Distributed Power Hardware-in-the-Loop Testing Using a Grid-Forming Converter as Power Interface

Steffen Vogel, Ha Thi Nguyen, Marija Stevic, Tue Vissing Jensen, Kai Heussen, Vetrivel Subramaniam Rajkumar and Antonello Monti
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Steffen Vogel: RWTH Aachen University, 52062 Aachen, Germany
Ha Thi Nguyen: Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
Marija Stevic: RWTH Aachen University, 52062 Aachen, Germany
Tue Vissing Jensen: Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
Kai Heussen: Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
Vetrivel Subramaniam Rajkumar: Delft University of Technology, 2628 CD Delft, The Netherlands
Antonello Monti: RWTH Aachen University, 52062 Aachen, Germany

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 15, 1-24

Abstract: This paper presents an approach to extend the capabilities of smart grid laboratories through the concept of Power Hardware-in-the-Loop (PHiL) testing by re-purposing existing grid-forming converters. A simple and cost-effective power interface, paired with a remotely located Digital Real-time Simulator (DRTS), facilitates Geographically Distributed Power Hardware Loop (GD-PHiL) in a quasi-static operating regime. In this study, a DRTS simulator was interfaced via the public internet with a grid-forming ship-to-shore converter located in a smart-grid testing laboratory, approximately 40 km away from the simulator. A case study based on the IEEE 13-bus distribution network, an on-load-tap-changer (OLTC) controller and a controllable load in the laboratory demonstrated the feasibility of such a setup. A simple compensation method applicable to this multi-rate setup is proposed and evaluated. Experimental results indicate that this compensation method significantly enhances the voltage response, whereas the conservation of energy at the coupling point still poses a challenge. Findings also show that, due to inherent limitations of the converter’s Modbus interface, a separate measurement setup is preferable. This can help achieve higher measurement fidelity, while simultaneously increasing the loop rate of the PHiL setup.

Keywords: geographically distributed real-time simulation; remote power hardware-in-the-Loop; grid-forming converter; hardware-in-the-loop; simulation fidelity; energy-based metric; energy residual; quasi-stationary (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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