ABB REC650 1MRK008514-AA

Description

Introduction and Product Overview

The ABB REC650 (Order Code: 1MRK008514-AA) is a Relion® Line Differential and Distance Protection Relay, part of ABB’s 650 series for feeder and overhead line protection. This device is an Intelligent Electronic Device (IED), not a PLC spare part, but a critical component in modern electrical substation automation. Its primary function is to protect medium and high-voltage power lines by detecting faults (such as short circuits or phase-to-ground faults) and automatically isolating the faulty section of the grid to maintain stability and equipment safety. The REC650 combines advanced differential and distance protection functions with comprehensive control, monitoring, and communication capabilities. For detailed application and setting guidelines, the official ABB RELION 650 series technical manual for the REC650 is essential.

Technical Parameters and Characteristics

The REC650 relay is defined by its multi-functional protection capabilities and communication:

• Function: Feeder Protection, Control, and Monitoring IED.

• Primary Protection Functions:

  • Line Differential Protection (87L): Provides unit protection by comparing currents at both ends of the line via a communication channel (e.g., fiber optic), offering high-speed, selective fault clearance.

  • Distance Protection (21): Measures impedance to determine the fault location, providing primary or backup protection.

  • Overcurrent & Earth-Fault Protection (50/51, 50N/51N): For additional backup and ground fault protection.

• Secondary Functions: Includes auto-reclosing (79), breaker failure protection (50BF), power quality measurements, and sequence-of-events (SOE) recording.

• Communication: Features multiple interfaces, including IEC 61850 (Edition 2) for station bus and process bus (GOOSE, SV), IEC 60870-5-103/104, and Modbus. This enables seamless integration into digital substations.

• HMI: Equipped with a large graphical display and keypad for local control and diagnostics.

• CT/VT Inputs: Accepts standard current and voltage transformer secondary inputs.

Key Advantages and Features

The design of the ABB REC650 offers significant advantages for modern power system protection:

1. Integrated Dual Protection Principles: Combining line differential and distance protection in a single device, like the REC650, provides a highly secure and reliable protection scheme. Differential offers absolute selectivity, while distance provides dependable backup, ensuring maximum line availability.

2. Future-Proof Digital Substation Ready: Native support for IEC 61850 (including GOOSE messaging and Sampled Values) makes the REC650 a cornerstone for building digital, interoperable substations, reducing wiring and enabling advanced automation schemes.

3. Advanced Monitoring and Condition-Based Maintenance: Beyond protection, it acts as a measurement unit, providing detailed data on power quality, energy, and circuit breaker condition (travel time, contact wear), enabling predictive maintenance strategies.

4. Flexibility and Scalability: Its wide range of configurable protection and logic functions allows the REC650 to be tailored for various applications, from simple distribution feeders to complex transmission line ends.

Application Cases in Various Fields

This relay is deployed in electrical transmission and distribution networks:

• Utility Substations: Protecting critical overhead lines and underground cable feeders in transmission (110kV, 220kV) and sub-transmission networks.

• Industrial Power Plants & Cogeneration: Protecting the generator-to-grid connection and outgoing feeders.

• Renewable Energy Parks: Protecting collector feeders within large solar or wind farms and the interconnection to the main grid.

• Railway Electrification: Protecting feeder lines for AC traction power supplies.

Comparison with Competing Products

The ABB REC650 competes directly with advanced line protection relays from other major electrical manufacturers:

• Siemens SIPROTEC 7SD

• GE (Grid Solutions) D60 Line Differential Relay

• Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) 411L
  Its competitive strengths lie in ABB’s strong Relion® platform commonality, its proven performance in differential protection, and its comprehensive implementation of the latest IEC 61850 standards, which is a critical procurement factor for modern utilities.

Selection Suggestions and Precautions

Selecting, configuring, and applying this relay requires specialized power system engineering expertise:

1. Detailed System Study Mandatory: Application requires a full system study: fault calculations, CT/VT sizing, coordination with adjacent relays, and communication channel planning (for differential protection). Incorrect settings can lead to maloperation or failure to operate.

2. IEC 61850 Engineering Complexity: Leveraging its full digital capability requires skilled system configuration engineers familiar with SSD/SCD files and the substation configuration process.

3. CT/VT Requirements: Strict attention must be paid to Current Transformer (CT) saturation characteristics, class, and burden to ensure accurate measurement for both differential and distance functions. Incorrect CTs are a common source of protection issues.

4. Communication Channel for Differential: The differential function (87L) requires a dedicated, secure, and synchronized communication link (often fiber optic) between line ends. The performance and latency of this channel are critical to the scheme’s security and dependability.

5. Testing and Commissioning: Requires sophisticated secondary injection test sets capable of testing differential schemes with simulated channel latency, as well as distance characteristics. Proper commissioning is non-negotiable for reliability.

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