Two OPAL-RT HYPERSIM Real-Time Simulators Installed in RTE’s HIL Test Facility for the INELFE Project
RTE (Réseau de Transport d’Électricité)
Energy
09 / 27 / 2016
The Company
RTE (Réseau de Transport d’Électricité) is the sole operator of France’s public electricity transmission network and is responsible for operating, maintaining, and developing approximately 106,000 km of high- and extra-high-voltage transmission lines.
For the INELFE project, RTE participated in the first VSC installation jointly operated and maintained by the French (RTE) and Spanish (REE) transmission system operators. The project doubled the power exchange capacity between France and Spain through a new HVDC interconnection.
The Challenges
- Long-Term Control System Maintenance: Manufacturer-supplied black-box control models can be difficult to maintain throughout the equipment lifecycle.
- Interoperability Validation: Different modeling approaches needed to be validated while ensuring interoperability and avoiding detrimental control interactions.
- Complex HVDC Testing Requirements: Multi-vendor and multi-infeed HVDC schemes required comprehensive testing in a representative environment.
The commissioning of INELFE replicas in RTE laboratory was a clear success. Thanks to the test bench developed in collaboration with OPAL-RT, the technical challenges were analysed prior to commissioning. The HYPERSIM platform provided a flexible and a high-performance solution to test MMC controls.
Sébastien Dennetière
Réseau de Transport d’Électricité (RTE)
The OPAL-RT Solution
- HIL Test Facility: RTE developed the SMARte Hardware-in-the-Loop facility in collaboration with Hydro-Québec and OPAL-RT to test INELFE control systems
- HYPERSIM Real-Time Simulation: Two HYPERSIM real-time simulators were connected to control system replicas to simulate VSC converters and AC grids.
- Scalable OPAL-RT Hardware Platform: The facility integrated OP5600, OP5607, and OP5030 systems to support simulation, control, and data acquisition requirements.
The Results
- Control System Validation: RTE tested control system functions for the France-Spain interconnection and verified proper system operation.
- Multi-Vendor Testing Capability: The facility supports the study of adverse control interactions and testing of multi-vendor and multi-infeed schemes.
- Support for Modeling and Maintenance: The platform validates different modeling approaches and supports maintenance activities.
- Successful INELFE Operation: The HVDC line entered operation in the third quarter of 2015, doubling the power exchange capacity between France and Spain.
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