Power electronics converter based reconfigurable grid emulation platform

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10873184-B2
Application number	US-201816165547-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 19, 2018
Priority date	Oct 19, 2018
Publication date	Dec 22, 2020
Grant date	Dec 22, 2020

Abstract

A system includes a controller that is configured to generate a node control signal and a plurality of switch control signals, a plurality of programmable emulators, each of the plurality of programmable emulators being configurable as one of a plurality of node types responsive to the node control signal, and a plurality of switches that are programmable to couple ones of the plurality of programmable emulators to each other responsive to the plurality of switch control signals.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a controller that is configured to generate a node control signal and a plurality of switch control signals;
a first plurality of programmable emulators, each of the plurality of programmable emulators being configurable as one of a plurality of node types responsive to the node control signal;
a second plurality of programmable emulators, each of the second plurality of programmable emulators being configurable as a long-distance transmission line emulator, a Direct Current (DC) line emulator, a high voltage DC converter emulator, or a short-distance transmission line emulator; and
a plurality of switches that are programmable to couple ones of the first plurality of programmable emulators to each other responsive to the plurality of switch control signals, to couple ones of the second plurality of programmable emulators to each other responsive to the plurality of switch control signals from the controller, and to couple the ones of the first plurality of programmable emulators to the ones of the second plurality of programmable emulators to each other responsive to the plurality of switch control signals from the controller.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the long-distance transmission line emulator, DC line emulator, and high voltage DC converter emulator each comprise a pair of power converters coupled together.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the controller is further configured to generate a long distance transmission line control signal; and
wherein the long-distance transmission line emulator is configurable as a T model transmission line, a distributed model transmission line, or a Flexible Alternating Current Transmission System (FACTS) model transmission line responsive to the long distance transmission line control signal.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the short-distance transmission line emulator comprises at least one inductor.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the controller is further configured to generate a short-distance transmission line signal;
wherein the short-distance transmission line emulator comprises a plurality of inductors; and
wherein the plurality of switches are further programmable to couple ones of the plurality of inductors to each other to adjust a transmission line length of the short-distance transmission line emulator responsive to the short-distance transmission line signal.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of node types comprises a plurality of sources and a plurality of loads.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the plurality of sources comprises a coal-fired power generator, a gas power generator, a nuclear power generator, and a plurality of distributed energy resources.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of distributed energy resources comprises a wind power generator, a photovoltaic power generator, a biomass power generator, a biogas power generator, a geothermal power generator, a hydroelectric power generator, and an electricity storage system.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the electricity storage system comprises a battery, an ultracapacitor, a flywheel, a compressed air storage device, and/or a responsive load.

10. The system of claim 6 , wherein the plurality of loads comprises a constant impedance load, a constant current load, a constant power load, a three-phase induction motor load, a single-phase induction motor load, and/or a power electronic fed load.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the power electronic fed load comprises a variable speed drive, a data center power supply, a consumer electronics power supply, and/or an electric vehicle charger.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of programmable emulators comprises a power converter.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the power converter comprises a three-phase Direct Current/Alternating Current (DC/AC) converter.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to generate a mode control signal;
wherein each of the plurality of programmable emulators is further configurable as one of a plurality of operating modes responsive to the mode control signal.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the plurality of operating modes comprises Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT), power curtailment, droop control, inertia emulation, power factor control, voltage control, frequency control, and/or reactive power support.

16. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a Real Time Digital Simulation (RTDS) system that is coupled to the plurality of programmable emulators and is configured to digitally emulate a power system source, load, or fault.

17. A method, comprising:
generating, using a controller, a node control signal and a plurality of switch control signals;
configuring each of a first plurality of programmable emulators as one of a plurality of node types responsive to a node control signal from a controller responsive to the node control signal;
configuring each of a second plurality of programmable emulators as a long-distance transmission line emulator, a Direct Current (DC) line emulator, a high voltage DC converter emulator, or a short-distance transmission line emulator;
programming a plurality of switches to couple ones of the programmable emulators to each other responsive to the plurality of switch control signals;
programming the plurality of switches to couple ones of the second plurality of programmable emulators to each other responsive to the plurality of switch control signals; and
programming the plurality of switches to couple the ones of the first plurality of programmable emulators to the ones of the second plurality of programmable emulators to each other responsive to the plurality of switch control signals.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the long-distance transmission line emulator, DC line emulator, and high voltage DC converter emulator each comprise a pair of power converters coupled together.

19. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
generating, using the controller, a long-distance transmission line control signal; and
configuring the long-distance transmission line emulator as a T model transmission line, a distributed model transmission line, or a Flexible Alternating Current Transmission System (FACTS) model transmission line responsive to a long-distance transmission line control signal from the controller.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein the short-distance transmission line emulator comprises at least one inductor.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein the short-distance transmission line emulator comprises a plurality of inductors, the method further comprising:
generating, using the controller, a short-distance transmission line signal; and
programming the plurality of switches to couple ones of the plurality of inductors to each other to adjust a transmission line length of the short-distance transmission line emulator responsive to the short-distance transmission line signal.

22. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
generating, using the controller, a mode control signal; and
configuring each of the plurality of programmable emulators as one of a plurality of operating modes responsive to the mode control signal.

23. A computer program product, comprising:
a non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising computer readable program code embodied in the medium that is executable by a processor to perform operations

Assignees

• Univ Tennessee Res Found

Inventors

• Wang Fei
• Tolbert Leon M
• Ma Yiwei
• Tomsovic Kevin
• Sun Kai
• Zhang Shuoting
• Wang Jingxin

Classifications

• H02J2103/30

  Simulating, planning, modelling, reliability check or computer assisted design [CAD] of electric power networks · CPC title

• H02J3/00 Primary

  Circuit arrangements for AC mains or AC distribution networks · CPC title

• G06F30/367 Primary

  Design verification, e.g. using simulation, simulation program with integrated circuit emphasis [SPICE], direct methods or relaxation methods · CPC title

• Y04S40/20

  Information technology specific aspects, e.g. CAD, simulation, modelling, system security · CPC title

• G06F30/331

  with hardware acceleration, e.g. by using field programmable gate array [FPGA] or emulation · CPC title