Emulate complete electric power grids using real-time test systems and test controllers, protection systems, and electrical equipment. Evaluate equipment under different grid operation and fault scenarios using a digital twin of the actual power grid. You can partition large multi-physics models among several test systems with several Speedgoat real-time target computers. The seamless integration of Speedgoat target machines with Simscape™ Electrical™ enables real-time simulation of operating scenarios in a reproducible manner.
Simscape™ Electrical™ provides reference models to get started with desktop simulation of controls, and later transition to test and verification of controllers and electrical components. Use HIL simulation to test controllers thoroughly, evaluate protection and monitoring of distributed energy resources (DER), or commission SCADA, PMUs, and automation systems for a distribution network using communication protocols like DNP3 or IEC 61850.
Accelerate the development of controllers and grid components such as phasor measurement units (PMU), power management systems (PMS), protection relays, and onboard electrical systems. Easily connect with your actual power grid, power equipment, or electrical vehicle (EV) chargers via I/O interfaces or communication protocols like CAN bus, Modbus TCP, and DNP3.
"The Speedgoat HIL test rig provides a versatile platform to include different levels of model fidelity to assess the DC grid stability of control strategies on different operating conditions." Eneko Unamuno, Mondragon University
"The Speedgoat HIL test rig provides a versatile platform to include different levels of model fidelity to assess the DC grid stability of control strategies on different operating conditions."
Eneko Unamuno, Mondragon University
User-defined models with Simulink® and Simscape™ Electrical™
Automate the creation of large power grid models
Distributed simulation over multiple CPU cores and real-time computers
Large multi-rate and multi-platform simulations
Combine phasor and EMT models with high-fidelity power electronics models
Access full-fletched reference examples in Simulink® and Simscape™ Electrical™ to get you started on microgrids control and testing renewable energy source integration
Deploy power grid and electric system models created in Simulink® including interfaces to your equipment via communication protocols like DNP3 and IEC 61850.
Visualize, log and tune parameters in real-time from Simulink®.
Test automation of protection and monitoring equipment for substations automation, digital substations, HVDC, FACTS, microgrids, transmission and distribution networks.
Evaluate the effects of renewable energy generation on the grid stability and inertia. Include the electrical, hydraulic, or mechanical dynamics from renewable energy sources like wind turbines, tidal generators, solar panels or combined heat and power (CHP).
Add multi-core real-time target machines, I/O modules, and FPGAs as your project grows. Interface multiple Simulink®-programmable FPGAs with Aurora protocol via multi-gigabit transceivers.
Extend your plant model with ready-to-use I/O driver blocks. For example, generate feedback signals such as quadrature encoder or resolver, and communicate over protocols such as SPI, I2C, EtherCAT, or CAN.
Real-Time Simulation of Transmission and Distribution Networks
Use Simscape™ Electrical™ and Speedgoat hardware for the real-time simulation of large generation, transmission, and distribution networks with several thousands of nodes. Connect the simulation of the electric power grid to actual protection equipment, monitoring and SCADA systems via I/O interfaces and communication protocols like IEC61850 or DNP3. Real-time simulation of the electric grid provides an ideal tool for renewable integration testing and to simulate and test grid inertia, resilience and even cybersecurity. Use Power HIL testing to interface electrical equipment at full power and test under typical and fault operating conditions.
Frequently Used I/O Interfaces
Simulink® Application Resources
Distribution Automation
Perform thorough testing for different fault scenarios and cyber threats for a substation automation system while being connected to an accurate simulation of the power grid. Test protection relays, grid controllers, or SCADA systems for distribution systems including protocols like IEC 61850 or DNP3. Include IEEE feeder data via MATLAB® scripts and automate the creation of large distribution models. Leverage multi-core and multi-target simulations for large power networks combining phasor-based simulation and electromagnetic transient (EMT) models.
Wide Area Monitoring, Protection and Control
Test renewable energy sources, converters, monitoring, protection, and control systems against a virtual power grid or microgrid using Simscape™ Electrical™ and Speedgoat hardware. Test and emulate hundreds of phasor measurement units (PMUs) while connected to a simulation of the power grid. It is possible to interconnect multiple Speedgoat real-time target computers with low latency shared memory links to simulate models with several thousands of nodes. Choose from a wide range of protocols including Modbus, PROFINET, DNP3 and IEC 61850.
HVDC and Flexible AC Transmission
Develop and test controllers for power transmission networks including high-voltage DC (HVDC) and flexible AC transmission systems (FACTS). Test power flow control, reactive power control, voltage control, power quality improvement, harmonic mitigation. Leverage available examples for static Synchronous Compensator (STATCOM), static VAR compensator (SVC), Unified-Power-Flow-Controller (UPFC) that can run on real time on Speedgoat hardware. Emulate transmission networks with Power-HIL to test electrical equipment including FACTS devices or protection relays.
Digital Substation
Use Speedgoat real-time systems to develop and test digital substation equipment using communication protocols like IEC 61850 and DNP3. Include complex generation, transmission and distribution models while testing controllers and electrical equipment by using hardware in-the-loop testing and power hardware-in-the-loop (Power HIL), respectively. Use test automation to validate digital substations including interactions with electrical vehicle (EV) chargers, relays, converters and renewable energy sources (both AC or DC).
Success Stories
Relevant Resources
From Desktop to Real-Time Simulation for Electrical Grids – Webinar
Hybrid Electric Aircraft Model in Simscape (Real-time ready) – Reference Example
Distribution System Model in Simscape: 123 Node Test Feeder – Example
HIL Testing of Grid-Side Converters – Webpage
Rapidly prototype control designs by applying rapid control prototyping, test embedded controllers withhardware-in-the-loop simulation of digital twins, and leverage Speedgoat systems as embedded controllers.
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