Hardware Under Test Research Articles

Massive Parallel Current Power Amplifier Concept for Power Hardware in the Loop Applications

The development of the smartgrid increases the complexity of the current electric grid. To verify and validate the operation of the systems involved in it, Power Hardware-In-theLoop (PHIL) technique allows to test the complete system in an exhaustive way. But the reduced bandwidth of the overall test system can cause inaccuracies and instabilities, which can be harmful for the Hardware Under Test (HUT) or the people who are performing the test. To increase PHIL performance and tackle these problems, this paper proposes a new concept of high bandwidth current amplifier. It is based on a topology of massive parallel interleaved buck-boost converter, which distribute in an equal manner the total current in all the branches. This current reduction allows to use transistors with better switching behaviour, which increase the bandwidth of the converter. Furthermore, a Discontinuous Conduction Mode (DCM) is used, obtaining the nominal output current in only one switching cycle. Description of the concept and the design parameters are provided. Finally, the behaviour of the proposed Power Amplifier (PA) at high frequency setpoint currents is shown in a Matlab/Simulink simulation.

Researching a Simulation of Real-Time Nonlinear Dynamical Systems for Digital Power Grids in Massive IoT

“Digital real-time simulation” refers to the replication of output waveforms with the required accuracy, which duplicates the behavior of a real power system that is being simulated. A variety of problems relating to the functioning of power systems can be effectively solved using real-time simulators. Fortunately, modern state-of-the-art technological advancements have solved the energy problems. When used as a real-time application of electromagnetic transient-type simulation, the real-time digital simulator takes advantage of the traveling wave properties of cables and transmission lines in conjunction with a parallel processing platform. Power Control (PC), Hardware Under Test (HUT), Time Scale of Events (TSE), and Control Action (CA) are used as independent variables and the Real-Time Dynamic Simulation (RTDS) has been used as dependent variables. The objective of study improves the energy production in Digital Power Grids using Real-time Dynamic Nonlinear System Simulation System. The data was collected by using questionnaires based on 5-Likert Scale. The data has been analyzed using smart PLS 3. The questionnaire were filled from 50 technicians of power grids. The results are that Real-Time Dynamic Simulation improves the energy production in Digital Power Grids.

Hardware-in-the-Loop Simulations: A Historical Overview of Engineering Challenges

The design of modern industrial products is further improved through the hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation. Realistic simulation is enabled by the closed loop between the hardware under test (HUT) and real-time simulation. Such a system involves a field programmable gate array (FPGA) and digital signal processor (DSP). An HIL model can bypass serious damage to the real object, reduce debugging cost, and, finally, reduce the comprehensive effort during the testing. This paper provides a historical overview of HIL simulations through different engineering challenges, i.e., within automotive, power electronics systems, and different industrial drives. Various platforms, such as National Instruments, dSPACE, Typhoon HIL, or MATLAB Simulink Real-Time toolboxes and Speedgoat hardware systems, offer a powerful tool for efficient and successful investigations in different fields. Therefore, HIL simulation practice must begin already during the university’s education process to prepare the students for professional engagements in the industry, which was also verified experimentally at the end of the paper.

Stability Analysis of Power Hardware-in-the-Loop Simulations for Grid Applications

Power Hardware-in-the-Loop (PHiL) simulation is an emerging testing methodology of real hardware equipment within an emulated virtual environment. The closed loop interfacing between the Hardware under Test (HuT) and the Real Time Simulation (RTS) enables a realistic simulation but can also result in an unstable system. In addition to fundamentals in PHiL simulation and interfacing, this paper therefore provides a consistent and comprehensive study of PHiL stability. An analytic analysis is compared with a simulative approach and is supplemented by practical validations of the stability limits in PHiL simulation. Special focus is given on the differences between a switching and a linear amplifier as power interface (PI). Stability limits and the respective factors of influence (e.g., Feedback Current Filtering) are elaborated with a minimal example circuit with voltage-type Ideal Transformer Model (ITM) PHiL interface algorithm (IA). Finally, the findings are transferred to a real low-voltage grid PHiL application with residential load and photovoltaic system.

Power Hardware-in-the-Loop: Response of Power Components in Real-Time Grid Simulation Environment

With increasing changes in the contemporary energy system, it becomes essential to test the autonomous control strategies for distributed energy resources in a controlled environment to investigate power grid stability. Power hardware-in-the-loop (PHIL) concept is an efficient approach for such evaluations in which a virtually simulated power grid is interfaced to a real hardware device. This strongly coupled software-hardware system introduces obstacles that need attention for smooth operation of the laboratory setup to validate robust control algorithms for decentralized grids. This paper presents a novel methodology and its implementation to develop a test-bench for a real-time PHIL simulation of a typical power distribution grid to study the dynamic behavior of the real power components in connection with the simulated grid. The application of hybrid simulation in a single software environment is realized to model the power grid which obviates the need to simulate the complete grid with a lower discretized sample-time. As an outcome, an environment is established interconnecting the virtual model to the real-world devices. The inaccuracies linked to the power components are examined at length and consequently a suitable compensation strategy is devised to improve the performance of the hardware under test (HUT). Finally, the compensation strategy is also validated through a simulation scenario.

Initialization and Synchronization of Power Hardware-In-The-Loop Simulations: A Great Britain Network Case Study

The hardware under test (HUT) in a power hardware in the loop (PHIL) implementation can have a significant effect on overall system stability. In some cases, the system under investigation will be unstable unless the HUT is already connected and operating. Accordingly, initialization of the real-time simulation can be difficult, and may lead to abnormal parameters of frequency and voltage. Therefore, a method to initialize the simulation appropriately without the HUT is proposed in this contribution. Once the initialization is accomplished a synchronization process is also proposed. The synchronization process depends on the selected method for initialization and therefore both methods need to be compatible. In this contribution, a recommended practice for the initialization of PHIL simulations for synchronous power systems is presented. Experimental validation of the proposed method for a Great Britain network case study demonstrates the effectiveness of the approach.