At the XXVIII National Seminar on Electric Power Generation and Transmission (SNPTEE), which took place from October 19 to 22, 2025, in Recife, Conprove presented three technical papers. Among them was the work:
“Testing in Virtual Protection, Automation and Control Systems (vPACS)”
This paper examined the evolution of Substation Automation Systems (SAS) toward virtualization, exploring how testing for Protection, Automation, and Control Systems (PACS) must adapt to the new technological paradigm represented by vPACS.
With the spread of digital substations based on the IEC 61850 standard, the next step in the power sector’s transformation was the decoupling of software from dedicated hardware, virtualizing protection, automation, and control functions. This shift created the concept of a software-defined smart grid, increasing system flexibility and scalability.
Objective of the Paper
The paper aimed to investigate testing requirements for physical IEDs and virtual IEDs (vIEDs), discussing similarities, differences, and suitable methodologies to validate vPACS performance.
It also analyzed the use of physical and virtual testing tools, highlighting the advantages and trade-offs of each approach.
Methodology
The study covered:
- Comparisons between testing physical and virtual IEDs
- Commissioning tests (FAT – Factory Acceptance Tests; SAT – Site Acceptance Tests)
- Maintenance testing in virtualized environments
- General test stages: isolating the Device Under Test (DUT), simulation, and response capture
- Analysis of time synchronization in the vPACS context
- Comparison between applying a COMTRADE file (via physical test set) and a PCAP file (via virtual test set) for disturbance record evaluation
Paper Structure
The work was organized into three main blocks:
- A historical analysis of protection system evolution, from electromechanical switching to virtualization
- Fundamental virtualization concepts essential to understanding vPACS architecture
- Requirements, challenges, and implementation methods for test environments in virtualized systems, including the evolution of test tools and the IEDs themselves
Conclusion
The research highlighted that testing in vPACS is a crucial step in adapting the power sector to the era of virtualization, delivering gains in flexibility, scalability, and efficiency. At the same time, it emphasized the importance of appropriate test methodologies to ensure the reliability and interoperability of these new systems.
Relevance to the Sector
This paper reinforced Conprove’s leadership in research and innovation for digital substations, advancing technical knowledge and supporting utilities, industries, and institutions in the safe and efficient adoption of IEC 61850–based technologies.
