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SEAPATH is a high availability real-time hypervisor for hosting digital substation virtualized protection and control applications (vPAC).

SEAPATH is an open source software hypervisor designed for IEC 61850 Digital Substation Automation Systems. It has been designed and built as an industrial-grade solution dedicated to the critical context of digital stations, meeting the challenges of interoperability, real-time performance, high availability, standards compliance and cybersecurity constraints. SEAPATH hosts and runs vPAC (Virtualized Protection, Automation and Control) applications for the power grid industry (and potentially beyond).

SEAPATH is a best-of-breed technology that combines mature, existing open source components to create a robust, hardware- and software-agnostic solution that meets high performance expectations (real-time) of its use cases. The project has been developed according to cybersecurity best practices, and utilizes state-of-the-art continuous integration with over 700 daily tests to ensure, for example, that a virtual intelligence electronic device (vIED) hosted/managed by SEAPATH meets the desired criteria in terms of latency and robustness.

SEAPATH is a collaborative project at the convergence of IT/OT, bringing together a diverse community of experts spanning Linux, IT, DevOps, cybersecurity, and electrical engineering.

SEAPATH is an acronym for Software Enabled Automation Platform and Artifacts (Therein). It is part of the LF Energy Digital Substations Special Interest Group.

Project Features

SEAPATH currently or will include the following features:

  • Ecosystem agnostic, easily used and extended by third parties
    • Hardware agnostic: can be installed on different types of servers and architectures (x86, ARM, etc.)
    • Vendor agnostic: a heterogeneous variety of virtual machines can be deployed and managed on the platform.
    • Open source: released under a permissive open source license (Apache 2.0), enabling effortless adoption, customization, integration into existing projects, and commercialization opportunities for users.
    • On-going integration with other LF Energy digital substation projects, such as CoMPAS and FledgePOWER
  • High performance, ready for IEC 61850 applications
    • Real-time capabilities: can host applications with high performance needs.
    • Time synchronization: natively support NTP and PTP (IEEE 1588) synchronizations.
  • Resilience, robust for mission-critical systems
    • High availability and clustering: offers cluster functionalities to guarantee availability in case of hardware or software failures.
    • Distributed storage: data and disk images of the virtual machines are replicated and synchronized to guarantee its integrity and availability on the cluster.
  • Infrastructure as code, allowing automated and remote system management
    • Configuration: initial configuration is done using scripted tasks, ensuring exact replication of desired operations and avoiding manual errors.
    • Administration: can be easily managed from a remote machine connected to the network as well as by an administrator on site.
  • Intensive testing, guaranteeing capabilities and avoiding regression
  • Virtualization, to run virtual machines hosting Operational Technology (OT) functions
    • Open source type 1 hypervisor builtin linux kernel – KVM
    • Virtualization API used to manage hypervisor – libvirt
    • Easily manage VM with custom tool – vm_manager

SEAPATH in Digital Substations

SEAPATH is designed to host various types of vIEDs. It meets the necessary criteria to enable these vIEDs to communicate using the IEC 61850 protocols.

Contributing Organizations

Case Studies

Videos

This video was originally posted to https://fosdem.org/2024/schedule/event/fosdem-2024-2662-lfenergy-seapath-easier-operations-in-electrical-substations-through-digital-twin-empowerment/. Thank you to FOSDEM for sharing under CC-BY-2.0-BE-DEED (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/be/deed.en).

"LF Energy SEAPATH - Easier Operations in Electrical Substations through Digital Twin Empowerment" was presented in the FOSDEM 2024 Energy Devroom by Erwann Roussy and Paul Le Guen de Kerneizon of Savoir-Faire Linux.

Managing electrical substations poses significant challenges. The high costs associated with hardware and equipment, as well as the high level of knowledge necessary in electrical engineering, make the work and research in this field accessible only to a select few major electrical companies. The LFEnergy SEAPATH project introduces a paradigm shift in this sector. By aggregating third-party FOSS components, it brings virtualization to electrical grid substations and provides a robust solution for critical infrastructures, enhancing their adaptability and increasing their interconnections.

The primary objective of SEAPATH is to transition from a hardware-centric to a software-centric model within substations, leading to reduced costs, improved adaptability, and simplified maintenance and updates. Moreover, the project aims to democratize participation in the field. SEAPATH eliminates the need for specialized equipment in both the construction and testing phases of a substation system. The project further emphasizes an open-source philosophy, incorporating meaningful documentation and a transparent strategy.

This presentation will delve into Savoir-faire Linux's experience in replicating a SEAPATH infrastructure in their laboratory. It will provide insights into the architecture of SEAPATH and the essential tools employed for conducting functional tests. The tools showcased encompass Precision Time Protocol (PTP) at software level, IEC 61850 Sample Value simulation as well as latency measurements . Crucially, this talk aims to communicate the inclusivity of SEAPATH, making it accessible to a broader audience. By eliminating the need for specialized expertise in electrical engineering, SEAPATH opens the door for researchers, mathematicians, and professionals from diverse backgrounds to contribute meaningfully to the project. The presentation will highlight the collaborative potential of SEAPATH, fostering a community where individuals with various skill sets can actively participate in shaping the future of electrical substation virtualization.

Learn more about the LF Energy SEAPATH project at https://lfenergy.org/projects/seapath/. 12:32

This video was originally posted to https://fosdem.org/2024/schedule/event/fosdem-2024-2662-lfenergy-seapath-easier-operations-in-electrical-substations-through-digital-twin-empowerment/. Thank you to FOSDEM for sharing under CC-BY-2.0-BE-DEED (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/be/deed.en).

"LF Energy SEAPATH - Easier Operations in Electrical Substations through Digital Twin Empowerment" was presented in the FOSDEM 2024 Energy Devroom by Erwann Roussy and Paul Le Guen de Kerneizon of Savoir-Faire Linux.

Managing electrical substations poses significant challenges. The high costs associated with hardware and equipment, as well as the high level of knowledge necessary in electrical engineering, make the work and research in this field accessible only to a select few major electrical companies. The LFEnergy SEAPATH project introduces a paradigm shift in this sector. By aggregating third-party FOSS components, it brings virtualization to electrical grid substations and provides a robust solution for critical infrastructures, enhancing their adaptability and increasing their interconnections.

The primary objective of SEAPATH is to transition from a hardware-centric to a software-centric model within substations, leading to reduced costs, improved adaptability, and simplified maintenance and updates. Moreover, the project aims to democratize participation in the field. SEAPATH eliminates the need for specialized equipment in both the construction and testing phases of a substation system. The project further emphasizes an open-source philosophy, incorporating meaningful documentation and a transparent strategy.

This presentation will delve into Savoir-faire Linux's experience in replicating a SEAPATH infrastructure in their laboratory. It will provide insights into the architecture of SEAPATH and the essential tools employed for conducting functional tests. The tools showcased encompass Precision Time Protocol (PTP) at software level, IEC 61850 Sample Value simulation as well as latency measurements . Crucially, this talk aims to communicate the inclusivity of SEAPATH, making it accessible to a broader audience. By eliminating the need for specialized expertise in electrical engineering, SEAPATH opens the door for researchers, mathematicians, and professionals from diverse backgrounds to contribute meaningfully to the project. The presentation will highlight the collaborative potential of SEAPATH, fostering a community where individuals with various skill sets can actively participate in shaping the future of electrical substation virtualization.

Learn more about the LF Energy SEAPATH project at https://lfenergy.org/projects/seapath/.

YouTube Video UExLeUZmMUo5WGtwdmd5LXlza0tDMGNKU1VGd1dqQWRTZi41NkI0NEY2RDEwNTU3Q0M2

FOSDEM 2024 Energy Devroom - SEAPATH: Easier Operations in Electrical Substations thru Digital Twins

February 27, 2024 2:52 pm

Keynote: Building an Open Source Business - the LF Energy SEAPATH Example - Christophe Villemer

September 22, 2024 10:00 pm

Deploying a Virtual IED on LF Energy SEAPATH, Advices and Experi... Erwann Roussy & Camilo De Arriba

September 22, 2024 10:00 pm

Ensuring Requirements on the SEAPATH Project: Testing Process and Continuous Integration

July 3, 2023 4:00 am

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Project Special Interest Group: Digital Substations

Project Lifecycle Stage: Early Adoption