Time-Sensitive Networking for Time-Critical and Best-Effort Communication in Industrial and Power System Networks.
Ezeimo, Kosisochukwu (2026)
2026
Master's Programme in Computing Sciences and Electrical Engineering
Informaatioteknologian ja viestinnän tiedekunta - Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences
This publication is copyrighted. You may download, display and print it for Your own personal use. Commercial use is prohibited.
Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2026-06-25
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202606247919
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202606247919
Tiivistelmä
Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) has emerged as a key enabler for real-time industrial communication, where deterministic behaviour and precise timing are not optional but fundamental requirements. As substation automation continues to evolve towards fully digital architectures based on IEC 61850, the limitations of standard Ethernet in guaranteeing bounded latency for time-critical traffic have become increasingly difficult to ignore. TSN, as a set of IEEE standards built on top of standard Ethernet, addresses these limitations by introducing mechanisms for time synchronisation, traffic scheduling, and resource management, making it a relevant candidate for process bus communication in modern substations.
The purpose of this thesis is to compare and evaluate the performance of standard Ethernet and TSN-enabled Ethernet in transporting IEC 61850 process bus traffic, specifically Sampled Values and GOOSE messages, alongside best-effort traffic over a shared Gigabit Ethernet link. This thesis focuses on latency, jitter, and packet loss as the primary performance metrics, and assesses whether TSN can provide the deterministic behaviour over standard Ethernet.
To carry out this evaluation, an experimental topology was setup using two i.MX 95 based single-board computers connected directly through a point-to-point Gigabit Ethernet link. Six test cases were designed and executed, with the first three characterising standard Ethernet behaviour under no load, 500 Mbps, and 900 Mbps background traffic, and the remaining three repeating the same conditions with IEEE 802.1Qbv time-aware shaping enabled. The same hardware and network configuration were maintained across all six test cases to ensure a controlled and fair comparison.
The results show that standard Ethernet latency and jitter grow progressively and without a predictable upper bound as best-effort traffic increases, while TSN-enabled Ethernet maintains a stable and bounded latency profile across all tested load levels. These findings confirm that TSN provides a clear and measurable improvement in latency determinism for IEC 61850 process bus communication and represents a viable technology for time-critical substation automation applications.
The purpose of this thesis is to compare and evaluate the performance of standard Ethernet and TSN-enabled Ethernet in transporting IEC 61850 process bus traffic, specifically Sampled Values and GOOSE messages, alongside best-effort traffic over a shared Gigabit Ethernet link. This thesis focuses on latency, jitter, and packet loss as the primary performance metrics, and assesses whether TSN can provide the deterministic behaviour over standard Ethernet.
To carry out this evaluation, an experimental topology was setup using two i.MX 95 based single-board computers connected directly through a point-to-point Gigabit Ethernet link. Six test cases were designed and executed, with the first three characterising standard Ethernet behaviour under no load, 500 Mbps, and 900 Mbps background traffic, and the remaining three repeating the same conditions with IEEE 802.1Qbv time-aware shaping enabled. The same hardware and network configuration were maintained across all six test cases to ensure a controlled and fair comparison.
The results show that standard Ethernet latency and jitter grow progressively and without a predictable upper bound as best-effort traffic increases, while TSN-enabled Ethernet maintains a stable and bounded latency profile across all tested load levels. These findings confirm that TSN provides a clear and measurable improvement in latency determinism for IEC 61850 process bus communication and represents a viable technology for time-critical substation automation applications.