Description
The 1MRK000173-BC (catalog reference often paired with 1MRK000005-396) is an ABB Relion® 670 Series Binary Input/Output Module (BOM) — a dedicated internal interface board for ABB protection and control IEDs including REL670, RET670, REC670, and RED670, as well as selected 650-series devices. It provides 8 binary inputs (BI) for sensing circuit-breaker status, disconnector position, and protection-initiated contacts at 110–125 V DC, plus 10+2 binary output (BO) relay channels capable of switching breaker trip/close coils and signaling auxiliary devices. The 1MRK000173-BC is not a standalone DCS module — it installs inside the IED casing on a dedicated backplane slot, bridging the relay CPU with primary substation equipment while offering galvanic isolation, programmable input debounce filtering, and continuous self-diagnostics.
h2 Application Scenarios
Consider a 220 kV GIS substation where a REL670 distance protection relay controls the associated circuit breaker via trip and close commands, and must simultaneously read back breaker position, spring-charged status, and SF₆ gas alarm contacts. The 1MRK000173-BC is mounted inside the REL670’s rear I/O compartment, wired to the station’s 110 V DC secondary distribution. During a through-fault, induced voltages on long BI cables could cause false status reporting — but the 1MRK000173-BC‘s threshold-based filtering and galvanic isolation reject stray pick-up, ensuring the protection IED sees only authentic contact closures. When a breaker trip command is issued during a fault, the module’s heavy-duty output relay delivers the required high make-current pulse to the trip coil. If the board were to degrade, the IED would log a BOM communication or output-test failure, prompting a scheduled swap — a 3-minute task with the rack still energized. This scenario shows how the 1MRK000173-BC solves two critical pain points: immunity to substation EMI/noise on binary signals and dependable, high-current trip-coil drive capability for life-safety protection schemes.
h2 Parameter
| Main Parameters | Value/Description |
|---|---|
| Product Model | 1MRK000173-BC (Associated Ref: 1MRK000005-396) |
| Manufacturer | ABB (ABB Power Grids — Relion® Protection & Control) |
| Product Category | Binary Input/Output Module (BOM) for Relion 670 / 650 Series IEDs |
| Compatible IEDs | REL670, RET670, REC670, RED670, REB670 + selected 650-series (check HW revision) |
| Binary Inputs (BI) | 8 channels, 110–125 V DC (RL110 range), programmable debounce filter (Rejects induced voltage on long cables) |
| Binary Outputs (BO) | 10 + 2 channels — heavy-duty relay contacts for trip/close & signalling (Up to 30 A make / 0.15–0.3 A break @ 220 V DC) |
| Isolation Voltage | 2.5 kV AC, 50 Hz, 1 min (chassis ↔ I/O circuits) (Ensures safety & noise immunity) |
| Response Time | < 10 ms (output relay operate time); input sampling ≤ 1 ms for SOE |
| Self-Diagnostics | Periodic internal loop-back test on outputs; fault reported to IED CPU & PCM600 |
| Mounting Method | Internal slot in Relion 670 / 650 IED rear I/O frame (plug-in, keyed connector) |
| Operating Temperature | -25 °C to +70 °C (Substation-grade environmental tolerance) |
| Weight (approx.) | 0.47 kg |
| Configuration Tool | ABB PCM600 (via IED — BOM auto-detected; no separate config file needed) |
h2 Technical Principles and Innovative Values
- Innovation Point 1 — Substation-Grade Input Filtering Against Stray DC Induction: Long BI cables in high-voltage yards are prone to capacitive coupling from switching transients. The 1MRK000173-BC applies adjustable voltage thresholds and programmable debounce timers per channel, ensuring only sustained, genuine contact closures are accepted while fast noise spikes are ignored — a critical differentiator from generic industrial DI cards.
- Innovation Point 2 — High-Make-Current Trip Relay Outputs with Safe-State Default: BO channels are engineered for the demanding duty of energizing breaker trip/close coils — capable of momentarily passing up to 30 A make current. On loss of internal power or detection of a self-test failure, outputs default to a predefined safe state (typically open for trip circuits with external seal-in), preventing unintended operation while alerting the IED to the fault condition.
- Innovation Point 3 — Seamless Hot-Swap Recognition within the Relion Ecosystem: When inserted into a compatible 670-series IED, the 1MRK000173-BC is auto-enumerated by the CPU; PCM600 reads its HW ID and cross-checks against the project’s I/O configuration. Mismatched revisions (R00 vs. R01 etc.) are flagged before commissioning, preventing wiring/logic discrepancies — a safeguard that generic add-on I/O lacks.
h2 Application Cases and Industry Value
Case Study — 400 kV Transmission Substation Protection Retrofit:A national TSO upgraded several 400 kV line bays from legacy electromechanical relays to ABB REL670 IEDs. During commissioning, intermittent “BI Status Changed” events were logged on one bay — traced to an early-production 1MRK000173-BC with slightly weak input threshold tolerance in a particularly noisy cable route. The module was swapped for a new 1MRK000173-BC (Rev R00), debounce time adjusted to 20 ms in PCM600, and the spurious events disappeared completely. The station protection engineer noted that the built-in diagnostics gave immediate confirmation the new board passed all self-tests on power-up, and no re-wiring was required — the 5-minute exchange avoided a planned outage. Post-retrofit, the bay has operated fault-free for 3+ years with zero BOM-related alarms.
