Switch Yard Research Articles

Attacking IEC 61850 Substations by Targeting the PTP Protocol

Digital substations, also referred to as modern power grid substations, utilize the IEC 61850 station and process bus in conjunction with IP-based communication. This includes communication with switch yard equipment within the substation as well as the dispatch center. IEC 61850 is a global standard developed to standardize power grid communications, covering multiple communication needs related to modern power grid substations or digital substations. Unlike the legacy communication standards, IEC 60870-5-104 and DNP3, IEC 61850 is specifically designed for IP-based communication. It comprises several communication models and supports real-time communication by introducing the process bus to replace traditional peer-to-peer communication with standard network communication between substation equipment and the switch yard. The process bus, especially Sampled Measured Values (SMV) communication, in modern power grid substations relies on extremely accurate and synchronized time to prevent equipment damage, maintain power grid system balance, and ensure safety. In IEC 61850, time synchronization is provided by the Precision Time Protocol (PTP). This paper discusses the significance and challenges of time synchronization in IEC 61850 substations, particularly those associated with PTP. It presents the results of a controlled experiment that subjects time synchronization and PTP to cyber-attacks and discusses the potential consequences of such attacks. The paper also provides recommendations for potential mitigation strategies. The contribution of this paper is to provide insights and recommendations for enhancing the security of IEC 61850-based substations against cyber-attacks targeting time synchronization. The paper also explores the potential consequences of cyber-attacks and provides recommendations for potential mitigation strategies.

Construction of New Branching Point and Operation of New Primary Beam Line at the J-PARC Hadron Facility

Construction of a new primary beam line, called the B-line, started in 2013 at the J-PARC Hadron Experimental Facility. The B-line is branched at the middle of an existing primary proton beam line (A-line) in the beam switching yard (SY), which is the connecting tunnel between the Main Ring (MR) and the Hadron experimental hall (HD-hall). At the branching point, about 0.1% of the primary beam is kicked off at 5 degrees using a Lanbertson magnet and two septum magnets. The Lambertson magnet has a field free hole in its yoke. The proton beam that goes through a field region is separated from the A-line, and it is extracted to the B-line. The rest of the beam that goes through the field free hole is transported through the existing primary beam line. Since a significant beam loss as much as 420 W occurs at the edge of field free hole, the magnets near the Lambertson magnet are operated under a very high radioactive environment. We have developed a “mini-chimney system” regarding easy maintenance of those magnets. The mini-chimney means a vertical tower of approximately 1m in height. The tower is comprised of water pipes, power electrodes, and signal cables for safety interlock. Those can be easily connected and disconnected at the top of chimney on the ceiling iron shields. In this paper we summarize the maintenance scheme developed for the B-line, as well as the design of B-line.In May 2020, the first proton beam was successfully extracted to the B-line by means of the Lambertson and the septum magnets. Up to now, the 10 <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">10</sup> protons per 5.2 sec accelerator cycle shot have been available.

FEbeam: Cavity and electron emission data conversion, processing, and analysis. A freeware toolkit for rf injectors.

FEbeam is an all-in-one field emission data processing interface with the capability to analyze the field emission cathode performance in an rf injector by extracting the field enhancement factor, local field, and effective emission area from the Fowler-Nordheim equations. It also has the capability of processing beam imaging micrographs using its sister software, FEpic. The current version of FEbeam was designed for the Argonne Cathode Test-stand of the Argonne Wakefield Accelerator facility switch yard. With slight modifications, FEbeam could work for many rf field emission injectors. This software is open-source and can be found at GitHub.

Cascading RF deflectors in compact beam spreader schemes

This paper describes beam distribution schemes based on transverse electric field radio-frequency deflectors (RFD) as fast-switching devices and provides numerical relationships between their respective frequencies and phases. The adoption of compact transverse deflecting cavities represents an ideal solution for the design of high repetition rate (> 1 MHz), compact beam distribution systems. While directly applicable to modern FEL facilities, this approach also provides opportunities for expanding existing beam delivery systems with additional experimental areas simultaneously feeding multiple beamlines. We derive the formalism for cascading RFDs by adopting the proper choice of deflector frequencies which can generate a large variety of beam switch yard topologies. We present for reference a potential application operating at an rf frequency of 325 MHz with the comparison of three possible distinct compact rf deflectors: a superconducting rf-dipole, a normal conducting rf-dipole, and a normal conducting 4-rod design.

Detecting rogue attacks on commercial wireless Insteon home automation systems

The Internet of Things (IoT) and commercial wireless home automation applications are expanding as technical capability evolves and implementation costs continue to decrease. However, many home automation devices lack robust security and are vulnerable to a multitude of bit-level attacks. This was highlighted during the first successful Insteon network intrusion demonstration that occurred at DEF CON 23 using a Software Defined Radio (SDR) with YARD Stick One devices. In response, Radio Frequency Distinct Native Attribute (RF-DNA) Fingerprinting is introduced here as a counter-hacking approach for augmenting network bit-level Identity (ID) authentication using Physical Layer (PHY) waveform features. An RF-DNA Fingerprinting process is adopted here and applied to wireless Insteon home automation devices. Rogue device detection is addressed using a Multiple Discriminant Analysis/Maximum Likelihood (MDA/ML) ID verification process. Rogue assessments include attacks by like-model Insteon Switch (IS) devices and YARD Stick One SDR devices programmed to present actual (false) bit-level credentials for authorized Insteon devices while functionally controlling the state of an unprotected (no RF-DNA discrimination) targeted end point device. Device classification and Rogue Rejection Rate (RRR) performance is assessed using Time Domain (TD) and Slope-Based Frequency Shift Keyed (SB-FSK) Fingerprinting with features extracted from a variant (data dependent) signal response region. The Rogue Rejection Rate (RRR) for SB-FSK Fingerprinting was superior to TD Fingerprinting and included RRR ≈ 95% for 25 like-model IS attacks and RRR ≈ 100% for 36 YARD Stick One SDR attacks. SB-FSK Fingerprinting is more computationally efficient (70% fewer features) than TD Fingerprinting and provides an added benefit of being implementable using features extracted from variant data dependent FSK signal response regions.

Analysis of Activated Air Following High Yield Shots in the NIF

During the ignition experimental campaign, the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is expected to perform shots with varying fusion yield (up to 20 MJ or 7.1 x 1018 neutrons per shot) and a maximum annual yield of 1200 MJ. A detailed MCNP model of the Target Bay (TB) and the two switchyards (SY) has been developed to estimate the post-shot radiation environment inside the facility. During D-T shots, a pulse of 14.1 MeV neutrons streaming outside the Target Chamber (TC) will activate the air present inside the TB and the argon gas inside the laser tubes. Smaller levels of activity are also generated in the SY air and in the argon portion of the SY laser beam path. The activated TB air will be mixed with fresh air from the Operations Support Building (OSB) before release through the stack. Flow of activated air from the Target Bay is controlled by the heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. 16N (T1/2 = 7.13 s) dominates the radiation levels during the first minute following the shot. It is expected that 16N will decay away during the confinement time before releasing the TB air through the stack. The other major contributors are 13N (T1/2 = 9.97 min) and 41Ar (T1/2 = 1.83 h). In general a low dose rate of < 1 μSv/h is expected near the stack during the first few hours following a 20 MJ shot. The amount of activated Target Bay air released through the stack is very small and does not pose significant hazard to personnel or the environment. In the mean time, due to a very small leakage rate out of the laser tubes, the activated argon gas decays within the tubes and any resulting release to the environment is insignificant.

RESEARCH OF EFFICIENCY OF APPLICATION OF TECHNOLOGY OF GRAVITATIONAL-TARGETED INHIBITION OF CUTS

Purpose. The researching of technology of gravitational-impact braking on the Ukranian railways is the aim of the article. Methods. Sorting device with special design of plan and profile for the feasibility of the technology of gravitational target braking is offered.. Rationale for the use of said technology is based on the use of simulation techniques, analysis of the results obtained-ing process of calculating the estimated sliding runners and comparison with conventional screening devices and a new design from the perspective of the need for them to separate funds devices and systems, which are elements of a technical equipment. Results. The possibility of application of technology of gravitational-impact braking unhooked on the basis of cuts rolling. The main advantages of this technology for the safety and efficiency of the breaking up of trains are described. Scientific novelty. For the first time the technology of gravitational-impact braking unhooked, the implementation of which is possible through the use of sorting devices with special design of plan and longitudinal profile of the switching yard. Unlike conventional approaches to improve the efficiency of the breaking up of trains, this approach greatly simplifies the technology to control speed of cuts requires automation of braking only park brake position and to reduce the influence of the "human" factor and parameters have stochastic nature, on indicators of humping process.. The practical significance. Sorting device with gravity-sighting unhook brake can be used in all operating conditions to increase the efficiency and safety of the breaking up of trains.

The Whole Simulation Analysis and Measurement of the Power Frequency Electric Field in 500kV Substation

An improved Charge Simulation Method (CSM) is proposed in this paper. Based on this method, the model of the overall 500kV substation is established, and then the power frequency electric field in substation at the height of the 1.5mabovethegroundis simulated and calculated. Specifically, these on 500kV switch yard in the station are simulated and analysis. The results show that the simulation results are in good agreement with the actual substation measured results, which is proved the correctness of the model and the algorithm. This paper provides an effective method for the rapid analysis of the distribution of power frequency electric field in ultra-high-voltage substation, and also can use the method to study the effects of electric field distribution factors in substation.

Detection of feral GT73 transgenic oilseed rape (Brassica napus) along railway lines on entry routes to oilseed factories in Switzerland

To obtain a reference status prior to cultivation of genetically modified oilseed rape (OSR, Brassica napus L.) in Switzerland, the occurrence of feral OSR was monitored along transportation routes and at processing sites. The focus was set on the detection of (transgenic) OSR along railway lines from the Swiss borders with Italy and France to the respective oilseed processing factories in Southern and Northern Switzerland (Ticino and region of Basel). A monitoring concept was developed to identify sites of largest risk of escape of genetically modified plants into the environment in Switzerland. Transport spillage of OSR seeds from railway goods cars particularly at risk hot spots such as switch yards and (un)loading points but also incidental and continuous spillage were considered. All OSR plants, including their hybridization partners which were collected at the respective monitoring sites were analyzed for the presence of transgenes by real-time PCR. On sampling lengths each of 4.2 and 5.7km, respectively, 461 and 1,574 plants were sampled in Ticino and the region of Basel. OSR plants were found most frequently along the routes to the oilseed facilities, and in larger amounts on risk hot spots compared to sites of random sampling. At three locations in both monitored regions, transgenic B. napus line GT73 carrying the glyphosate resistance transgenes gox and CP4 epsps were detected (Ticino, 22 plants; in the region of Basel, 159).

Shielding Analysis for X-Ray Sources Generated in Target Chamber of the National Ignition Facility

Prompt doses from X-rays generated as result of laser beam interaction with target material are calculated at different locations inside the National Ignition Facility. The maximum dose outside a target chamber diagnostic port is ~10 mSv for a shot utilizing the 192 laser beams and 1.8 MJ of laser energy. The dose during a single bundle shot (eight laser beams) drops to ~0.4 mSv. Doses calculated outside the target bay (TB) doors and inside the switchyards (SYs) [except for the 5.33-m (17-ft 6-in.) floor level] range from a few microsieverts to ~110 μSv for 192 beams and scale down proportionally with a smaller number of beams. At the 5.33-m (17-ft 6-in.) floor level, two diagnostic ports are directly facing two of the TB doors, and the maximum doses outside the doors are 0.5 and 0.16 mSv, respectively. Shielding each of the two TB doors with 6.35-mm-thick Pb (1/4-in.) reduces the dose by a factor of 50. One or two bundle shots (8 to 16 laser beams) present a small hazard to personnel in the SYs.

Pasadena, 1901

Pasadena, 1901 Erin McGraw (bio) No one could tell me a thing. Eighteen years old, I had goals as clear in my mind as fence posts—although fence posts were exactly what I wanted never to think about again. Yearning could undo a person, so I shut my mind tight against memories that shimmered like heat mirages—tricks of light and wind. I did not let myself think of old times, old voices, a life left blinking in surprise when I stepped onto a train and escaped. Pa used to say that since we weren't rich in cash or land, we were rich in common sense. I used it, and got out of Kansas. And truly, leaving behind the wind and the blank heat and the depthless prairie was easy. Slipping away from Jack, my husband—God knows, easier still. The difficulty came after I arrived in Los Angeles, only stopping there because I couldn't go any farther. Like the other girls who poured into the downtown Arcade Station from Missouri and Texas and Ohio, I found work as a shop girl, bringing home six dollars a week. Four of those dollars allowed me a room in a gas-lit firetrap, sticky with heat and loud as a switching yard, where many of the lodgers were single women whose doors opened directly to the street. They passed me in the corridor without speaking, the greasy cotton of their wrappers swishing unpleasantly. Sometimes they grinned when I drew back. If I lived on oranges and tap water, I could save six dollars a month. Six dollars wasn't enough to buy me a fine pair of shoes, much less a decent address. I looked in bleak hatred at Levant's, the dim department store where I stood every day, selling gloves and collars. The [End Page 120] customers who populated my imagination with such bright elegance did not come to a dark downtown street where the garbage and horse droppings were banked at the curb. The ladies did not care to bring their custom to a store without display counters or electric lights. The ladies shopped where they lived: in Pasadena. I knew nothing about Pasadena, but the other shoppies talked about it, especially on the weekends, when we drank beer and were apt to say things. Streets in Pasadena were boulevards, expanses forty feet across. On either side, mansions spread out behind trellises and fountains with statues. "It's filled with money," my friend Josephine said, as if the point required plain statement. "That's where money goes to live." We were sitting at a dance hall, half-shouting over the noise and our beers. The room, a big wooden shell with only a rough platform for the ragtime orchestra but an enormous dance floor filled with jiggling dancers, was ripe with the smell of damp, eager bodies. Josephine's sister Mabel was sitting on the lap of a fellow whose name we were never told, and a girl named Mathilda kept getting up and sitting down, getting up and sitting down. She banged into the small table and beer was slopping everywhere, but no one complained. When a fellow with a wide moustache came over and asked me where I lived, I said, "Pasadena." "No, you don't." He grinned. "I do, though. Go there and look for me." "I'm looking at you now. And I don't want to stop looking." Then the other girls hooted, all right. "There's your Two-Dollar Bill," Mabel said. What right had she, sprawled on her fellow's lap? Anybody could see how she was hoping that night would end. She was bound to be disappointed; already the fellow was looking for a way to dislodge her. To my boy with the moustache I said, "Prove to me you're a gentleman." "Can't do 'er. Sorry." "Then prove to me I shouldn't call the cops on you." [End Page 121] "Here?" He gestured at the unpainted wood walls, the shirt-sleeve orchestra at the far end, the dance floor jammed with tipsy, roaring couples. Like everything else in my life now, the racket—you couldn't...

Studies of background levels for the NIF yield diagnostics from neutron and gamma radiation

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is nearing completion of construction and is preparing for the National Ignition Campaign (NIC) with potentially significant yield in 2010. The design of a wide range of yield diagnostics in and outside the target-bay of the NIF must consider scattered background neutrons and neutron-induced gamma rays to measure neutrons and x-rays from target. The large and complex target chamber and facility make the calculation of scattered neutrons and gamma rays extremely challenging. The NIF was designed with shielded locations for many of the yield diagnostics including the neutron alcove and four diagnostic mezzanines. Accurate calculation of the background levels in these shielded locations requires advanced Monte Carlo techniques, e.g., variance reduction. Placement, size, and materials of collimators on the line of sight (LOS) through the shielding must be evaluated to trade off signal levels and unwanted backgrounds. The background at these locations is also affected by neutrons that pass through the laser beam tubes and scatter off of structures and walls in the switch yards. Detailed 3D Monte Carlo analyses are performed to determine neutron and gamma fluxes for some of the yield diagnostics.

Dissolved oxygen extrema in the Arctic Ocean halocline from the North Pole to the Lincoln Sea

Dissolved oxygen (O 2) profiling by new generation sensors was conducted in the Arctic Ocean via aircraft during May 2003 as part of the North Pole Environmental Observatory (NPEO) and Freshwater Switchyard (SWYD) projects. At stations extending from the North Pole to the shelf off Ellesmere Island, such profiles display what appear to be various O 2 maxima (with concentrations 70% of saturation or less) over depths of 70–110 m in the halocline, corresponding to salinity and temperature ranges of 33.3–33.9 and −1.7 to −1.5 °C. The features appear to be widely distributed: Similar features based on bottle data were recently reported for a subset of the 1997–1998 SHEBA stations in the southern Canada Basin and in recent Beaufort Sea sensor profiles. Oxygen sensor data from August 2002 Chukchi Borderlands (CBL) and 1994 Arctic Ocean Section (AOS) projects suggest that such features arise from interleaving of shelf-derived, O 2-depleted waters. This generates apparent oxygen maxima in Arctic Basin profiles that would otherwise trend more smoothly from near-saturation at the surface to lower concentrations at depth. For example, in the Eurasian Basin, relatively low O 2 concentrations are observed at salinities of about 34.2 and 34.7. The less saline variant is identified as part of the lower halocline, a layer originally identified by a Eurasian Basin minimum in “NO,” which, in the Canadian Basin, is reinforced by additional inputs. The more saline and thus denser variant appears to arise from transformations of Atlantic source waters over the Barents and/or Kara shelves. Additional low-oxygen waters are generated in the vicinity of the Chukchi Borderlands, from Pacific shelf water outflows that interleave with Eurasian waters that flow over the Lomonosov Ridge into the Makarov Basin and then into the Canada Basin. One such input is associated with the well-known silicate maximum that historically has been associated with a salinity of ≈33.1. Above that ( 32 < S < 33 ), there is a layer moderately elevated in temperature (summer Bering Sea water) that we show is also O 2-depleted. We propose that these low O 2 waters influence the NPEO and SWYD profiles to varying extents in a manner reflective of the large-scale circulation. The patterns of halocline circulation we infer from the intrusive features defy a simple boundary-following cyclonic flow. These results demonstrate the value of the improved resolution made feasible with continuous O 2 profiling. In the drive to better understand variability and change in the Arctic Ocean, deployment of appropriately calibrated CTD-O 2 packages offers the promise of important new insights into circulation and ecosystem function.

00/00925 Photovoltaics for railroad switch yards

00/00925 Photovoltaics for railroad switch yards

On Lewis Shiner's "Slam"

IT SEEMS LIKE YOU CAN HEAR ONE FOR MILES. While the rasp ing, screeching, knife-grinding sound of a skateboard may not yet rank with that of fingernails slowly raked down a blackboard, it must surely be in the running, cutting through the white noise of urban life with its odd rhythms and relentless repetition ? as if some neighborhood sociopath were trying to use a chainsaw to send an interminable message in Morse Code. This may be more a matter of penetrating pitch than of volume, not as loud, say, as a railroad switching yard, but as piercing as a tight, wrack ing cough in a silent theater, as nerve-jangling as the permanent scream of a stuck smoke alarm.

A Prestressed Concrete Railroad Bridge on the Prairie

• ying in the center of North Dakota, just a short distance north of Fort Lincoln (where General Custer began his fateful journey to the Little Bighorn), the historic city of Mandan has preserved its, Old West legacy, in part, through an extensive renovation of Fort Lincoln. Situated at the intersection of Interstate 94 and the Missouri River, Mandan is also known as a railroad town. Indeed, the town has one of Burlington Northern's major switching yards located in the heart of the city. The confluence of these railroad tracks and the traffic between Fort Lincoln and Mandan has brought about the construction of the first prestressed concrete railroad bridge in North Dakota. Built in 1943, the original underpass on North Dakota's Highway 1806 allowed for only two lanes of vehicular traffic, and the vertical clearance of the structure restricted its use by many trucks. However. the decision to replace the old structure posed several problems for the designers. • The existing structure was located on the mainline of the Burlington Northern Railroad. Coal trains, many 100 units in length or longer, used the tracks each day. Therciore, it was imperative that traffic be maintained on three tracks at all times during the construction period. • Elevation changes would not he allowed in the new design. The site is at the end of Burlington Northern's switching yard: large displacements of the tracks would not be feasible. • The existing underpass surface elevation was only 2 ft (0.t+1 in) above the ground water. To provide adequate vertical clearance, the new roadway had to be built below the water table. • In 1989, North Dakota residents would he celebrating the state's centennial anniversary. The crowds expected for the July celebration could triple the normal population of Mandan. and a major construction project would not be allowed in the downtown area at this time.

Extrapolation of measured power system response data to high-altitude EMP excitation

Pulse injection measurements performed on an electrical generation plant in Sweden are reported. It is shown how these data may be used to calculate the high-altitude nuclear electromagnetic pulse (HEMP) response of the system when it is connected to the powergrid. It is found that the HEMP-induced current stages in overhead transmission lines are significantly attenuated as they propagate from the switch yard to the generator output terminals.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>

Caterpillar’s 3600 PEEC Locomotive Governor (Programmable Electronic Engine Control)

Caterpillar Inc. recently introduced the 3600 Series medium speed, 280 kW/cylinder diesel engine to its product line. Offered in 6 and 8 cylinder inline and 12 and 16 cylinder vee configurations, the 3600 Series engines will be used for marine, electrical power generation, industrial, and locomotive applications. Caterpillar has also developed a microprocessor-based digital electronic control to meet the applications of these engines. The control system can be tailored for many applications; however, this system was developed primarily for locomotive use. The PEEC (Programmable Electronic Engine Control) locomotive speed and load control governor provides minimum fuel consumption and increases productivity of locomotives in both mainline and switch yard service. This paper describes the PEEC locomotive system as applicable to 3600 Series engines.

Electric field meter based on the breakdown of gases

A portable device for measuring low-frequency electric fields is described. The sensor for the device makes use of the breakdown of gas contained in a glass bulb. The shape of the bulb determines the directional properties of the sensor. A spherical bulb has a spatially isotropic sensitivity, whereas a cylindrical bulb responds, primarily, to the electric field component along its axis. The operation of the device with both types of sensor has been studied in electrical fields typical of high-voltage transmission lines and switch yards.

A Low Cost High Resolution DAC System for Magnet Control

Beam switch yard magnets require accurate tracking of the power supplies. Digital to analogue conversion systems with 16 bit resolution are therefore needed. High resolution DAC systems require delicate electronics to preserve the 16 bit monotonocity. However the absolute setting of the magnets is usually restricted to only 0.1%. A system will be described using low noise 10 bit multiplying DAC's. High resolution has been obtained by series connection of two DAC's. The energy setting of the magnetic channel is performed by one central DAC only. The software overhead has been greatly reduced. Substantial savings may be obtained in large magnet systems.