A design and implementation of FPGA-based real-time simulator for distribution system with DG integration

The field-programmable gate array (FPGA)-based real-time simulator takes advantage of many merits of FPGA, such as small time-step, high simulation precision, rich I/O interface resources, and low cost. The sparse linear equations formed by the node conductance matrix need to be solved repeatedly within each time-step, which introduces great challenges to the performance of the real-time simulator. In this paper, a fine-grained solver of the FPGA-based real-time simulator for active distribution networks is designed to meet the computational demand. The framework of the solver, offline process design on PC and online process design on FPGA are proposed in detail. The modified IEEE 33-node system with photovoltaics is simulated on a 4-FPGA-based real-time simulator. Simulation results are compared with PSCAD/EMTDC under the same conditions to validate the solver design.

The literature review explores the evolution and advancements in the implementation of latency-based solvers for real-time simulation of power electronic systems using field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).The journey begins with Dr. Johnson, who highlights the exceptional capability of FPGAs to outperform traditional general-purpose processors in floating-point throughput for power flow computations.[1] This foundational work sets the stage for subsequent research that delves deeper into the acceleration of various computational tasks using FPGA technology.As the field continues to mature, new methodologies and algorithms are developed to harness the full potential of FPGAs.These innovations aim to not only improve the performance of power electronic simulations, but also to enhance the flexibility and reconfigurability of the systems.Researchers are exploring novel approaches such as adaptive solvers, where the latency of the system dynamically adjusts based on the complexity of the simulation.[2] This adaptive nature allows for efficient resource allocation and utilization in real-time applications, leading to improved overall system performance.Furthermore, advancements in FPGA architecture and design techniques enable the integration of multiple solvers on a single chip, catering to the increasing demand for multi-domain simulations.This integration paves the way for seamless co-simulation of diverse power electronic systems, including converters, inverters, and motor drives.Additionally, the emergence of high-level synthesis tools simplifies the development process, making it more accessible to researchers and practitioners alike.[3] These tools enable the conversion of high-level hardware description languages into FPGA-specific designs, alleviating the need for manual low-level coding.Moreover, the availability of FPGA development boards and development kits provides a testing ground for prototype implementations, allowing researchers to evaluate their designs in a real-world scenario.[1] In conclusion, the literature review highlights the evolutionary journey of latency-based solvers for real-time power electronic simulations using FPGAs.From the initial groundbreaking work to the current state-of-the-art advancements, researchers have continuously pushed the boundaries to achieve higher performance and accuracy.With ongoing research and innovation, the field is poised for further growth and development, promising even more efficient and versatile solutions for real-time power electronic simulations.[4] [5] build on this foundation by addressing the parallelization of the sparse Matrix-Solve phase in SPICE applications.Their findings indicate that reduced-precision floating-point datapaths can significantly enhance performance, achieving speedups of 2-18 times over single-core microprocessor implementations.This article emphasizes the importance of exploiting parallelism and optimizing resource usage in FPGA designs.The authors present an FPGA-based framework that effectively tackles and addresses the inherent challenges associated with simulating intricate physical phenomena utilizing unstructured spatial discretization.This innovative and pioneering approach significantly enhances data locality and memory access patterns, thereby showcasing a remarkable and astonishing 90 times speedup as compared to high-performance microprocessors.[1] The demonstrated outcomes and results of this work serve to underscore and emphasize the critical significance of efficient and effective memory management when harnessing and leveraging the immense computational power offered by FPGAs.This research proves to be a groundbreaking and pivotal advancement in the field, with far-reaching implications and potential for further exploration and application in diverse areas of study.[6] Introduce FPGA-SPICE, which is a state-of-the-art simulation-based power estimation framework that perfectly integrates seamlessly with cutting-edge architecture exploration tools.

For the power system with a large number of power electronic equipment, the traditional electromagnetic transient real-time simulator is difficult to achieve small step simulation. To solve this problem, a power system transient real-time simulator is built by adopting a power system multi-rate real-time simulation method based on field programmable gate array (FPGA) and CPU. Taking the photovoltaic power generation system as an example, the system is divided into a large step part and a small step part by adopting a model partition method, and the asynchronous communication between FPGA and CPU is realized through Ethernet to form a large step-small step multi-rate co-simulation platform. For the error problem caused by the system data interaction after model partition, a PWM equivalent averaging method is proposed to equalize the output voltage at the AC side of the inverter, so as to reduce the error and compare the consumption of the equalized hardware resource. Finally, by comparing with the simulation results of the Simulink offline model, the experimental results have verified the effectiveness and accuracy of the method in real-time simulation of the power system.

The method for modeling switching converters plays a key role in real-time simulators. Associate discrete circuit (ADC) modeling technique is a commonly used method for modeling the switching converter. However, the optimal selection of the ADC-based switch model parameters has great importance in the accuracy of the real-time simulator. In this paper, the design of a real-time simulator for a switching power converter has been done, in which a novel method for detecting optimum values of the switch model parameters has been expressed. Particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is used to find these optimum values using state-space analysis of the modeled circuit in the z-domain. The modified nodal analysis (MNA) method solves the real-time model at each simulation time-step. Case studies are a single-phase 5-level Cascaded H-Bridge (CHB), three-phase 9-level CHB inverter, and a Transmission line. Field-programmable gate array (FPGA) has been used as a platform for implementing the real-time simulator. Experimental result of the real-time simulator of the 5-level CHB inverter on a SPARTAN-6 FPGA and its comparison with the result of a prototype of a 5-level CHB inverter confirms not only the performance of the real-time simulator, but also the effectiveness of the proposed method for confirming the real-time simulator accuracy.

This paper deals with a real-time simulation (RTS) able to accurately reproduce an electrical system in real-time. The RTS proposed architecture is written in VHDL and implemented in a field programmable gate array (FPGA) device. Multi-sampling approach is adopted allowing a real-time functioning with different time-steps and different operating conditions with minimized lost of accuracy. The proposed concept is illustrated by the RTS of each of a three-phase RLE load performed with a very short time step of 2.5 mus, an inverter, the measurement system and the hysteresis current controllers. Comparison with experimental results shows the high performances of this RTS.

A photovoltaic (PV) generation system (PGS) is becoming increasingly important as renewable energy sources due to its advantages such as absence of fuel cost, low maintenance requirement, and environmental friendliness. For large PGS, the probability for partially shaded condition (PSC) to occur is also high. Under PSC, the P-V curve of PGS exhibits multiple peaks, which reduces the effectiveness of conventional maximum power point tracking (MPPT) methods. In this paper, a particle swarm optimization (PSO)-based MPPT algorithm for PGS operating under PSC is proposed. The standard version of PSO is modified to meet the practical consideration of PGS operating under PSC. The problem formulation, design procedure, and parameter setting method which takes the hardware limitation into account are described and explained in detail. The proposed method boasts the advantages such as easy to implement, system-independent, and high tracking efficiency. To validate the correctness of the proposed method, simulation, and experimental results of a 500-W PGS will also be provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed technique.

The major aim of any power system is the continuous provision of safe, quality and reliable electric power to the customers. One of the greatest challenges to meeting up with this goal is the failure of components in the system. In this article, the frequency of outages caused by failure of different components in the distribution system was investigated to ascertain the ones that are more susceptible to failure by comparing their proportions in the entire failure events. The outage data obtained from Irrua Transmission Station comprising Ehor, Ubiaja and Uzebba 33kV feeders were analyzed using Microsoft Excel while the hazard rates were measured using the failure rate index. Findings revealed that 93.77% of all the forced outages in the distribution subsystem in the power sector are caused by the high exposure rate of the bare aluminum conductors used in the construction of the various overhead feeders. Subsequently, the yearly failure rates of aluminum conductors, cross arms, relay, insulators, fuses, electric poles, breakers, transformers, isolators, cables lightning surge arresters were found to be 836.0, 17.5, 17.0, 10.3, 4.3, 2.0, 1.5, 1.3, 1.0, 0.5 and 0.3 respectively in the studied network. A comparison between this study and a related work showed that the rural feeders are more prone to faults as compared to the ones in the urban areas. It was therefore recommended that regular tree trimming along the network corridor should be done. Proper conductor size should be used in every subsequent construction and every segment with undersized conductor should be replaced with the appropriate size. This study will help the power system engineers in the design, construction, maintenance and operation of the distribution power system for optimum and improved system performance.

This paper presents the implementation and experimental details of a real-time digital simulator designed for representing a Distribution Static Compensator (D-STATCOM) interfaced with a digital controller. Real-time simulation using conventional fixed time-step integration algorithms can lead to erroneous results due to the lack of synchronism between the simulator time-step and the discrete switching signals coming from the digital controller. The real-time simulation algorithm implemented in this paper overcomes the drawbacks of a fixed time-step algorithm. The real-time algorithm relies on precise registration of timing of the incoming discrete firing pulses and a subsequent correction procedure to calculate the system state. This approach has been implemented on a hybrid digital processing platform comprising of a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) and a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). The platform represents both the power electronic system and the digital control system. Experimental results, for a 5 kV A D-STATCOM system, in verification of the real-time simulator results are also provided.

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) are an increasingly attractive response to the future transportation challenges because of their potential economic and environmental benefits. When integrating PHEVs into the distribution system, it is necessary to evaluate the impact of PHEVs on distribution system reliability from the perspective of system adequacy. This paper develops a probabilistic reliability model for integrated distribution and PHEV systems. A comprehensive and time sequential Monte Carlo simulation method is applied to generate the artificial operation history for each component of a residential distribution system, and a complete simulation procedure considering the PHEVs integration is proposed. The IEEE-34 feeder system is utilized as the residential distribution network in case studies, and simulation results are presented and discussed.

This paper presents a field-programmable gate array (FPGA)-based real-time digital simulator for power electronic apparatus based on a realistic device-level behavioral model. A three-level 12-pulse voltage source converter (VSC)-fed induction machine drive is implemented on the FPGA. The VSC model is computed at a fixed time step of 12.5 ns, allowing a realistic representation of insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) nonlinear switching characteristics and power losses. The simulator also models a squirrel-cage induction machine, a direct field-oriented control system, and a pulsewidth modulator to achieve the real-time simulation of the complete drive system. All the models have been implemented using very high speed integrated circuit hardware description language (VHDL). Real-time simulation results have been validated using the measured device-level IGBT characteristics.

Contemporary digital systems must necessarily be based on the “System-on-Chip - SoC” concept. An interesting style for SoC design is the GALS (Globally Asynchronous, Locally Synchronous) paradigm, which can be used to implement circuits in FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Array). Although these devices have the benefits of low-cost and short development time, there's a major drawback which is implementing Asynchronous Interfaces (AI) in FPGA devices. There's a typical AI design style which is based on asynchronous controllers that provides communication between modules (called ports), but Port controllers are subject to essential-hazard when implemented FPGAs. This paper proposes a method based on direct mapping to implement these ports. It begins with an MBG (multi-burst graph) specification and makes use of the essential signal concept to check if the resulting circuit is hazard-free, or to point potential essential-hazard problems in the circuit. By satisfying the essential signal condition, this method is capable of providing robust ports, i.e. essential-hazard-free.

In the complicated application environment, for example, the distributed system, attackers using various illegal ways to attack the Field Program Gate Array (FPGA) devices to destroy or forge the hardware logic and the firmware. This paper proposes a feasible method which provides a FPGA chip with configuration interface, control and check interface. Through building a trusted channel with this FPGA chip, remote trusted severs can in real-time configure, check and control the chip, to ensure its trustworthiness.

As the capacity of wind and photovoltaic (PV) generation systems increases, wind-PV capacity coordination for a time-of-use (TOU) rate industrial user may become an important problem. This coordination can maximise the economic benefits of investing in a wind generation system and a PV generation system. An evolutionary particle swarm optimisation approach to solve the wind-PV capacity coordination for a TOU rate industrial user is proposed. A benefit-cost ratio (BCR) is used to evaluate the economic benefit of investing in wind and PV generation systems for a TOU rate industrial user. The optimal contract capacities and the optimal installed capacities of the wind and PV generation systems for a TOU rate industrial user are obtained. The BCR of investing in wind and PV generation systems are maximised. Test results illustrate the merits of the proposed approach and help determine the impact of changes in electricity cost and capital cost on wind-PV capacity coordination for a TOU rate industrial user.

The microgrid containing a large amount of high frequency power switches and nonlinear components has put forward high requirements for power system real-time simulation technology. Multivalued coefficient prestorage can reduce the calculation steps in real-time simulation. In order to reduce the storage pressure of the multivalued coefficients, the whole network is divided into multiple subnetworks that can be simulated in parallel, and only the parameters for computing input variables and internal variables are prestored. The multiport hybrid equivalent is performed to reduce the number of simultaneous network equations. The input variables are tied to state variables of the circuit so that the iterative calculation is limited to the local network. The devised methodology is validated through simulation of a low-voltage microgrid on a field programmable gate array (FPGA)-based real-time digital simulation (FRTDS) platform at a 5 μs time step. Comparison with a power systems computer aided design (PSCAD)/electromagnetic transients including DC (EMTDC) model shows that the proposed method is effective.

Real-time (RT) simulation plays a fundamental role in the design and validation of hardware and software for power electronic converters and electric drives. In this paper, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA)-based RT platform for simulation of power converters and electric machines is presented. Strategies for modeling power electronic devices are explained and compared. In addition, a Thevenin-based equivalent model of a switch is enhanced to model the on characteristics of these devices. This motivates the design of an electrothermal algorithm for FPGA implementation. With respect to electric machines, different methods for modeling of the saturation characteristics are evaluated for their use in RT simulation. A procedure to efficiently compute the saturation characteristics is proposed. Finally, a hardware-in-the-loop model of an electric vehicle drive is used to illustrate the machine saturation.