Hardware-in-the-loop real-time simulation of power electronic systems

Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) real-time simulation is one of the real-time tools used from the early development stages and the performance testing of the power electronics all the way to the commission maintenance throughout the full life cycle. In the HIL simulation the behavior of the power electronic system is simulated in a digital real-time simulator (DRTS), which interacts with one or more devices under test (DUT) through a signal or power interface. HIL real-time simulations must comply with strict time constraints imposed by the real-time computing and interfacing requirements, which imposes significant challenges in the design and use of such a tool. To develop or use a HIL platform, it is inevitable to consider the interaction effects among three basic components: DUT, DRTS, and the signal/power interface. In this chapter the time constraint in the HIL simulation is first discussed. Moreover the interfacing issues are analyzed and the corresponding interface algorithms are presented in detail.