Thesis Work - Digital Process Bus for Protection Systems in Offshore Wind Farms

As offshore wind farms continue to grow in size and complexity, reliable protection and control systems are essential to ensure safe operation and maximize energy production. Traditional systems rely on extensive hardwired connections between instrument transformers, switchgear, and protection relays. With the emergence of IEC 61850-based digital substations, these conventional interfaces can be replaced by a digital process bus, enabling measurements and status signals to be transmitted via fiber-optic communication networks.

Digital process bus technology offers significant benefits, including reduced cabling, enhanced asset monitoring, and increased flexibility. At the same time, it introduces new challenges related to interoperability, cybersecurity, reliability, testing, and commissioning, particularly in the demanding environment of offshore wind farms.

About the thesis

In this Master's thesis, you will explore the potential of digital process bus technology for offshore wind farm applications. The work will focus on:

Evaluating suitable digital process bus architectures for offshore wind farms.
Assessing operational and maintenance (O&M) benefits and challenges.
Investigating interoperability and standardization aspects.
Analysing reliability, availability, and cybersecurity considerations.
Developing a practical roadmap for implementation and deployment.