop or surge can provoke an instant system shutdown. Okay, if you need software recovery. And if the RAM sticks burn out or the hard drive fails, what to do then?

This, of course, is a separate subject for research, however, the standards themselves, now used in power plants with the appropriate "hardware" and software diagnostic tools, are able to control absolutely all parameters of networks, preventing situations with the appearance of critical failures that can lead not only to a breakdown of household appliances , but also to the failure of all home wiring (it is known to be designed for no more than 2 kW at a standard voltage of 220 V). Therefore, including at the same time a refrigerator, a washing machine or a boiler for heating water, think a hundred times how it is justified.

If these protocol versions are involved, the subsystem settings will be applied automatically. And to a greater extent this concerns the operation of the same 16-ampere fuses that residents of 9-storey buildings sometimes install on their own, bypassing the services responsible for this. But the cost of the issue, as it turns out, is much higher, because it allows you to bypass some of the restrictions associated with the above standard and its accompanying rules.

International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)

Work on international cooperation in the field of electrical engineering began in 1881, when the first International Congress on Electricity was convened. In 1904, at a meeting of government delegates to the International Electricity Congress in St. Louis (USA), a decision was made on the need to create a special body dealing with the standardization of terminology and parameters of electrical machines.

The formal creation of such a body - the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) - took place in 1906 in London at a conference of representatives of 13 countries.

The areas of activity of ISO and IEC are clearly demarcated - IEC is engaged in standardization in the field of electrical engineering, electronics, radio communications, instrumentation, ISO - in all other industries.

The official languages ​​of the IEC are English, French and Russian.

The objectives of the IEC, according to its Charter, is to promote international cooperation in solving standardization issues and related problems in the field of electrical engineering and radio electronics.

The main task of the commission is to develop international standards in this area.

The highest governing body of the IEC is the Council, in which all national committees of the countries are represented (Fig. 4.2). The elected officials are the President (elected for a three-year term), Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary General. The Council meets annually at its meetings in turn in different countries and considers all issues of IEC activities of a technical, both administrative and financial nature. The Council has a finance committee and a committee on consumer goods standardization.

Under the IEC Council, an Action Committee has been created, which, on behalf of the Council, considers all issues. The Action Committee is accountable for its work to the Council and submits its decisions to it for approval. Its functions include: control and coordination of the work of technical committees (TC), determination of new directions of work, solution of issues related to the application of IEC standards, development of methodological documents for technical work, cooperation with other organizations.

The IEC budget, like the ISO budget, is made up of contributions from countries and proceeds from the sale of International Standards.

The structure of IEC technical bodies is the same as ISO: technical committees (TC), subcommittees (PC) and working groups (WG). In general, more than 80 TCs have been created in the IEC, some of which develop international standards of a general technical and cross-sectoral nature (for example, committees on terminology, graphics, standard voltages and frequencies, climatic tests, etc.), and the other - standards for specific types of products (transformers , electronic products, household electronic equipment, etc.).

The procedure for developing IEC standards is governed by its Statutes, Rules of Procedure and General Directives for Technical Work.

Currently, more than two thousand international IEC standards have been developed. IEC standards are more complete than ISO standards in terms of the presence of technical requirements for products, methods of its testing. This is due to the fact that safety requirements are leading in the requirements for products falling within the scope of IEC activities, and experience gained over many decades allows to more fully solve standardization issues.

IEC International Standards are more acceptable for use in member countries without their revision.

IEC standards are developed in technical committees or subcommittees. The IEC Rules of Procedure establish a procedure for the development of IEC standards, which is identical to the procedure for the development of ISO standards.

IEC standards are advisory in nature, and countries have complete independence in matters of their application at the national level (except for countries that are members of the GATT), however, they become mandatory in the event of a product entering the world market.

The main objects of IEC standardization are materials used in electrical engineering (liquid, solid and gaseous dielectrics, magnetic materials, copper, aluminum and its alloys), electrical equipment for general industrial purposes (motors, welding machines, lighting equipment, relays, low-voltage devices, switchgears, drives, cable, etc.), electric power equipment (steam and hydraulic turbines, power lines, generators, transformers), electronic products (discrete semiconductor devices, integrated circuits, microprocessors, printed circuit boards and circuits), electronic equipment for household and industrial purposes , power tools, electrical and electronic equipment used in certain industries and in medicine.

One of the leading areas of IEC standardization is the development of terminological standards.

The International Electrotechnical Commission was created in 1906 at an international conference, which was attended by 13 countries most interested in such an organization. The date of the beginning of international cooperation in electrical engineering is considered to be 1881, when the first International Congress on Electricity was held. Later, in 1904, government delegates to Congress decided that a special organization was needed to standardize the parameters of electrical machines and terminology in this area.

After World War II, when ISO was created, IEC became an autonomous organization within it. But organizational, financial issues and objects of standardization were clearly separated. IEC is engaged in standardization in the field of electrical engineering, electronics, radio communications, instrumentation. These areas are outside the scope of ISO.

Most of the IEC member countries are represented in it by their national standardization organizations (Russia is represented by the State Standard of the Russian Federation), in some countries special committees for participation in the IEC have been created, which are not part of the structure of national standards organizations (France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, etc.). ).

The representation of each country in the IEC is clothed in the form of a national committee. IEC members are more than 40 national committees representing 80% of the world's population, which consume more than 95% of the world's electricity. The official languages ​​of the IEC are English, French and Russian.

The main purpose of the organization, which is determined by its Charter- promoting international cooperation in standardization and related problems in the field of electrical and radio engineering by developing international standards and other documents.

The National Committees of all countries form the Council - the highest governing body of the IEC. Annual meetings of the Council, which are held alternately in different member countries of the IEC, are devoted to solving the entire range of issues of the organization's activities. Decisions are made by a simple majority of votes, and the president has a casting vote, which he exercises in the event of an equal distribution of votes.

The main coordinating body of the IEC is the Action Committee. In addition to its main task - coordinating the work of technical committees - the Action Committee identifies the need for new directions of work, develops methodological documents that provide technical work, participates in solving issues of cooperation with other organizations, and performs all tasks of the Council.

Subordinate to the Action Committee, there are advisory groups that the Committee has the right to create if the need arises for coordination on specific problems of the TC activities. Thus, two advisory groups have shared the development of safety standards: the Advisory Committee on. electrical safety (AKOS) coordinates the actions of about 20 TC and PC on electrical appliances, electronic equipment, high-voltage equipment, etc., and the Advisory Committee on Electronics and Communications (ACET) deals with other objects of standardization. In addition, the Action Committee considered it appropriate to more effectively coordinate the work on the creation of international standards to organize the Coordination Group on Electromagnetic Compatibility (CGEMC), the Coordination Group on Information Technology (CGIT) and the Working Group on the Coordination of Dimensions (Figure 11.2).

The structure of IEC technical bodies, directly developing international standards, is similar to ISO: these are technical committees (TC), subcommittees (PC) and working groups (WG). 15-25 countries participate in the work of each TC. The largest number of secretariats of TC and PC are France, USA, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands. Russia runs six secretariats.

International IEC standards can be divided into two types: general technical, which are of a cross-sectoral nature, and standards containing technical requirements for specific products. The first type includes regulatory documents on terminology, standard voltages and frequencies, various types of tests, etc. The second type of standards covers a huge range from household electrical appliances to communication satellites. More than 500 new topics on international standardization are included in the IEC program annually.

The main objects of IEC standardization:

Materials for the electrical industry (liquid, solid, gaseous dielectrics, copper, aluminum, their alloys, magnetic materials);

Electrical equipment for industrial purposes (welding machines, motors, lighting equipment, relays, low-voltage devices, cables, etc.);

Electric power equipment (steam and hydraulic turbines, power lines, generators, transformers);

Electronic products (integrated circuits, microprocessors, printed circuit boards, etc.);

Electronic equipment for household and industrial purposes;

Power tools;

Equipment for communication satellites;

Terminology.

IEC has adopted more than 2 thousand international standards. In terms of content, they differ from ISO standards in more specificity: they set out technical requirements for products and methods of their testing, as well as safety requirements, which is relevant not only for IEC standardization objects, but also for the most important aspect of conformity confirmation - certification for compliance with the requirements of standards for safety. To ensure this area of ​​relevance in international trade, the IEC develops specific international standards for the safety of specific goods. In view of the above, as practice shows, IEC International Standards are more suitable for direct application in member countries than ISO standards.

Attaching great importance to the development of international security standards, ISO, together with IEC, adopted ISO / IEC Guide 51 "General requirements for the presentation of security issues in the preparation of standards". It notes that safety is an object of standardization that manifests itself in the development of standards in many different forms, at different levels, in all areas of technology and for the vast majority of products. The essence of the concept of "safety" is interpreted as ensuring a balance between the prevention of the danger of physical damage and other requirements that must be satisfied by the product. It should be borne in mind that there is practically no absolute safety, therefore, even being at the highest level of safety, products can only be relatively safe.

In the manufacture of products, safety decisions are usually based on risk calculations and safety assessments. Risk assessment (or establishing the likelihood of harm) is based on accumulated empirical data and scientific research. Assessment of the degree of safety is associated with a probable level of risk, and safety standards are almost always set at the state level (in the EU - through Directives and technical regulations; in the Russian Federation - so far by the mandatory requirements of state standards). Usually, the safety standards themselves are influenced by the level of socio-economic development and education of society. Risks depend on the quality of the project and the production process, as well as, to no less extent, on the conditions of use (consumption) of the product.

Based on this concept of security, ISO and IEC believe that security will be facilitated by the application of international standards that establish security requirements. It can be a standard related exclusively to the field of safety or containing safety requirements along with other technical requirements. When preparing safety standards, both the characteristics of the object of standardization, which can have a negative impact on humans, the environment, and methods of establishing safety for each characteristic of the product are identified. But the main goal of safety standardization is to find protection against various types of hazards. The scope of IEC activities includes: trauma, electric shock hazard, technical hazard, fire hazard, explosion hazard, chemical hazard, biological hazard, radiation hazard from equipment (sound, infrared, radio frequency, ultraviolet, ionizing, radiation, etc.).

The procedure for developing an IEC standard is similar to that used in ISO. On average, they work on a standard for 3-4 years, and often it lags behind the pace of product renewal and the appearance of new products on the market. In order to reduce the time frame, the IEC practices the publication of a Technical Guiding Document (TOD) adopted according to a short procedure, containing only an idea of ​​the future standard. It is valid for no more than three years and after the publication of the standard created on its basis is canceled.

An accelerated development procedure is also applied, concerning, in particular, the reduction of the voting cycle, and, more efficiently, the expansion of the reformulation into IEC international standards of normative documents adopted by other international organizations, or national standards of member countries. Technical means also contribute to the acceleration of work on the creation of the standard: an automated system for monitoring the progress of work, the "Teletext" information system, organized on the basis of the Central Bureau. More than 10 national committees have become the users of this system.

Within the IEC, the International Special Committee on Radio Interference (CISPR) has a somewhat special status, which is engaged in the standardization of methods for measuring radio interference emitted by electronic and electrical devices. The permissible levels of such interference are subject to direct technical legislation in almost all developed countries. Certification of such devices is carried out for compliance with CISPR standards.

CISPR involves not only national committees, but also international organizations: European Broadcasting Union, International Radio and Television Organization, International Union of Electrical Power Producers and Distributors, International Conference on Large Electrical Systems, International Union of Railways, International Union of Public Transport, International Union on electrothermia. The International Radiocommunication Committee and the International Civil Aviation Organization participate as observers in the work of the committee. CISPR develops both regulatory and informational international documents:

international standards of technical requirements, which regulate the methods for measuring radio interference and contain recommendations for the use of measuring equipment;

reports, in which the results of scientific research on CISPR problems are presented.

International standards have the greatest practical application, which establish technical requirements and limit levels of radio interference for various sources: vehicles, pleasure boats, internal combustion engines, fluorescent lamps, televisions, etc.