IEC TS 60255-216-1-2025 PDF

Full title and description

Measuring relays and protection equipment - Part 216-1: Digital Interface - General requirements and tests for protection functions using digital communication as input and output. This IEC Technical Specification defines requirements and test methods for protection functions and the IEDs hosting them when digital communication (sampled values, GOOSE, time‑synchronisation messages, etc.) is used instead of traditional hard‑wired analogue and binary signals.

Abstract

This Technical Specification provides a framework to achieve functional interoperability of protection functions that use IEC 61850-based digital communication and IEC 61869-related instrument transformer interfaces. It specifies functional chains, timing and performance expectations, attribute handling (quality, source, flags), engineering and configuration considerations (including SCL import and test/simulation modes), required behaviours for sampled values (SV) and GOOSE messages, supervision and inconsistency reporting, and a set of conformance and functional tests to validate the protection behaviour. The document includes normative requirements and associated tests to address differences between digitally interfaced protection chains and traditional hard‑wired designs.

General information

• Status: Published / Valid Technical Specification.
• Publication date: 11 August 2025.
• Publisher: International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).
• ICS / categories: 29.120.70 (Relays, measuring relays and protection equipment).
• Edition / version: Edition 1.0 (IEC TS 60255-216-1:2025).
• Number of pages: 175 pages.

Scope

IEC TS 60255-216-1:2025 applies to protection functions that receive and/or publish information using digital communication instead of, or in addition to, traditional analogue and binary wiring. The document addresses subscription to sampled values (SV) streams as energising inputs, subscription and publication of GOOSE messages for status and trip signals, and subscription to time synchronisation messages. It specifies functional requirements for protection functions and the IEDs hosting them and defines tests for functional interoperability and conformance beyond the general conformance tests in IEC 61850‑10. The TS covers behaviour in nominal and non‑nominal situations, redundancy handling, buffering, timing and accuracy requirements, and specific test procedures for validating protection performance.

Key topics and requirements

• Definition of the protection functional chain when using digital inputs/outputs, and implications for operate time and end‑to‑end performance.
• Requirements for sampled values (SV) used as energising inputs: accuracy, frequency transfer characteristics, buffering, redundancy and handling of non‑nominal situations.
• GOOSE message handling: subscription, publication, timing/performance expectations and behaviour under inconsistent or fault conditions.
• Attributes and supervision: required use of quality attributes, data source indicators, operatorBlocked/test/simulation flags, and reporting of inconsistencies or supervision events.
• Engineering and configuration: mandatory/optional IEC 61850 settings, import of protection application settings from SCL, online setting changes, and required test/simulation modes.
• Test requirements: functional interoperability tests, timing and performance tests, conformance checks complementary to IEC 61850‑10 and related TRs, and specified test procedures for protection behaviour verification.

Typical use and users

Intended users are power utility protection engineers, substation automation designers, IED and merging unit manufacturers, system integrators, test laboratories and standards bodies. The TS is used when designing, commissioning and validating protection systems that rely on process‑bus and IEC 61850-based digital interfaces (e.g., modern substations adopting SV/GOOSE), and by manufacturers to design IED behaviour and test suites to ensure functional interoperability.

Related standards

IEC TS 60255-216-1 is part of the IEC 60255 family (measuring relays and protection equipment) and is closely related to the IEC 61850 series (substation automation and process bus), IEC 61869 (instrument transformer digital interfaces and sampled values), IEC 61850‑10 (conformance testing), IEC TR 61850‑10‑3, and other IEC 60255 parts addressing testing and functional requirements (for example parts addressing COMTRADE, transient data and differential relay functional standards). These related documents provide complementary requirements for device-level interfaces, instrument transformer standards, and conformance test methodologies.

Keywords

IEC 60255, technical specification, digital interface, protection functions, IEC 61850, sampled values (SV), GOOSE, process bus, merging unit, IED, time synchronisation, functional interoperability, conformance tests.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: IEC TS 60255-216-1:2025 is a Technical Specification from IEC TC 95 that defines general requirements and tests for protection functions using digital communication (SV, GOOSE, time sync) as inputs and outputs in protection systems.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers functional definitions, engineering and configuration practices, required attributes and supervision, timing and performance expectations for SV and GOOSE, behaviour in non‑nominal situations, and a set of functional and interoperability tests to validate protection performance when using digital interfaces.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Protection engineers, substation automation designers, IED and merging unit manufacturers, system integrators, and testing laboratories use the TS to design, implement, commission and verify digitally interfaced protection systems.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: The document was published on 11 August 2025 and is a current IEC Technical Specification (edition 1.0). Its stated stability date is 2026, after which it will be reconfirmed, revised or withdrawn according to IEC process.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes — it is part of the IEC 60255 family (measuring relays and protection equipment) and is intended to work together with IEC 61850-series standards (substation automation and process bus) and IEC 61869 instrument transformer standards to enable interoperable, digitally‑interfaced protection functions.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: Key keywords include sampled values (SV), GOOSE, process bus, merging unit (MU), IED, digital interface, protection function, IEC 61850, IEC 61869, functional interoperability, and conformance testing.