REF615 HBFDACADABC1ABN11G ABB Feeder Protection and Control IED

• Brand
  ABB
• Model
  REF615
• Product Name
  Relion REF615 Feeder Protection and Control IED
• Place of Origin
  Finland
• Customs HS Code
  8537101190
• Part number
  HBFDACADABC1ABN11G
• Dimensions
  177 mm height × 177 mm width × 194 mm depth
• Weight
  3.5 kg
• Operating Temperature
  ‑20℃ to +55℃
• Storage Temperature
  ‑40℃ to +85℃
• Warranty
  1year
• Product Status
  new

High-Sensitivity and Selective Earth-Fault Protection

The REF615 IEC Feeder Protection and Control Device is a dedicated feeder protection, control, measurement and monitoring unit designed for public and industrial power distribution systems. REF615 is applicable to both isolated-neutral power networks and networks with resistance-earthed or impedance-earthed neutral points. Furthermore, thanks to its advanced inter-bay communication capability, REF615 can also be deployed for protection of meshed ring-distribution networks as well as radial networks. The protected power system covers multi-feed arrangements and distributed generation sources.

The REF615 IEC Feeder Protection and Control Device is available in twelve standard configurations to cover common feeder protection, measurement and control applications. REF615 supports the substation communication standard IEC 61850, Parallel Redundancy Protocol (PRP) and High-availability Seamless Redundancy (HSR). The IEC 61850 implementation includes IEC 61850-9-2 LE. This relay also supports DNP3, IEC 60870-5-103 and Modbus® protocols. Profibus DPV1 protocol is accessible via the SPA-ZC 302 protocol adapter.

REF615 IEC Feeder Protection and Control Device belongs to the 615 series within the ABB Relion® product portfolio.

Key Benefits

Protection, control, monitoring and asset management integrated within one single relay unit, delivering a compact and versatile solution for public and industrial distribution systems.

Comprehensive protection and control functions compatible with both sensor-based measuring equipment and conventional current transformers (CT) / voltage transformers (PT).

Pre-defined standard configurations enable quick and simple adaptation to diverse user application requirements.

Plug-in design facilitates fast installation and commissioning tests.

Large-size LCD display with single-line diagram visualization; local access is available via an intuitive human-machine-interface (HMI) for easy navigation and operation.

Comprehensive full-life-cycle product service support.

Main Functions

Directional overcurrent, non-directional overcurrent and earth-fault protection; voltage, frequency and power-quality protection together with measurement functions.

Combined multi-frequency admittance-based earth-fault protection featuring high sensitivity and selectivity.

Optional advanced fast-acting fault-location functions for short-circuit and earth-fault events.

Compliance with IEC 61850 Edition 1 and Edition 2, including redundant HSR / PRP, GOOSE messaging and IEC 61850-9-2.

Support for IEEE 1588 v2 Precision Time Protocol.

Communication protocol support for Modbus, DNP3 and IEC 60870-5-103.

Detailed Introduction to Inter-bay Communication Function of REF615 IEC Feeder Protection and Control Device

Inter-bay (horizontal) communication of the REF615 enables high-speed data exchange between multiple REF615 IEDs across different bays in the same substation. Based on the IEC 61850 standard, it supports protection interlocking, logic coordination, fault signal sharing and cross-bay collaborative control, adapting to radial, ring and meshed distribution networks with multi-source infeed and distributed generation.

Core Communication Basis

Inter-bay horizontal communication is implemented via IEC 61850-8-1 GOOSE protocol. Conventional protocols including Modbus, DNP3 and IEC 60870-5-103 only support vertical communication with station-level hosts and cannot realize real-time cross-bay protection interaction.

The device supports both binary and analog GOOSE messages with a maximum transmission latency below 10 ms, satisfying real-time protection coordination requirements.

It is fully compatible with IEC 61850 Edition 1 and Edition 2, and supports SCL for unified offline configuration of cross-bay signal mapping via engineering tools.

Inter-bay Communication Redundancy Mechanism

Equipped with optional multi-port Ethernet modules, the REF615 supports two industrial redundant protocols to eliminate single-point communication failures:

PRP (Parallel Redundancy Protocol): Dual independent Ethernet networks transmit identical GOOSE data simultaneously. The receiver filters valid frames, ensuring uninterrupted communication even if one link fails, ideal for star-structured network topologies.

HSR (High-availability Seamless Redundancy): Builds self-healing ring networks among bay IEDs. It achieves seamless path switching during cable or port faults without communication interruption, requiring no external switches for small-scale ring bay connections.

The inter-bay communication can cooperate with the IEC 61850-9-2 LE process bus to share sampled value data for synchro-check and auxiliary protection judgment.

Typical Application Scenarios

1. Ring and Meshed Network Protection Coordination

REF615 units on each ring feeder exchange fault direction, fault status and breaker position via GOOSE, realizing selective fault isolation and automatic network reconfiguration to maintain power supply on healthy sections, which adapts to distribution networks with distributed generation.

2. Multi-infeed Earth Fault Protection Coordination

For isolated, resistance-earthed and impedance-earthed neutral systems, cross-bay signal sharing improves the selectivity of multi-frequency admittance earth fault protection and prevents mal-tripping of healthy feeders under complex multi-source fault conditions.

3. Bay Interlocking and Breaker Failure Logic

Transmits breaker status, switch position and interlock signals between adjacent bays to implement cross-bay overcurrent/earth fault protection blocking and auxiliary tripping logic for breaker failure faults.

4. Distributed Fault Location Collaboration

Each REF615 calculates local fault distance and shares measurement data with adjacent devices via GOOSE, enabling accurate location of fault sections.

Time Synchronization

To ensure consistent fault sequence and sampled data across multiple IEDs, the device supports IEEE 1588 v2 high-precision time synchronization. Alternative synchronization methods include SNTP network time and IRIG-B hardwired synchronization.

Hardware Interface & Network Topology

The REF615 provides configurable Ethernet modules with RJ45 electrical ports and LC fiber ports. Fiber ports are recommended for high-EMI substation environments for superior anti-interference performance.

Common topologies:

Star network with industrial switches and PRP redundancy

HSR self-healing ring network for compact medium-voltage switchgear systems

Engineering Restrictions & Notes

All GOOSE publish/subscribe relationships are configured via SCL engineering files and cannot be modified through local HMI.

Built-in communication supervision monitors GOOSE heartbeat signals. It triggers alarms for link faults and supports logic blocking or independent protection fallback.

Inter-bay GOOSE serves only for protection coordination; critical tripping functions require hardwired backup circuits per substation safety standards.

The SPA-ZC 302 Profibus-DPV1 adapter only supports vertical station communication and does not support horizontal inter-bay protection cooperation.

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