RT23 |Real-time simulation of power electronics with the exponential integrator

Real-time electromagnetic transient simulation of power electronic converters is challenging due to high switching frequencies, and a large number of complex topologies. Furthermore, power electronic systems often present numerically stiff problems, requiring small discretization steps and implicit integration methods to ensure stability and fast convergence. This presentation provides a new solver architecture for commercial real-time simulators, it pairs an event driven framework with an exponential integrator-based numerical integration technique. By estimating switching events and synchronizing appropriately, large discretization steps are enabled compared to ultra-fine steps in a traditional real-time simulator. By decreasing the total number of computed points, the overall simulation efficiency is greatly improved. The proposed algorithm efficiently handles varying step sizes while maintaining complete numerical stability. The solver effectively captures the eigen-structure of the electrical network and can accommodate large step-sizes in extremely stiff circuits. The proposed techniques are enabled by OPAL-RTs real-time infrastructure. OPAL-RTs technology is being used to program the real-time solver algorithm, and the interfacing control for hardware-in-the-loop testing. Using OPAL-RTs hardware allows for accelerated research, giving more time for future innovations. The results from this project can optimize future real-time simulators by increasing computing capabilities for an existing testbench, or decrease the hardware needed for future simulators. This work is by a team of researchers led by Dr. Liwei Wang from the School of Engineering, UBC Okanagan.