Software library FS-PowerGrid for topological coloring in control systems based on WinCC OA
F&S has added a new module to its control technology library LT based on WinCC OA. With the completion of the in-house development of the FS-PowerGrid library, F&S now has a tool that can be used to color networks for power or pipe-bound media according to their switching and operating status.
Based on the state of all individual resources, all sources and sinks, and the network topology, the network is calculated and represented using a node and edge model. The calculation is based on an iterative approach. For each change in the network, the entire network is calculated starting from its contained sources. The states of the edges are determined step by step. The different operating states such as "Switched Off", "Switched On", "Grounded" as well as "Invalid Information" of power line sections are displayed with ascending priority according to predefined colors.
The functionality of the calculations was verified in an accompanying diploma thesis. In this diploma thesis, the calculations of FS-PowerGrid were successfully compared with the open-source grid calculation tool pandapower of the University of Kassel and the Fraunhofer Institute for Energy Economics and Energy System Technology Kassel.
The first deployment of FS-PowerGrid is at the offshore wind farm "Veja Mate" off the German North Sea coast. There, the software library has been in productive use as a component of the higher-level SCADA system since November 2022, increasing the ergonomics of the control system and supporting the control room staff in their daily tasks.
