As a crucial part of cyber-physical systems, a digital twin can process data, visualize processes, and send commands to the control system, which can be used for the research on thermal power plants that are vital for providing energy for manufacturing and industry, and also daily consumptions. This article introduces the methodologies and techniques toward a web-based digital twin thermal power plant. To implement a web-based digital twin thermal power plant, the architecture, modeling, control algorithm, rule model, and physical-digital twin control are explored. The potential functionalities of the web-based digital twin including real-time monitoring, visualization and interactions, and provided services for physical thermal plants and universities are also presented. A case study has been provided to illustrate the web-based digital twin power plant. The research in this article can provide potential solutions for web-based digital twin research and education.

The monitoring and control of DC-DC converters have become key issues since DC-DC converters are gradually playing increasingly crucial roles in power electronics applications such as electric vehicles and renewable energy systems. As an emerging and transforming technology, the digital twin, which is a dynamic virtual replica of a physical system, can potentially provide solutions for the monitoring and control of DC-DC converters. This work discusses the design and implementation of the digital twin DC-DC converter in detail. The key features of the physical and twin systems are outlined, and the control architecture is provided. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed digital twin method, four possible cases that may occur during the practical control scenarios of DC-DC converter applications are discussed. Simulations and experimental verification are conducted, showing that the digital twin can dynamically track the physical DC-DC converter, detect the failure of the physical controller and replace it in real time.

This paper is to present the design, analysis and verification of a new hybrid wireless power transfer (HWPT) system, which has a space-saving coupler structure. The key of the design is to simplify two coupling capacitor plates into one single frame-shaped plate at each side. Then, the coupling coil for inductive power transfer (IPT) is embedded into the metal frame to form a compact hybrid coupler. Meanwhile, the coupling polarity between the coils is specified to realize the superposition of the inductive and capacitive coupling. As a result, the proposed HWPT system can offer a good comprise of efficiency promotion and a space-saving coupler structure simultaneously. To illustrate the system working principle, the equivalent circuit model is firstly derived. Then, a detailed analysis is conducted in terms of the reflected impedance. Consequently, the mechanism of the efficiency promotion can be clearly explained. Finally, a prototype is constructed with experiments, which validates the effectiveness of the proposed HWPT system. Results show that an efficiency increase of 14% over the pure IPT is obtained at 35 cm distance. Moreover, the effects of varying the resonant frequency are also carried out to instruct the practical system design.

Contribution: A 3-D interactive learning environment, from which students of different levels in the control engineering background can benefit regarding classroom demonstration and online experimentation, is present. The findings support that students can benefit from the application of the online laboratory. Background: Control system design is vital in control engineering education. Conventionally, lectures on control system design are difficult for students to comprehend. Some online laboratories can be used for remote and virtual experiments on control system design. However, little attention has been paid to the possible classroom demonstration using online laboratories. Intended Outcomes: Students in a course on control system design are expected to be able to: 1) comprehend theories and concepts better from improved classroom teaching with online interactive demonstrations; 2) customize control algorithms in after-class experimentation; and 3) tailor monitoring interfaces with rich interactive features. Application Design: Education-oriented technologies are provided to offer both remote and virtual experimental services. 3-D visualization and interaction are achieved which enable great flexibility and interactivities for users. The proportional-integral (PI) control of a remote fan speed control test rig has been used to teach the design of integral anti-windup. Teaching and learning scenarios have been demonstrated regarding students at four different levels, which can help students to comprehend different concepts in control related modules. Findings: The multiyear evaluation results show that there is an improvement in student performance with the application of Networked Control System Laboratory (NCSLab). Students obtained a higher final score in the two class modules on average. Moreover, there is a boost regarding the assessment of the two class modules.

This article introduces a unified and flexible experimental framework for massive online experimentation of control education. The new architecture adopts a front-end and back-end separation scheme based on React at frontend and Nginx at backend, and a single page application has been achieved to improve user experience. Multiple features and supporting technologies which provide a flexible, interactive, and real-time platform with enhanced sense of presence and user experience are discussed. The design and implementation of the proposed system are depicted in detail. With the implementation of online algorithm design, the unified framework enables all the functionalities such as web-based algorithm design, parameter tuning, visual configuration of customized user interface, and real-time control with remote and virtual laboratories, which cover the entire process in control education experimentation. A case study with students from two universities shows that the implemented online laboratory framework can support massive students with minimum maintenance required.

Online experimentation systems that support remote and/or virtual experiments in an Internet-based environment play an important role in skill-enhanced online learning, especially in the field of engineering. This paper explores a human-centered online system with a unified architecture that covers the entire process of control engineering experimentation. The control and security-oriented design are presented and the human-centered design including the HTML5-based web application and the configurable graphical user interface is also introduced. Interactive features such as tuning parameters and three-dimensional (3-D) animations and interactions are integrated into the system. Enhanced 3-D effects such as anaglyph 3-D and parallax 3-D are also provided. Thus, users can experience different types of 3-D effects on experiment equipment or in a 3-D virtual world while conducting experiments. Details of an application example with a dual tank system are also explored to verify the performance of the proposed system.