Circuit breaker
Energy data in networked systems
Communication and IoT-enabled protection devices such as the new open circuit breaker from Siemens provide a wide range of data beyond their actual tasks for comprehensive energy monitoring, condition monitoring and predictive maintenance management. The use of data in higher-level automation and IoT systems opens up particular potential.
In the last ten years alone, electricity prices have risen by an average of 19% in Europe and by as much as 27% in Germany (source: stromreport.de). For energy-intensive industrial companies in particular, but also for operators of buildings and infrastructure, the pressure to reduce consumption and thus cut costs is growing.
The requirements for minimizing electricity consumption have also been increasing from other sides for years: as part of the energy transition and the global climate protection agreement, government guidelines are demanding ever higher efficiency standards. In Germany, for example, the law on energy services and other energy efficiency measures (EDL-G) obliges companies above a certain size to carry out energy audits every four years.
Systematic energy management
One way to tackle this challenging situation is through operational energy management in accordance with the globally applicable ISO 50001 and 50003 standards. The starting point for successful optimization of energy consumption is a continuous process that continuously records energy consumption, develops various efficiency measures and implements a suitable, integrated concept - from management to field level. It is essential to make energy flows as transparent as possible. After all, concrete savings measures can only be derived if sufficient energy data is available and recorded at all relevant points.
Energy monitoring systems provide the technical basis for this. Such a system consists of measuring devices that record energy data and analysis software that can be used to visualize and evaluate this data. Malfunctions in technical systems can be identified at an early stage, failures can be prevented and the entire building operation can be made more energy-efficient.
Circuit-breakers: precise measuring devices
In addition to measuring devices, communication-capable protection and switching devices can also be used to record energy data. The new 3WA open circuit-breaker from Siemens shows what this looks like in practice. It combines protection and measuring functions in one device. The electronic tripping unit (ETU) is not only designed to record a wide range of data on energy, power quality and breaker states during normal operation. It also guarantees high measuring accuracy in accordance with the IEC 61557-12 measuring device standard across all current levels.
In addition, the requirements of IEC 50001 or the PMF level (Power Metering Function), as defined by IEC 60364-8-1 for compliance with ISO 50001, can be easily fulfilled with the 3WA: This allows the planner to select the required metering and additional functions based on predefined PMF types. The PMF type can also be adapted later via the application processor, for example in the event of changes in use.
Integration of measured values in the cloud
The data recorded by the circuit-breaker is usually transmitted to higher-level systems via standard protocols. This is now the case for around a fifth of the circuit-breakers installed worldwide. The 3WA open circuit-breaker is also connected to the network via the COM190 Profinet IO/Modbus TCP communication module. This supports Profinet for sophisticated industrial communication and Modbus TCP for energy monitoring tasks. Several communication protocols can also be used simultaneously for fast data transfer.
The new development goes one step further: the 3WA brings measured values from the electrical infrastructure directly into the IoT. All recorded data on energy, power quality and switch states can thus also be integrated into cloud-based energy management and medium-voltage systems. This opens up new possibilities. This is because the systematic use of IoT platforms offers characteristic advantages in electrical and building technology, even beyond cloud-based energy monitoring. The cost of an in-house IT infrastructure for technical building management can be significantly reduced. In addition, a very large volume of data can be stored and processed, which is available for extensive analyses regardless of location. The open IoT platform MindSphere from Siemens, for example, makes it possible to process, evaluate and compare large volumes of data from different devices and systems in buildings and infrastructures. The potential is enormous. Significantly reduced downtimes and further increased energy efficiency are just two examples.
Protected from cyberattacks
For IoT-enabled components such as the 3WA circuit-breaker, however, networking with the internet also means that the circuit-breaker must meet the same high cybersecurity standards as other networked systems in order to guarantee the operational safety of a company or building in the long term. This raises the central question of meeting adequate cybersecurity standards not only in the form of higher-level security concepts, but also directly at field level. This means that security functions integrated directly into the devices become the central building block for any end-to-end cybersecurity concept.
Various security features integrated into the open circuit-breaker therefore protect the switch against tampering attempts. For example, the COM190 Profinet IO/Modbus TCP module has parameter write and remote switching protection integrated into the hardware. This means that when write protection is activated, no parameters can be changed, while when remote switching protection is activated, switching on or off via one of the communication paths is prevented. Both functions are also always activated at the factory and must be switched off manually and therefore deliberately on the communication module itself. The 3WA is also protected against unauthorized access on the hardware side, for example by numerous locking and interlocking components.
Martin Moosburger, Vice President of Product Management Low Voltage Products, Siemens Smart Infrastructure, Business Unit Electrical Products
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