Overview - IEC TR 61850-90-13:2021 (Deterministic networking technologies)
IEC TR 61850-90-13:2021 is a Technical Report in the IEC 61850 series that explains deterministic networking for power utility automation. Rather than imposing mandatory rules, it provides information, use cases and guidance on whether and how to apply deterministic technologies (for example TSN, HSR, DetNet) to achieve predictable latency and jitter, interoperability with existing systems, and practical migration paths from today’s architectures.
Key topics and technical coverage
- Characteristics of determinism - definitions and treatment of deterministic latency and jitter and their impact on protection and control.
- Problem statement vs solutions - clear separation of current networking limitations and how deterministic networking can address them.
- Technology descriptions - coverage of deterministic HSR, IEEE 802.1 Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN), IETF DetNet and other relevant technologies.
- Support for IEC 61850 use cases - guidance for station bus, process bus, WAN-based protection/control, DER integration and multi-service networks.
- Design considerations - traffic patterns, time synchronization, QoS, classification, high-availability and redundancy strategies.
- Co-existence and interoperability - how deterministic networking can interwork with PRP/HSR, MPLS/IP/MPLS-TP, and with emerging approaches like SDN/NFV.
- Migration and brownfield options - practical transition paths, backward compatibility issues, and impacts on IED hardware, network tools and applications.
- Impact analysis - implications for application operation, IED changes and standard harmonization within IEC 61850 family.
Practical applications and intended users
IEC TR 61850-90-13 is especially relevant for:
- Utility network architects and substation engineers planning low-latency, high-reliability LANs and WANs.
- Protection and control engineers evaluating deterministic guarantees for fast tripping and distributed control loops.
- System integrators and equipment vendors designing TSN/HSR-capable switches, IEDs and migration solutions.
- Standards professionals and planners coordinating interoperability and harmonization across IEC 61850 profiles.
Typical applications include substation station and process buses, wide-area tele-protection, DER control, microgrids, and multi-service utility networks that require bounded latency and low jitter.
Related standards and references
- IEC 61850 family (e.g., IEC 61850-5, -9-2, IEC/IEEE 61850-9-3)
- Other IEC TRs in the 90-x series (90-1, 90-2, 90-4, 90-12)
- IEEE 802.1 TSN, IEC/IEEE 60802 profile, IETF DetNet, PRP/HSR and MPLS/IP/MPLS-TP
IEC TR 61850-90-13 is a practical, non-normative resource to evaluate deterministic networking options, helping utilities and suppliers plan interoperable, future-proof automation networks.