Sistemas elétricos possuem grande influência no desenvolvimento econômico mundial. Dada a importância da energia elétrica para nossa sociedade, os sistemas elétricos frequentemente são alvos de intrusões pela rede causadas pelas mais diversas motivações. Para minimizar ou até mesmo mitigar os efeitos de intrusões pela rede, estão sendo propostos mecanismos que aumentam o nível de segurança dos sistemas elétricos, como novos protocolos de comunicação e normas de padronização. Além disso, os sistemas elétricos estão passando por um intenso processo de modernização, tornando-os altamente dependentes de sistemas de rede responsáveis por monitorar e gerenciar componentes elétricos. Estes, então denominados Smart Grids, compreendem subsistemas de geração, transmissão, e distribuição elétrica, que são monitorados e gerenciados por sistemas de controle e aquisição de dados (SCADA). Nesta dissertação de mestrado, investigamos e discutimos a aplicabilidade e os benefícios da adoção de Redes Definidas por Software (SDN) para auxiliar o desenvolvimento da próxima geração de sistemas SCADA. Propomos também um sistema de detecção de intrusões (IDS) que utiliza técnicas específicas de classificação de tráfego e se beneficia de características das redes SCADA e do paradigma SDN/OpenFlow. Nossa proposta utiliza SDN para coletar periodicamente estatísticas de rede dos equipamentos SCADA, que são posteriormente processados por algoritmos de classificação baseados em exemplares de uma única classe (OCC). Dado que informações sobre ataques direcionados à sistemas SCADA são escassos e pouco divulgados publicamente por seus mantenedores, a principal vantagem ao utilizar algoritmos OCC é de que estes não dependem de assinaturas de ataques para detectar possíveis tráfegos maliciosos. Como prova de conceito, desenvolvemos um protótipo de nossa proposta. Por fim, em nossa avaliação experimental, observamos a performance e a acurácia de nosso protótipo utilizando dois tipos de algoritmos OCC, e considerando eventos anômalos na rede SCADA, como um ataque de negação de serviço (DoS), e a falha de diversos dispositivos de campo. / Power grids have great influence on the development of the world economy. Given the importance of the electrical energy to our society, power grids are often target of network intrusion motivated by several causes. To minimize or even to mitigate the aftereffects of network intrusions, more secure protocols and standardization norms to enhance the security of power grids have been proposed. In addition, power grids are undergoing an intense process of modernization, and becoming highly dependent on networked systems used to monitor and manage power components. These so-called Smart Grids comprise energy generation, transmission, and distribution subsystems, which are monitored and managed by Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems. In this Masters dissertation, we investigate and discuss the applicability and benefits of using Software-Defined Networking (SDN) to assist in the deployment of next generation SCADA systems. We also propose an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) that relies on specific techniques of traffic classification and takes advantage of the characteristics of SCADA networks and of the adoption of SDN/OpenFlow. Our proposal relies on SDN to periodically gather statistics from network devices, which are then processed by One- Class Classification (OCC) algorithms. Given that attack traces in SCADA networks are scarce and not publicly disclosed by utility companies, the main advantage of using OCC algorithms is that they do not depend on known attack signatures to detect possible malicious traffic. As a proof-of-concept, we developed a prototype of our proposal. Finally, in our experimental evaluation, we observed the performance and accuracy of our prototype using two OCC-based Machine Learning (ML) algorithms, and considering anomalous events in the SCADA network, such as a Denial-of-Service (DoS), and the failure of several SCADA field devices.

Sistemas elétricos possuem grande influência no desenvolvimento econômico mundial. Dada a importância da energia elétrica para nossa sociedade, os sistemas elétricos frequentemente são alvos de intrusões pela rede causadas pelas mais diversas motivações. Para minimizar ou até mesmo mitigar os efeitos de intrusões pela rede, estão sendo propostos mecanismos que aumentam o nível de segurança dos sistemas elétricos, como novos protocolos de comunicação e normas de padronização. Além disso, os sistemas elétricos estão passando por um intenso processo de modernização, tornando-os altamente dependentes de sistemas de rede responsáveis por monitorar e gerenciar componentes elétricos. Estes, então denominados Smart Grids, compreendem subsistemas de geração, transmissão, e distribuição elétrica, que são monitorados e gerenciados por sistemas de controle e aquisição de dados (SCADA). Nesta dissertação de mestrado, investigamos e discutimos a aplicabilidade e os benefícios da adoção de Redes Definidas por Software (SDN) para auxiliar o desenvolvimento da próxima geração de sistemas SCADA. Propomos também um sistema de detecção de intrusões (IDS) que utiliza técnicas específicas de classificação de tráfego e se beneficia de características das redes SCADA e do paradigma SDN/OpenFlow. Nossa proposta utiliza SDN para coletar periodicamente estatísticas de rede dos equipamentos SCADA, que são posteriormente processados por algoritmos de classificação baseados em exemplares de uma única classe (OCC). Dado que informações sobre ataques direcionados à sistemas SCADA são escassos e pouco divulgados publicamente por seus mantenedores, a principal vantagem ao utilizar algoritmos OCC é de que estes não dependem de assinaturas de ataques para detectar possíveis tráfegos maliciosos. Como prova de conceito, desenvolvemos um protótipo de nossa proposta. Por fim, em nossa avaliação experimental, observamos a performance e a acurácia de nosso protótipo utilizando dois tipos de algoritmos OCC, e considerando eventos anômalos na rede SCADA, como um ataque de negação de serviço (DoS), e a falha de diversos dispositivos de campo. / Power grids have great influence on the development of the world economy. Given the importance of the electrical energy to our society, power grids are often target of network intrusion motivated by several causes. To minimize or even to mitigate the aftereffects of network intrusions, more secure protocols and standardization norms to enhance the security of power grids have been proposed. In addition, power grids are undergoing an intense process of modernization, and becoming highly dependent on networked systems used to monitor and manage power components. These so-called Smart Grids comprise energy generation, transmission, and distribution subsystems, which are monitored and managed by Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems. In this Masters dissertation, we investigate and discuss the applicability and benefits of using Software-Defined Networking (SDN) to assist in the deployment of next generation SCADA systems. We also propose an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) that relies on specific techniques of traffic classification and takes advantage of the characteristics of SCADA networks and of the adoption of SDN/OpenFlow. Our proposal relies on SDN to periodically gather statistics from network devices, which are then processed by One- Class Classification (OCC) algorithms. Given that attack traces in SCADA networks are scarce and not publicly disclosed by utility companies, the main advantage of using OCC algorithms is that they do not depend on known attack signatures to detect possible malicious traffic. As a proof-of-concept, we developed a prototype of our proposal. Finally, in our experimental evaluation, we observed the performance and accuracy of our prototype using two OCC-based Machine Learning (ML) algorithms, and considering anomalous events in the SCADA network, such as a Denial-of-Service (DoS), and the failure of several SCADA field devices.

Que ce soit dans l’automobile avec des contraintes thermiques ou dans l’aérospatial et lenucléaire soumis à des rayonnements ionisants, l’environnement entraîne l’apparition de fautesdans les systèmes électroniques. Ces fautes peuvent être transitoires ou permanentes et vontinduire des résultats erronés inacceptables dans certains contextes applicatifs. L’utilisation decomposants dits « rad-hard » est parfois compromise par leurs coûts élevés ou les difficultésd’approvisionnement liés aux règles d’exportation.Cette thèse propose une approche conjointe matérielle et logicielle indépendante de la technologied’intégration permettant d’utiliser des composants numériques programmables dans desenvironnements susceptibles de générer des fautes. Notre proposition comporte la définitiond’une Architecture Reconfigurable à Gros Grains (CGRA) capable d’exécuter des codes applicatifscomplets mais aussi l’ensemble des mécanismes matériels et logiciels permettant de rendrecette architecture tolérante aux fautes. Ce résultat est obtenu par l’association de redondance etde reconfiguration dynamique du CGRA en s’appuyant sur une banque de configurations généréepar une chaîne de programmation complète. Cette chaîne outillée repose sur un flot permettantde porter un code sous forme de Control and Data Flow Graph (CDFG) sur l’architecture enobtenant un grand nombre de configurations différentes et qui permet d’exploiter au mieux lepotentiel de l’architecture.Les travaux, qui ont été validés aux travers d’expériences sur des applications du domaine dutraitement du signal et de l’image, ont fait l’objet de publications en conférences internationaleset de dépôts de brevets. / Whether in automotive with heat stress or in aerospace and nuclear field subjected to cosmic,neutron and gamma radiation, the environment can lead to the development of faults in electronicsystems. These faults, which can be transient or permanent, will lead to erroneous results thatare unacceptable in some application contexts. The use of so-called rad-hard components issometimes compromised due to their high costs and supply problems associated with exportrules.This thesis proposes a joint hardware and software approach independent of integrationtechnology for using digital programmable devices in environments that generate faults. Ourapproach includes the definition of a Coarse Grained Reconfigurable Architecture (CGRA) ableto execute entire application code but also all the hardware and software mechanisms to make ittolerant to transient and permanent faults. This is achieved by the combination of redundancyand dynamic reconfiguration of the CGRA based on a library of configurations generated by acomplete conception flow. This implemented flow relies on a flow to map a code represented as aControl and Data Flow Graph (CDFG) on the CGRA architecture by obtaining directly a largenumber of different configurations and allows to exploit the full potential of architecture.This work, which has been validated through experiments with applications in the field ofsignal and image processing, has been the subject of two publications in international conferencesand of two patents.

The power grid has changed a great deal from what has been generally viewed as a traditional power grid. The modernization of the power grid has seen an increase in the integration and incorporation of computing and communication elements, creating an interdependence of both physical and cyber assets of the power grid. The fast-increasing connectivity has transformed the grid from what used to be primarily a physical system into a Cyber- Physical System (CPS). The physical elements within a power grid are well understood by power engineers; however, the newly deployed cyber aspects are new to most researchers and operators in this field. The new computing and communications structure brings new vulnerabilities along with all the benefits it provides. Cyber security of the power grid is critical due to the potential impact it can make on the community or society that relies on the critical infrastructure. These vulnerabilities have already been exploited in the attack on the Ukrainian power grid, a highly sophisticated, multi-layered attack which caused large power outages for numerous customers. There is an urgent need to understand the cyber aspects of the modernized power grid and take the necessary precautions such that the security of the CPS can be better achieved. The power grid is dependent on two main cyber infrastructures, i.e., Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) and Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI). This thesis investigates the AMI in power grids by developing a testbed environment that can be created and used to better understand and develop security strategies to remove the vulnerabilities that exist within it. The testbed is to be used to conduct and implement security strategies, i.e., an Intrusion Detections Systems (IDS), creating an emulated environment to best resemble the environment of the AMI system. A DoS flooding attack and an IDS are implemented on the emulated testbed to show the effectiveness and validate the performance of the emulated testbed. / M.S. / The power grid is becoming more digitized and is utilizing information and communication technologies more, hence the smart grid. New systems are developed and utilized in the modernized power grid that directly relies on new communication networks. The power grid is becoming more efficient and more effective due to these developments, however, there are some considerations to be made as for the security of the power grid. An important expectation of the power grid is the reliability of power delivery to its customers. New information and communication technology integration brings rise to new cyber vulnerabilities that can inhibit the functionality of the power grid. A coordinated cyber-attack was conducted against the Ukrainian power grid in 2015 that targeted the cyber vulnerabilities of the system. The attackers made sure that the grid operators were unable to observe their system being attacked via Denial of Service attacks. Smart meters are the digitized equivalent of a traditional energy meter, it wirelessly communicates with the grid operators. An increase in deployment of these smart meters makes it such that we are more dependent on them and hence creating a new vulnerability for an attack. The smart meter integration into the power grid needs to be studied and carefully considered for the prevention of attacks. A testbed is created using devices that emulate the smart meters and a network is established between the devices. The network was attacked with a Denial of Service attack to validate the testbed performance, and an Intrusion detection method was developed and applied onto the testbed to prove that the testbed created can be used to study and develop methods to cover the vulnerabilities present.

SCADA-system (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) har under de senaste decennierna använts i stor utsträckning, med utmärkta resultat för nätverksdrift och -förvaltning. Kunder ställer emellertid krav på att SCADA-system ska kunna integrera externa komponenter för att möjliggöra utveckling av befintliga och nya affärsprocesser. Det innebär att dessa system utvecklas från en monolitisk infrastruktur till en löst kopplad och flexibel arkitektur. Således har nya behov uppstått för att förbättra systemets interoperabilitet, minska komplexiteten och förbättra underhållet. Föreliggande masterprojekt presenterar ett ramverk för att förutsäga systems interoperabilitetet (IPF); ett ramverk som stöder arkitekturprocessen under de tidiga stadierna av produktutveckling. Vidare har arbetet undersökt några alternativa arkitekturer, vilka har modellerats och verifierats med hjälp av ovannämnda ramverk. En första konceptuell arkitektur har utvecklats för att förbättra interoperabiliteten hos interna system, för att reducera kopplingen mellan det grundläggande SCADA-systemet och Energy Management-systemet (EMS). Därefter genererades en andra arkitektur som möjliggör integration av externa komponenter för att främja den externa interoperabiliteten. Resultat visar att de föreslagna arkitekturerna är korrekta (enligt IPF) och systemets driftskompatibilitet förbättras. Vidare förefaller den slutligt föreslagna lösningen vara mindre komplex än den nuvarande arkitekturen på lång sikt, men det skulle behövas en större insats och väsentliga förändringar för att uppgradera systemarkitekturen. / SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems have been widely used during the last decades delivering excellent results for the power network operation and management. However, some current customer requirements are for SCADA systems to integrate external components in order to perform advanced power network studies and develop both existing and new business processes. This novel viewpoint will make these systems evolve from a monolithic infrastructure towards a loosely coupled and flexible architecture. Hence, new needs have arisen with the aim of improving the system interoperability, reducing the complexity and enhancing the maintainability. This master´s thesis project presents an Interoperability Prediction Framework (IPF), that supports the architecture design process during the early stages of product development. In addition, this work has also investigated some alternative architectures, which have been modelled and verified using the previously mentioned framework. A first conceptual architecture has been designed to improve the internal system interoperability, reducing the coupling between the basic SCADA and the Energy Management System (EMS). Later, a second architecture that allows the integration of external components has been introduced to promote the external interoperability. Results show that the proposed architectures are correct (according to the IPF) and the interoperability of the system is improved. Furthermore, initial conclusions suggest that the final proposed solution would be less complex than the current architecture in the long term, although a large effort and substantial changes would be needed to upgrade the system architecture.

The aim of this thesis is to familiarize readers with the terms and conditions relating to Intrastat and Ex Post Control of Data. The first part deals with obligations under the data collection. There are defined terms such as Intrastat, information provider, reference period, obligation to information provider and competence of government.The text is supplemented by examples that help better understand the topic. This section ends with an example that shows the overall procedure for reporting and transmission of data Intrastat. In the second part of the thesis I deal with Ex Post Control of Data which are carried out by the Customs Administration of the Czech republic. Both parts are supplemented by a number of interesting facts as information provider, number of reported data or inspections. In conclusion I am trying to identify errors and deficiencies in data collection and Ex Post Control of Data and to propose some measures that will lead to improvements in processes relating to Intrastat.

Κύριος στόχος της παρούσας διατριβής ήταν να συμβάλλει στην συστηματοποίηση του έργου του Ηλεκτρολόγου Μηχανικού όταν αναλύει, μοντελοποιεί και σχεδιάζει τον έλεγχο ενός βιομηχανικού συστήματος. Για την μοντελοποίηση βιομηχανικών συστημάτων έχουν προταθεί διάφορες μέθοδοι, όπως τα δίκτυα Petri και όλες οι μορφές αυτομάτων ελέγχου. Τα αυτόματα αποτέλεσαν την βάση για την δημιουργία μιας νέας μεθόδου μοντελοποίησης στα πλαίσια της παρούσας διατριβής. Τα Γενικευμένα Αυτόματα (Global Automata), όπως ονομάστηκε η νέα μέθοδος, δανείζονται χαρακτηριστικά από τις διάφορες προϋπάρχουσες μορφές αυτομάτων, ενώ εισαγάγουν νέες παραμέτρους μοντελοποίησης ώστε να καλύψουν τις όποιες ανάγκες των σύγχρονων βιομηχανικών συστημάτων. Βάσει της μεθόδου αναπτύχθηκαν διάφορα εργαλεία με στόχο την αύξηση της δύναμης μοντελοποίησης της. Το πρώτο εργαλείο περιλαμβάνει μια συστηματοποιημένη τεχνική συγχώνευσης καταστάσεων ενός μοντέλου και αποσκοπεί στον περιορισμό της υπέρμετρης αύξησης του γράφου καταστάσεων, ο οποίος σε περιπτώσεις μεγάλων συστημάτων μπορεί να φτάσει τις δεκάδες χιλιάδες καταστάσεις. Το δεύτερο εργαλείο που αναπτύχθηκε, αποτελεί την σύνθεση αυτομάτων με στόχο την δημιουργία ενός νέου αυτομάτου που έχει την ίδια ακριβώς συμπεριφορά με τα αρχικά. Η σύνθεση επιτρέπει την δημιουργία μοντέλου ακόμα και ενός συστήματος υψηλής πολυπλοκότητας, μέσω σύνθεσης των μοντέλων όλων των υποσυστημάτων του. Τέλος, τα γενικευμένα αυτόματα επιτρέπουν την δημιουργία ιεραρχικών μοντέλων που αποτελούνται από πλήθος αυτομάτων ιεραρχικά δομημένων. Σε αυτή την περίπτωση το αυτόματο του ανωτέρου επιπέδου έχει τον ρόλο του επόπτη-συντονιστή και τροφοδοτεί τα αυτόματα του κατώτερου επιπέδου με δεδομένα, τιμές αναφοράς κτλ. Αναφορικά με τον προγραμματισμό των βιομηχανικών ελεγκτών που θα επωμιστούν τον έλεγχο της διεργασίας παρουσιάζονται δύο εργαλεία παραγωγής κώδικα από ένα γενικευμένο αυτόματο. Το πρώτο εργαλείο παρουσιάζει συστηματικά τα βήματα μετατροπής ενός αυτομάτου σε εκτελέσιμο κώδικα μιας γλώσσας προγραμματισμού υψηλού επιπέδου. Η χρησιμότητα είναι σημαντική κατά την διάρκεια εξομοίωσης ενός μοντέλου και επαλήθευσης της ορθής λειτουργίας του ελεγκτή, αλλά όχι μόνο. Οι σύγχρονες βιομηχανίες είναι εξοπλισμένες με Σταθμούς Εποπτικού Έλεγχου και Συλλογής Πληροφοριών (SCADA) οι οποίοι στην πλειονότητά τους φέρουν ενσωματωμένη δυνατότητα εκτέλεσης κώδικα σε μια γλώσσα υψηλού επιπέδου. Με εκτέλεση του παραγόμενου, από το εργαλείο, κώδικα σε λογισμικό SCADA, μπορεί να επιτευχθεί και έλεγχος του συστήματος. Βέβαια, ο επικρατέστερος τύπος ελεγκτή παραμένει το Προγραμματιζόμενος Λογικός Ελεγκτής, λόγω των ιδιαίτερων χαρακτηριστικών που διαθέτει και υπερισχύει συγκριτικά με τις εναλλακτικές προσεγγίσεις. Η υλοποίηση των γενικευμένων αυτομάτων σε PLC επιτυγχάνεται μέσω του δεύτερου εργαλείου, το οποίο δημιουργήθηκε με βάση το διεθνές πρότυπο IEC 61131-3 και περιγράφει όλα τα συστηματικά βήματα που πρέπει να ακολουθήσει ο μηχανικός για να υλοποιήσει την στρατηγική ελέγχου, που εμπεριέχει ένα γενικευμένο αυτόματα, σε ένα PLC. Το πρότυπο IEC 61131-3 περιλαμβάνει ένα σύνολο πέντε γλωσσών και το εργαλείο σύνθεσης τις περιλαμβάνει όλες δίνοντας κατάλληλες κατευθύνσεις υλοποίησης με βάση τα ιδιαίτερα χαρακτηριστικά της καθεμιάς. Η παρουσίαση των γενικευμένων αυτομάτων και των εργαλείων που αναπτύχθηκαν ολοκληρώνεται μέσω παραδειγμάτων χρήσης. Οι παρουσιαζόμενες εφαρμογές αποτελούν είτε θεωρητικά συστήματα για επεξήγηση, είτε πραγματικές εφαρμογές υλοποιημένες ως εργαστηριακές διατάξεις ή ως πραγματικά συστήματα παραγωγής. / In this work Global Automata are introduced as a new method offering the convenience of modelling various types of industrial systems without any restrictions on systems properties. Their structure has common characteristics with several types of automata, such as the control graph with a finite set of states and transitions between those states. Global automata can be used for modelling hybrid systems handling both discrete and real valued variables combining flow, invariant and guard conditions from hybrid automata, with clock constraints and delayed inputs from timed and PLC automata. In addition, new modelling parameters as reset table at each transition and hierarchical classification of executable events at each state are introduced. Application independence derives from the fact that they are a super-set of every other type of automata and hence are less application depended compared to any of them. Based on Global Automata some tools were developed in order to increase their modelling power. First tool is the ability of state aggregation which generally means the merging of two or more states in order to produce a new super-state. State aggregation is a powerful tool to avoid state space expansion. The second developed tool is automata composition and is mainly used in cases where ad-hoc modelling is not a practical solution, since it allows the construction of large system model using simple models of all system’s components. Finally, global automata allow the development of hierarchical models, consisting of two or more automata. In such case, the automaton of the higher level has the role of supervisor feeding the automata of lower level with data, reference values etc. Two implementation tools for programming industrial controllers are also presented. The first tool is a synthesis tool for translating a global automaton into executable code of a programming language (i.e. C, Matlab). Tool usage is important for simulation and verification but is not limited on this. Contemporary industrial systems are equipped with Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition Systems (SCADA), which have embedded functions of running code. Consequently, an industrial system modelled as a global automaton can be controlled by the executable code running in a SCADA station. But, in industry the dominant controller is the Programmable Logic Controller, which is a special aim computer suitably built for the application control tasks. The IEC 61131-3 Programming Norm describes all the well-known languages for programming PLCs and the second tool is a synthesis tool for implementing global automata in PLCs based on this programming norm. Global automata as a modelling method and all the above mentioned tools are illustrated through representative examples. The presented examples are either theoretical or real systems implemented in the laboratory or even real production systems.

The thesis evaluates the current possibilities and problems of drone control and suggests possible solutions. The aim is to control drones more efficiently and easily. The final system is based on third person view and Augmented Virtuality technology where real data from the drone (video-stream, localization information) has been integrated into the virtual 3D model of the surroundings. The model of the surroundings has been created using free data. The application provides the pilot with the means to navigate in the surroundings and to navigate to destinations. It also offers the possibility to define areas with various potential security risks during mission planning, which will be used to navigate in the mission zones, and to visualize the overall situation in the virtual scene extended with online real data.

The thesis is focused on simulating of protocols from standard IEC 61850 in simulation tool OMNeT++. The theoretical part in the thesis deals with description of the field of operating technologies, supervisory control and data acquisition and protocols Tase-2/ICCP, IEC 61850, IEC 60870-5-104, DNP 3 and DLMS/COSEM. Next part deals with parameters influencing connection and description of simulation tools NS2/NS3, OPNET and OMNeT++. In the practical part there is created a network containing protocols from the standard IEC 61850 in the simulation program OMNeT++. Then in the network a end to end delay and packet loss with increasing traffic is measured.

A thesis which models the DNP3 and IEC 61850 protocol in OPNET / Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) is a critical part of monitoring and controlling of the electrical substation. The aim of this dissertation is to investigate the performance of the Distributed Network Protocol Version 3.3 (DNP3) protocol and to compare its performance to that of International Electro-technical Commission (IEC) 61850 protocol in an electrical substation communication network environment. Building an electrical substation control room and installing the network equipment was going to be expensive and take a lot of time. The better option was to build a model of the electrical substation communication network and run simulations. Riverbend modeller academic edition known as Optimized Network Engineering Tool (OPNET) was chosen as a software package to model substation communication network, DNP3 protocol and IEC 61850 Protocol stack. Modelling the IEC 61850 protocol stack on OPNET involved building the used Open System Interconnection (OSI) layers of the IEC 61850 protocol stack onto the application definitions of OPNET. The Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) configuration settings of DNP3 protocol were also modelled on the OPNET application definitions. The aim is to compare the two protocols and determine which protocol is the best performing one in terms of throughput, data delay and latency. The substation communication model consists of 10 ethernet nodes which simulate protection Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs), 13 ethernet switches, a server which simulates the substation Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) and the DNP3 Protocol over TCP/IP simulated on the model. DNP3 is a protocol that can be used in a power utility computer network to provide communication service for the grid components. DNP3 protocol is currently used at Eskom as the communication protocol because it is widely used by equipment vendors in the energy sector. DNP3 protocol will be modelled before being compared to the new recent robust protocol IEC 61850 in the same model and determine which protocol is the best for Eskom on the network of the power grid. The network load and packet delay parameters were sampled when 10%, 50%, 90% and 100% of devices are online. The IEC 61850 protocol model has three scenarios and they are normal operation of a Substation, maintenance in a Substation and Buszone operation at a Substation. In these scenarios packet end to end delay of Generic Object Oriented Substation Event (GOOSE), vi © University of South Africa 2020 Generic Substation Status Event (GSSE), Sampled Values (SV) and Manufacturing Messaging Specification (MMS) messages are monitored. The throughput from the IED under maintenance and the throughput at the Substation RTU end is monitored in the model. Analysis of the results of the DNP3 protocol simulation showed that with an increase in number of nodes there was an increase in packet delay as well as the network load. The load on the network should be taken into consideration when designing a substation communication network that requires a quick response such as a smart gird. GOOSE, GSSE, SV results on the IEC 61850 model met all the requirements of the IEC 61850 standard and the MMS did not meet all the requirements of the IEC standard. The design of the substation communication network using IEC 61850 will assist when trying to predict the behavior of the network with regards to this specific protocol during maintenance and when there are faults in the communication network or IED’s. After the simulation of the DNP3 protocol and the IEC 61850 the throughput of DNP3 protocol was determined to be in the range (20 – 450) kbps and the throughput of IEC61850 protocol was determined to be in the range (1.6 – 16) Mbps. / College of Engineering, Science and Technology / M. Tech. (Electrical Engineering)