Streamlined Integration Between IEC 61850 Devices and a Library of Electrical Protection Devices from Rockwell Automation Increases Industrial Productivity

Bakersfield, Calif., October 6, 2021 – ProSoft Technology is announcing today the new IEC 61850 module for ControlLogix® systems.

The in-rack product integrates seamlessly with a library of electrical protection devices from Rockwell Automation. The solution enables an Intelligent Packaged Power system – connecting an industrial enterprise and increasing productivity.

“Industrial customers in mining and metals to oil and gas face challenges to remain profitable while accommodating changing commodity pricing and regulations. Plus, they may be facing aging production infrastructure,” said Andrew Schaeffler, Sr. Product Specialist at Rockwell Automation.

He explained, “Integrating reliable data is key to boosting productivity, operating efficiencies, and safety.” Solutions from Rockwell Automation and ProSoft Technology connect data, equipment control, and power management in harsh manufacturing and processing environments.

Industrial customers rely on hundreds of power protection relays (or IEDs) from various vendors. IEC 61850-enabled devices support a standardized data structure across these devices, increasing vendor flexibility for end users. Each ProSoft IEC 61850 client module supports up to 40 IEDs on a redundant PRP-enabled network, and up to a maximum of 225 I/O connections to the ControlLogix processor.

“Pairing ProSoft’s IEC 61850 module with our library of electrical protection devices allows end users to achieve high-performance communications in large applications where integration and reliability are key,” Schaeffler added.

The new module also represents a first for ProSoft: It features the use of GOOSE Publisher, which is used to support GOOSE messaging for the product.

“Using GOOSE Publisher provides a mechanism to interlock relays or load shed using the IEC 61850 communications network. This can help eliminate the need for hard wiring to the I/O modules in the ControlLogix system, saving time and additional I/O points for the user,” said Erik Syme, Director of Program Management at ProSoft Technology.

In addition, end users save time with the configuration by taking advantage of the PlantPAx® system Add-on Profile and custom-generated Add-On Instruction. This integrates seamlessly into the Studio 5000® environment from Rockwell Automation to automatically build complex user-defined data types and Studio 5000 tags based on IEC 61850 network configuration.

‍