Real-Time Simulation Technologies for Power Systems Design, Testing, and Analysis (original) (raw)

Applications of Real-Time Simulation Technologies in Power and Energy Systems

IEEE Power and Energy Technology Systems Journal, 2015

Real-time (RT) simulation is a highly reliable simulation method that is mostly based on electromagnetic transient simulation of complex systems comprising many domains. It is increasingly used in power and energy systems for both academic research and industrial applications. Due to the evolution of the computing power of RT simulators in recent years, new classes of applications and expanded fields of practice could now be addressed with RT simulation. This increase in computation power implies that models can be built more accurately and the whole simulation system gets closer to reality. This Task Force paper summarizes various applications of digital RT simulation technologies in the design, analysis, and testing of power and energy systems. INDEX TERMS Applications, design, distribution networks, electric power circuits, hardware-in-theloop (HIL), modeling, rapid prototyping (RP), real-time (RT) simulation, testing, transmission networks. I. INTRODUCTION D IGITAL real-time (RT) simulators exploit advanced digital hardware and parallel computing methods to solve differential equations characterizing the system

Real-time digital simulator for power system analysis

Electrical Engineering in Japan, 1994

To understand a number of power system phenomena and to predict critical conditions in system operation, such as voltage collapse, a real-time simulator able to model the dynamic behavior of large power systems has been needed for a long time. The need for real-time simulations stems from the fact that in many practical situations it is desirable to test new equipment and analyze the dynamic behavior of a large power system using the actual pieces of equipment.

Hardware emulation for real-time power system simulation

Industrial Electronics, 2006 IEEE …, 2006

The classical approach used to implement digital real-time power system simulators (DRTPSS) consists in modeling the power system network and devices in software, and using numerical integration techniques and parallel processors to solve the resulting ...

Real-Time Digital Simulation: Enabling Rapid Development of Power Electronics

typhoon-rtds.ch

In this paper, we present the Typhoon Real Time Digital Simulation (T-RTDS) platform for highpower electronic systems, the fastest simulation platform of its kind. T-RTDS is based on novel simulation algorithms and proprietary high-throughput low-latency processor architecture. This approach enables simulation with a 1µs time-step, including input/output (I/O) latency. As a case study, we present modeling, simulation and experimental results for a system comprising a rectifier, an inverter, an output filter and a load.

Overview of Real-Time Simulation as a Supporting Effort to Smart-Grid Attainment

Energies

The smart-grid approach undergoes many difficulties regarding the strategy that will enable its actual implementation. In this paper, an overview of real-time simulation technologies and their applicability to the smart-grid approach are presented as enabling steps toward the smart-grid's actual implementation. The objective of this work is to contribute with an introductory text for interested readers of real-time systems in the context of modern electric needs and trends. In addition, a comprehensive review of current applications of real-time simulation in electric systems is provided, together with the basis to understand real-time simulation and the topologies and hardware used to implement it. Furthermore, an overview of the evolution of real-time simulators in the industrial and academic background and its current challenges are introduced.

Power Network in Loop: A Paradigm for Real-Time Simulation and Hardware Testing

IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery, 2010

This paper discusses a new paradigm of real-time simulation of power systems in which equipment can be interfaced with a real-time digital simulator. In this scheme, one part of a power system can be simulated by using a real-time simulator, while the other part is implemented as a physical system. The only interface of the physical system with the computer-based simulator is through data-acquisition system. The physical system is driven by a voltage-source converter (VSC) that mimics the power system simulated in the real-time simulator. In this paper, the VSC operates in a voltage-control mode to track the point of common coupling voltage signal supplied by the digital simulator. This type of splitting a network in two parts and running a real-time simulation with a physical system in parallel is called a power network in loop here. This opens up the possibility of the study of interconnection of one or several distributed generators to a complex power network. The proposed implementation is verified through simulation studies using PSCAD/EMTDC and through hardware implementation on a TMS320F2812 DSP. Index Terms-Control bandwidth, power network in loop simulation, real-time simulator, voltage-source converter (VSC). I. INTRODUCTION D IGITAL computer simulations have been used extensively in power systems studies for both design and testing. However, this form of evaluation tool is often not suitable for testing of protective devices like relays or testing real life controllers. To alleviate this problem, real-time digital simulators have been developed, which use high speed parallel processors to simulate a complex power network within microseconds [1]-[3]. These simulators can be interfaced with a physical controller online and this form of operation is often termed as "hardware-in-the-loop" testing. While testing protection devices, the real-life system components interact with a digital simulation of a power network running in real time. The hardware is sent signals to represent the currents or voltages in a network with small amplifiers to make the signals compatible with the output expected from VTs and CTs. The trip signal from the protecting device is then passed to the simulator which can then open/close circuit breakers in the simulated network. The advantage of the approach is that limitations of the hardware implementation can be evaluated within a realistic environment.

A general purpose FPGA-based real-time simulator for power systems applications

2013

This paper presents an FPGA-based (fieldprogrammable gate array) real-time digital simulator for power systems and power electronics applications. The proposed approach integrates the Modified Nodal Analysis (MNA) method, the Fixed Admittance Matrix Nodal Method (FAMNM) and multi-conductor transmission line modeling capabilities. In particular, the MNA is used to formulate the electrical circuit equations and the FAMNM for keeping the MNA nodal-matrix constant during switching transitions. The inherent parallel nature of FPGA's computation is exploited by a suitably defined implementation of the simulation approach. The proposed simulator is validated by comparing its results to off-line simulations obtained using the EMTP-RV software. The proposed approach exhibits high computational speed together with excellent accuracy. Index Terms--Modified Nodal Analysis, discrete-time switch model, Field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), real-time simulation of power system, electromagnetic transients, transmission lines.

Real-Time Digital Simulators: A Comprehensive Study on System Overview, Application, and Importance

IJRE, 2017

The multifarious improvements in computational and simulation tools have brought tremendous progress in the field of designing, testing and analyzing technologies. In this paper, the technological aspects and the concept of modern real-time digital simulators are presented. The real-time simulator functions in real time, thus it produces continuous output that realistically represents the conditions of a real system. Also, in a real-time simulator the user can test physical devices. Therefore, it is of great importance to understand the features and roles of the advanced simulator technologies. Also, User-friendly system interface, easy application in system design and testing, and most importantly cost effectiveness are the most desire features for implying these simulator into a research. Therefore, this paper summarizes all significant features by considering the above-mentioned facts of some most popular, globally, and commercially available simulator technologies. Real Time Digital Simulators (RTDS), OPAL-RT, Network Torsion Machine Control (NETOMAC), dSPACE, Real-Time solution by MathWorks (xPC target, Real-Time Windows target), Power_system Online_simulation Unveil Your Analysis (POUYA) Simulator and Typhoon HIL Simulator are discussed in this review paper based on the accessibility of information. A summarization of these simulators' background, hardware, software and communication protocols are presented. Applications of these above-mentioned simulators are also added to understand the potentials of these simulators.

Distributed real-time simulation of power systems using off-the-shelf software

2001

n control-system test benching, hardware-in-the-loop, rapid control prototyping and other time-critical power-system simulation applications, engineers must use fixed-time-step simulation (as opposed to variable-time-step) to meet hardreal-time constraints. A hard-real-time simulation is one where each simulation step must be completed within a tight deadline, usually measured in microseconds. Even in non-real-time simulation, fixed-time-step simulation may offer a significant speed advantage over variable-time-step simulation. However, choice of a simulation step size is critical to ensure stability of a complex dynamic system.

A fully digital real-time power system simulator based on PC-cluster

Mathematics and Computers in Simulation, 2003

Many benefits come with the real-time simulation of electric machinery and drives. HYPERSIM, a fully digital real-time power system simulator, originally based on large parallel supercomputer, is now adapted to a new hardware platform, in order to increase its flexibility and accessibility. This paper presents a new hardware architecture, called PC-cluster, for real-time simulation of complex power system networks, including power electronics.