The CoMPAS project was formed as the first project in LF Energy’s Digital Substation Automation Systems (DSAS) initiative. The primary goal of the CoMPAS project is to develop open source software components related to IEC 61850 model implementation, specifically for profile management and configuration of a power industry Protection Automation and Control System (PACS).

CoMPAS (Configuration Modules for Power industry Automation Systems) is being developed using several guiding principles, including the use of cross-platform Docker-based microservices along with a lightweight browser client, multiple language support for the user interface, scriptable controls, and the ability to integrate third-party tools.

Objectives

CoMPAS is designed to provide common software blocks for IEC 61850 profile configuration, using an open source shared development model. Building on development resources provided by multiple vendors, end-users, and other stakeholders results in rapid development and an end result that meets stakeholders’ needs. This open source initiative uses – and creates – industry best practices for top-down configuration processes and common model implementation choices, accelerating conformity to IEC 61850 through software implementation.

The project does not duplicate standardization efforts. Instead, CoMPAS’s goal is to deliver a production-grade reference implementation of the IEC standard. When the rules and principles from the standard are not comprehensive or specific enough or are still a work in progress, the project makes choices for the implementation based on the primary goal of a configurable and flexible implementation that follows the standard.

Main Use Cases

CoMPAS is designed around the following primary use cases:

• Tools for IEC 61850 profile management and configuration are needed at various business processes of the power grid industry
• The planning process for grid infrastructure components facilitates the design of power system adaptations and the engineering of substation PACS to be installed or upgraded
• Specifying requirements and performing multi-vendor system integration and commissioning during the PACS procurement and delivery phase
• Adapting to changes in operational conditions and performing system configuration updates during the operational life of PACS
• Managing assets in order to perform maintenance actions and PACS upgrades

Additionally, there is a demand for better availability of Substation PACS data at the enterprise level – functions & settings and operational process data – and enhanced interoperability between processes at substation and enterprise levels through stronger automation:

• Improving the interlinkage between grid planning and PACS engineering processes
• Improving the interlinkage between the configuration of PACS and the configuration of central systems, including SCADA and asset management