Real-Time Simulation of Multi-Terminal HVDC Grids and Distributed Co-Simulation
RWTH Aachen University
Energy
03 / 06 / 2018
The Company
The Institute for Automation of Complex Power Systems (ACS), part of the E.ON Energy Research Center at RWTH Aachen University, is led by Professor Antonello Monti. The team focuses on the scientific and technological developments necessary for the transition to next-generation power grids, through the seamless integration of power electronics, control design, and communication technology.
An intelligent and flexible electrical grid must allow for new ways of managing power flows at all levels, particularly at the distribution level. The team of ACS researchers is focusing on the seamless integration of the advances in power electronics, control design and communication technology, to enable this transition.
Institute for Automation of Complex Power Systems (ACS)
RWTH Aachen University
The Challenges
- Next-Generation Grid Transition: Developing the foundations for intelligent, flexible power grids enabling new ways of managing power flows at the distribution level.
- Multi-Terminal HVDC Simulation: Real-time simulation of multi-terminal HVDC grids interconnected with AC grids, generators, and wind farms.
- Geographically Distributed Co-Simulation: Synchronizing remote real-time simulators across geographic locations—including SINTEF (Norway) and Politecnico di Torino (Italy)—over the Internet.
The OPAL-RT Solution
- OP5600 with eMEGASIM & eFPGASIM: Real-time EMT simulation of power systems and power electronics, with data logging, visualization, and fault analysis.
- eHS Nodal Solver on FPGA: Reconfigurable from the Host PC without FPGA recompilation; compatible with MATLAB/Simulink/SimPowerSystems, PLECS, and PSIM.
- Fiber-Optic Communication: Low-latency data exchange between OPAL-RT and other platforms via SFP module and RT-LAB Data IN/OUT ports.
- Internet-Distributed Simulation: Connected remote simulators at SINTEF and ACS via simulator-to-simulator servers managing local and remote data exchange.
The Results
- Multi-Terminal HVDC Validation: Successfully simulated multi-terminal HVDC grids with AC grids, generators, and wind farms at 50 µs time steps.
- International Co-Simulation Platform: Established a distributed simulation platform connecting SINTEF (Norway) and ACS (Germany) over the Internet.
- European Laboratory Federation: Built a multi-terminal integration framework with Politecnico di Torino and the EC Joint Research Centre via ERIC-LAB.
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