HIL Testing of Grid-Side Converters

Accelerate the development of power electronics converters with Model-Based Design and Simulink

Engineers use Simulink^® and Speedgoat hardware to accelerate the development of power electronics converters. By using Model-Based Design with Simulink, power electronics engineers can use Simulink models not only for desktop simulation but also for rapid control prototyping, production code generation (either C or HDL code), and thorough validation & verification using hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing.

“Thanks to MathWorks and Speedgoat tools we can focus on our objective of designing control systems for power converters.”

Piotr Dworakowski, The SuperGrid Power Converters team leader

Use Simulink and Speedgoat hardware for HIL testing to:

Reuse power electronics models from desktop simulation to real-time testing at different levels of fidelity
Use an integrated workflow from design to testing and verification
Include switching dynamics for switching frequencies up to hundreds of kHz
Execute Simscape Electrical models in multicore CPUs or FPGAs in the range of MHz

⮕ Learn more about HIL Testing for Power Electronics Control Design

Grid-Side Converters for Renewable Energy Sources

The number of inverter-based power sources with Grid-Side Converters (GSC) in the electric grid has increased significantly as more renewable energy sources can connect to the grid. That includes grid-side converters like grid-tied inverters that track the voltage angle of the grid and grid-forming inverters that actively control their output frequency to support the overall system frequency and share the load change. GSCs are used to interface the AC grid with a DC network and can be developed from design to final testing using Simulink^® and Speedgoat hardware.

Compliance of Grid Codes

HIL testing of power electronics can be used to thoroughly test controllers before being connected to power hardware.

Testing both hardware and firmware for all operating conditions can significantly reduce potential damage to equipment and operator injury.

HIL testing may also include Power Factor Correction of voltage grid codes and frequency grid codes during fault conditions (e.g., fault-ride through).

Grid-Side Converters for Electric Drives

Electric motor drives typically use grid-side converters to interface to the electric grid. The main electrical components are motor-side converter or motor drive, a DC bus, and a grid-side converter. Both motor drives and grid-side converters are frequently controlled using Field-Oriented Control, where the three-phase voltages and currents are converted into the d-q reference frame using Clarke and Park Transforms. Grid-side converters are required to regulate the DC bus voltage, active and reactive power, as well as comply with grid code regulations.