Synchronous reference frame interface for geographically distributed real‐time simulations

Abstract

The increasing complexity of power systems has warranted the development of geographically distributed real-time simulations (GD-RTS). However, the wide scale adoption of GD-RTS remains a challenge owing to the (i) limitations of state-ofthe-art interfaces in reproducing faster dynamics and transients, (ii) lack of an approach to ensure a successful implementation within geographically separated research infrastructures, and (iii) lack of established evidence of its appropriateness for smart grid applications. To address the limitations in reproducing of faster dynamics and transients, this paper presents a synchronous reference frame interface for GD-RTS. By means of a comprehensive performance characterization (application agnostic and application oriented), the superior performance of the proposed interface in terms of accuracy (reduced error on average by 60% and faster settling times) and computational complexity has been established. This paper further derives the transfer function models for GD-RTS with interface characteristics for analytical stability analysis that ensure stable implementations avoiding the risks associated with multiple RI implementations. Finally, to establish confidence in the proposed interface and to investigate GD-RTS applicability for real-world applications, a GD-RTS implementation between two RIs at the University of Strathclyde is realized to demonstrate inertial support within transmission network model of the Great Britain power system.

Applicability of Geographically Distributed Simulations

“…The incorporation of features to secure the data transmission adds additional delays, but yields comparable performance given the large inherent delays involved. A summary of such approaches has been presented in [3].…”

“…• Comprehensive Characterization: Where the real-time simulation capability is limited due to computational constraints of the digital real time simulator, the simulators across multiple laboratories can be utilized to realize more detailed large scale models for high fidelity simulations. Examples of such experiments have been reported in [3], [4]. • Representative Systems: With the transition of our power system towards an integrated energy system with decarbonization of heat and transport, the concept of GDS allows for domain specific laboratories (such as heat and electrical power) to be interconnected to evaluate next generation concepts to facilitate the transition.…”

“…The transformations of signals has been more recently adopted for PHIL studies as well to realize more accurate setups incorporating time delay compensation [33], [34]. In [3], it was identified that the transformation of the interface signals impacts the stability of the GDS setup under consideration. The conventional simplified transfer function model was extended where the transformations were represented by the equivalent filters adopted for their implementation.…”

Development of Power System Models for Distributed Real-Time Simulations

“…Compared with aforementioned cosimulation cases, interfacing real-time simulators with data communication and information sharing is a major challenge to realize co-simulation and D-RTS of large power systems, since subsystems in RTS are time-sensitive [16]. The challenges include inherent characteristics of data communication such as time-varying delay and packet loss [17], [18].…”

“…Existing work in the literature either combines independent models [13], [23], [24] or splits small and simple subsystems [18], [25] in order to demonstrate the increased capabilities of D-RTS. Nevertheless, there has not been a straightforward methodology for splitting models nor utilizing it in large-scale systems [26], failing to validate the proper implementation of D-RTS and the performance of the resulting model [27].…”