ABB REF615 Feeder Protection Relay

ABB REF615 Feeder Protection Relay — Medium Voltage Distribution Protection for Saudi Arabia

The ABB REF615 is a dedicated feeder protection relay from ABB's Relion 615 series, designed for medium voltage (MV) distribution feeder protection in utility substations, industrial plants, and renewable energy installations. Widely deployed by Saudi Electricity Company (SEC), Saudi Aramco, SABIC, and NEOM's utility infrastructure, the REF615 delivers comprehensive overcurrent, earth fault, and thermal overload protection with IEC 61850 communication capability.

As Saudi Arabia's electrical grid undergoes a massive transformation under Vision 2030 — with new 380/110/33 kV substations being constructed at unprecedented pace from Tabuk to Jazan — the need for standardised, intelligent protection relays is critical. The REF615 supports IEC 61850 Edition 2 (GOOSE messaging, MMS) enabling seamless integration with SEC's SCADA and Digital Substation Automation Systems (DSAS).

Key Features for KSA Grid Applications

Comprehensive Protection Functions: The REF615 includes 3-phase overcurrent (3I>>, ANSI 50/51), earth fault (Io>>, ANSI 50N/51N), negative sequence overcurrent (I2>>), thermal overload (θ>, ANSI 49), and fault location measurement — all in a single compact relay.

IEC 61850 Native: GOOSE (Generic Object-Oriented Substation Event) messaging enables inter-relay communication for busbar protection schemes without hardwired connections — significantly reducing installation costs in new Saudi 33 kV switchgear panels.

Three-Phase and Earth Current Measurement: Supports both 3-phase 3-wire and 3-phase 4-wire systems. Residually derived or separately connected earth current (Io) inputs provide full flexibility for Saudi solidly grounded and resistance grounded MV systems.

Wide Operating Temperature: Rated -40°C to +85°C continuous operation — essential for Saudi outdoor substation installations in the Rub' Al-Khali (Empty Quarter) where summer temperatures at the relay panel can reach 75–80°C in unventilated enclosures.

Cyber Security: IEC 62351-8 role-based access control and RADIUS authentication support SEC's OT Cybersecurity policy requirements under the Saudi National Cybersecurity Authority (NCA) guidelines for critical infrastructure.

Technical Specifications

Applications in Saudi Arabia

SEC 33 kV Feeders: Saudi Electricity Company's T&D projects (National Grid Expansion — Zone I to Zone IV) use REF615 relays as standard feeder protection in new 33/11 kV transformer substations. RAZZ supplies SEC-qualified ABB relays to EPCs bidding on SEC transmission contracts.

Aramco Industrial Power: Saudi Aramco's Integrated Systems Control Center (ISCC) projects at Khurais, Shaybah, and Marjan oilfields specify REF615 for MV feeder protection in their power distribution systems.

NEOM Grid Infrastructure: NEOM's clean energy backbone requires thousands of feeder protection relays across its wind, solar, and green hydrogen facilities. The IEC 61850 compatibility makes REF615 the natural choice for NEOM's fully digital substation architecture.

Renewable Energy: ACWA Power's solar and wind projects connect to Saudi grid via 33 kV overhead lines protected by REF615 at the point of common coupling (PCC) substations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: Is the ABB REF615 on SEC's approved vendor list for Saudi Arabia? ABB Relion relays including REF615 are widely used in SEC T&D projects. RAZZ can provide SEC qualification documentation and application engineering support for relay setting calculations.

Q2: What is the ABB REF615 price in Saudi Arabia? Pricing depends on the configuration variant (A, B, C, D) and communication options. Contact RAZZ via sales@razz.sa or submit an RFQ for a detailed quotation.

Q3: Can REF615 communicate with legacy Modbus RTU SCADA systems? Yes. In addition to IEC 61850, REF615 supports MODBUS RTU (serial), MODBUS TCP (Ethernet), and DNP3 protocol options. This allows integration with legacy SEC and Aramco SCADA systems during phased migration to IEC 61850.

Q4: What is the relay setting methodology for Saudi 33 kV grids? ABB provides PCM600 relay setting tool (free) for REF615 configuration. RAZZ's technical team can provide application engineering support including time-current coordination studies for SEC 33 kV feeder protection.

Q5: Does REF615 support distance protection for long Saudi 33 kV lines? No — REF615 is a feeder protection relay (overcurrent/earth fault type). For long distance 33 kV line protection where distance protection (ANSI 21) is required, use ABB REL615 instead. RAZZ stocks both types.

Q6: What is the delivery time for ABB REF615 in Saudi Arabia? Standard variants in common configurations are available from RAZZ's Riyadh stock within 1–2 weeks. Custom configurations or special communication options require 4–8 weeks.

Q7: Does REF615 support cybersecurity requirements for Saudi critical infrastructure? Yes. REF615 supports IEC 62351-8 (role-based access control), encrypted communication, and audit logging — meeting NCA's OT-CSCC (Operational Technology Cybersecurity Controls for Critical Systems) requirements.

Related ABB Products at RAZZ

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• ABB SACE Tmax XT1 MCCB
• ABB ACS880 Industrial Drive

Visit our ABB brand page for the complete ABB protection relay range in Saudi Arabia.