A versatile cluster-based real-time digital simulator for power engineering research

This paper presents the development of a unique parallel and distributed real-time digital simulator for power engineering research at the University of Alberta. The simulator is built entirely from commodity-off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware and software components, making it very flexible and scalable. In parallel multi-tasking operations, a combination of real-time Linux operating system and an ultra-fast network forms the backbone for the internal communication between the 16 powerful processors of the Xeon-Cluster. Field programmable gate array (FPGA)-based multi-channel digital and analog I/O ports are interfaced to communicate with the external hardware components. The model development software utilized for power applications is based on the highly customizable industry-standard MATLAB/SIMULINK environment. A detailed case study of the real-time simulation of a three-level 12-pulse vector-controlled ac drive is presented to illustrate the precision capabilities of the simulator. Multiple integration algorithms and multirate computation have been applied for the simulation of the system, with slow (machine) and fast (converter) dynamic components. Real-time simulation of the entire system has been achieved with a maximum computation time of 5.35 μs on a step-size of 10 μs for the first time. Results obtained from the real-time simulation have been validated with an offline simulation using PSCAD/EMTDC.