Hardware in-the-loop (HIL) simulator is commonly used in power system and power electronic applications to prototype, design and test protection equipment and power electronic controllers. The real device under test is connected to the simulator that runs the electric circuit using analog and digital I/O signals that transmit low level of power, voltage and current.
This concept has been extended to power components that require high power flows between the real component and the simulated electric circuit running on the simulator. Such a technique is also called power hardware-in-the-loop (PHIL) and is required to test power converters, generators, FACTS, and so on. However, to completely fool the real equipment, it must be interfaced and connected to the simulator using voltage and power amplifiers that can generate and absorb power since the simulator works with low level of voltage and current.
The Opal-RT’s simulators can be optionally delivered with standard or custom amplifiers that meet the most demanding requirements in power applications: high accuracy, low distortion, high bandwidth, low phase lag, …
Furthermore, sub-microsecond FPGA models can be integrated with power interfaces to emulate complex power equipment in real-time. This feature is important to test modern power electronic controllers that are integrated with high-power IGBT converters as well as to perform HIL tests using real-equipment, such as fuel cell, in the loop with the simulator.
We believe that these features are very important to utilities, manufacturers and research centers requiring modern, open and scalable real-time simulator equipments based on technologies that will easily follow the very fast evolution of computer systems and that can easily be adapted to their needs.
