Development of a broadband real-time fully-digital simulator for the study and control of large power systems

Abstract

While transient stability (TST) programs can represent very large systems, they are unable to model power electronic devices in detail since they use relatively large time steps and balanced representation of the network. Electromagnetic transients (EMT) simulators, on the other hand, can model relatively small systems in detail using small time steps. By interfacing both simulation tools, it will be possible to develop a broadband simulator capable of modeling large systems, but including detailed representation where required. The simulator would provide for studies ranging from fast transient to transient, dynamic, and voltage stability, with applications including closed-loop protection and control studies, as well as on-line dynamic security assessment (DSA). In this paper, we present the latest development work related to the realization of a broadband fully-digital simulator, which would be capable of meeting the challenge obtaining real-time solutions of very large networks using sufficiently small integration time steps such that power electronic devices (FACTS or HVDC) could be modeled at the device level with sufficient time resolution.