The merging unit supports a range of communication protocols including IEC 61850 and IEC 61850-9-2 LE. Operational information and controls are available through these protocols. However, some communication functionality, for example, horizontal communication between the merging units, is only enabled by the IEC 61850 communication protocol.
The IEC 61850 communication implementation supports all monitoring and control functions. Additionally, parameter settings and disturbance recordings can be accessed using the IEC 61850 protocol. Disturbance recordings are available to any Ethernet-based application in the IEC 60255-24 standard COMTRADE file format. The merging unit can send and receive binary signals from other devices (so-called horizontal communication) using the IEC 61850-8-1 GOOSE profile, where the highest performance class with a total transmission time of 3 ms is supported. Furthermore, the merging unit supports sending of analog values using GOOSE messaging. The merging unit meets the GOOSE performance requirements for tripping applications in distribution substations, as defined by the IEC 61850 standard.
The merging unit can support five simultaneous clients. If PCM600 reserves one client connection, only four connections are left for other clients.
All communication connectors, except for the front port connector, are placed on integrated optional communication modules. The merging unit can be connected to Ethernet-based communication systems via the RJ-45 connector (100Base-TX) or the fiber-optic LC connector (100Base-FX).