SCADA-Based Message Generator for Multi-Vendor Smart Grids: Distributed Integration and Verification of TASE.2

Area of Science:

• Electrical Engineering
• Computer Science
• Cybersecurity

Background:

• Massive machine-type communication (mMTC) in Industry 4.0 presents new challenges for critical infrastructure like smart grids.
• Ensuring reliability, communication security, and flawless functionality is paramount for these evolving networks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a TASE.2 traffic generator and data collection back-end with load balancing for smart grids.
• To assess the performance limits of current protocols under Industry 4.0 demands.
• To develop a scalable, secure platform for testing and verifying TASE.2 network nodes.

Main Methods:

• Development of a TASE.2 traffic generator and a data collection back-end with load balancing.
• Implementation of an assessment framework for generating and collecting TASE.2 communication.
• Testing the proof-of-concept in a cloud-based Microsoft Azure environment across four locations.

Main Results:

• The developed platform demonstrates high performance and scalability for smart grid data processing.
• Load balancing achieved CPU usage below 15% while processing 5000 messages/second.
• A 7-fold performance improvement was observed, enabling processing up to 35,000 messages/second.

Conclusions:

• The proposed platform offers a robust solution for high-speed load testing and verification of TASE.2 network nodes.
• The system provides complete cryptographic security and high availability for smart grid communications.
• The findings support the platform's suitability for meeting the demanding requirements of Industry 4.0 and mMTC scenarios.