The RTDS Simulator allows users to study the behavior of the power system via electromagnetic transient (EMT) simulation
What makes EMT simulation different than other simulation types?
The output looks like a voltage or current waveform measured with a scope
EMT simulation represents the power system in the time domain and provides instantaneous value results.
Analysis goes beyond steady state and fundamental frequency
EMT simulation is ideal, and in many cases necessary, for the detailed study of the power system’s response to disturbances over a wide frequency range.
The results are less optimistic and more realistic
EMT simulation allows for a greater depth of analysis than phasor domain (RMS) representations such as load flow or transient stability analysis. This is particularly important for modern systems with many power electronic converters.
What makes the RTDS Simulator different than other EMT simulation programs?
- The RTDS Simulator uses specialized processing hardware to run EMT simulations in real time: the time necessary to calculate the next solution point is less than or equal to the simulation timestep value.
- Real-time operation allows for external equipment to be connected to the simulator in a closed loop (hardware-in-the-loop testing).
- Real-time operation is significantly more efficient than offline (non-real-time) simulation. This allows users to perform more tests in much less time.
Multi-rate simulation
The RTDS Simulator is capable of multi-rate simulation, in which different subnetworks of the simulation run at different fixed simulation timesteps. The ability to run numerically stable multi-rate power system simulation has many advantages.
Entire circuits can be modelled in the main timestep, Substep (reduced timestep and increased hardware requirement), or Superstep (increased timestep and reduced hardware requirement) environments. The user may choose to use multi-rate simulation if they wish to reduce the quantity of simulation hardware required to represent larger networks
Represent switching transients of power electronics at high frequencies
The RTDS Simulator’s Substep environment uses a predictive switching algorithm to enable the high-fidelity simulation of voltage source converters switching in the 50 kHz range. Circuit topology is user-configurable.
Study the interactions between power electronics and AC networks
Data is exchanged between the Substep environment and the AC network every main timestep, allowing for the impact of converter-connected generation or HVDC and FACTS devices on the main network to be studied in detail.
Reduce the simulation hardware required to represent non-critical portions of the network
The RTDS Simulator’s Superstep environment allows the user to represent a portion of the network with a larger timestep, retaining the detail of EMT simulation but significantly reducing the simulation hardware required.
