Abstract:
The Dominion Energy RTDS Lab was created in 2012 and it has grown considerably since then. Recently, it almost doubled in size, with a total of ten NovaCor racks with nearly all cores enabled. The lab has been used for HIL studies using our FACTS replicas (STATCOMs, SVC, and FSC), protections studies, as well as a plethora of power quality and harmonics analysis. Recently, we started incorporating the use of RTDS for operator training to increase their understanding of phenomena like generators frequency response or the process of island synchronization.
Currently, we are working towards building an RSCAD model of our complete transmission system. In addition to the general convenience of always having an up to date model of our system (eliminating the need to build ad-hoc models for every study), our goal is to be able to provide real-time support during severe events, such as blackstart and system restoration scenarios. While creating the model is a long-term and time consuming process, we have already developed an automated pipeline to map EMS data to the RSCAD model. This capability allows us to quickly initialize the RSCAD model (generator setpoints, loads, in-services status of lines, etc.) based on the current system conditions, as well as specific past states thanks to our data historian.
Andrea Pinceti, Dominion Energy