Abstract:
The ability to test the logic of a controller for power electronics using a real-time simulator (RTS) is desirable for de-risking system integration and resolving challenges with field deployments. Traditional controller hardware-in-the-loop (CHIL) methods have limitations that are overcome with our novel CHILplug approach. The CHILplug extends traditional CHIL by allowing various software layers of the control to interact with the simulated system rather than using traditional digital and analog I/O. In order to be effective, the controller must be designed with CHILplug interfaces, which increases the early-stage development efforts. However, this upfront cost enables incremental verification of the control from early stages of design, through deployment, and maintenance. In order to realize a prototype CHILplug, the Aurora protocol ports on a NovaCor were utilized. Details of the CHILplug prototype are given in the context of a 300 kVA medium voltage switched-capacitor modular multi-level converter. In addition to CHIL testing, the high-speed Aurora interface has enabled additional benefits by extending signal processing and logging capabilities.
Isabel Barnola, Florida State University - Center for Advanced Power Systems