This paper is devoted to the description of a new approach for large-scale electric power systems (EPS) simulation, so-called hybrid simulation approach. The design and research of EPS require solving a large number of non-trivial tasks. Due to the well-known EPS specificity, mathematical modeling is the only way to proceed. According to the hybrid approach, several simulation techniques (analogue, digital, and physical) are used to achieve the best results. An analogue part provides the elimination of methodological integration error, which appears in a case of numerical methods usage. A digital part allows the realization of control and parameter changing algorithms on software level. In a physical part, the connection and switching of modeled elements are provided in a way as in real EPS. In addition, the paper presents hardware features of the simulator-hybrid real-time power system simulator (HRTSim), which is an alternative to the digital simulators currently used. The important part of this paper is the result of comparative analysis of transient processes oscillograms obtained by HRTSim and real disturbance recorders in Tomsk region power system, as well as HRTSim and real-time digital simulator.

The motivation for the presented research is based on the needs to develop new methods and tools for obtaining the information required to evaluate the mutual influence of HVDC and HVAC systems. This paper presents the specialized concept of a hybrid simulation for advanced modeling of VSC HVDC. The results obtained by the prototype of specialized hybrid processor of VSC HVDC model confirm the effectiveness of the proposed approach with respect to the detailed representation of commutation process of real power semiconductors and possibility of real-time simulation of all the processes in VSC and EPS as a whole without any decomposition and limitation on their duration.

In modern converter-dominated power systems, total inertia is very variable and depends on the share of power generated by renewable-based converter-interfaced generation (CIG) at each specific moment. As a result, the limits required by the grid codes on the rate of change of frequency and its nadir or zenith during disturbances become challenging to achieve with conventional control approaches. Therefore, the transition to a novel control strategy of CIG with a grid-forming power converter is relevant. For this purpose, a control algorithm based on a virtual synchronous generator (VSG) is used, which simulates the properties and capabilities of a conventional synchronous generation. However, due to continuously changing operating conditions in converter-dominated power systems, the virtual inertia formed by VSG must be adaptive. At the same time, the efficiency of adaptive algorithms strongly depends on the used VSG structure. In this connection, this paper proposes an enhanced VSG structure for which the transfer function of the active power control loop was formed. With the help of it, the advantages over the conventional VSG structure were proven, which are necessary for the effective adaptive control of the VSG parameters. Then, the analysis of the impact of the VSG parameters on the dynamic response using the transient characteristics in the time domain was performed. Based on the results obtained, adaptive algorithms for independent control of the virtual inertia and the parameters of the VSG damper winding were developed. The performed mathematical modeling confirmed the reliable and effective operation of the developed adaptive control algorithms and the enhanced VSG structure. The theoretical and experimental results obtained in this paper indicate the need for simultaneous development and improvement of both adaptive control algorithms and VSG structures used for this purpose.

The transience and unpredictability of processes in electric power systems (EPS) determine complexity of its control. This problem is especially relevant for EPS with renewable energy sources and flexible alternating current transmission systems technologies. Automatic control systems simplify the solution of this problem. Despite this, many issues related to EPS state control are solved by power system operators. Decision support systems (DSS) are applying to increase efficiency of operators work. However, existing algorithms in practice are inoperable in some cases: unrealizable decisions are formed, or decision cannot be found at all, etc. Another important problem is impossibility to preliminarily verify the proposed solution. In this regard, operators can additionally use EPS simulators, which are usually limited either by the size of simulated scheme or by the details of equipment mathematical models. The limitations are a consequence of numerical methods using, which are badly applicable for large-scale power systems simulation. In this article, a novel DSS has been developed based on a hybrid approach to EPS modeling combining properties and capabilities of several simulation techniques: analog, physical and digital. The implicit integration of differential equations in analog way makes possible modeling faster than real time. Such opportunity allows operator to verify more decisions and select the most effective ones. The algorithm for DSS application has been developed and described in the article. The properties and capabilities of the developed DSS are confirmed by experimental studies and tests in a real EPS.

Reliability and survivability of electric power systems (EPS) depend on transient stability assessment (TSA). One of the most effective way to TSA is time-domain simulation. However, large-scale EPS mathematical model contains a stiff nonlinear system of high-order differential equations. Such system cannot be solved analytically. At the same time, numerical methods are imperfectly applied for such system due to limitation conditions. To make it appropriate, the EPS mathematical model is simplified and additional limitations are used. These simplifications and limitations reduce reliability of simulation results. Consequently, their validation is needed. The most reliable approach to provide it is to compare the simulation results with the field data. However, in practice, there are not enough data for such validation. This paper proposes an alternative approach for validation – the application of a reference model instead of field data. A hardware-software system HRTSim was used as a reference model. This power system simulator has all the necessary properties and capabilities to obtain reliable information required for comprehensive validation of transient stability calculations in EPSs. Main disturbances leading to instability in EPSs are investigated to conduct the validation (processes in cases of faults, single-phase auto-reclosing operation and power system interconnection). Fragments of corresponding experimental studies illustrate the efficiency of the proposed approach. Obtained results confirmed the possibility of the developed approach to identify the causes of numerical calculation errors and to determine disturbances calculated with the significant error. In addition, experimental studies have revealed that numerical calculations error depends on disturbances intensity.

Frequency control is one of the most important tasks in electric power systems. At the same time, in modern power systems with inertia-free converter-interfaced generation, this task has become more complex. Such an issue is especially relevant for microgrids, which are characterized by a significant increase in the rate of change of frequency and its nadir or zenith. An effective way is through the use of energy storage systems (ESSs) with a grid-forming control in microgrids. For this purpose, this paper proposes a novel structure of the control algorithm based on a current-control virtual synchronous generator (CC-VSG), in which the damping is performed using a feedforward controller. In addition, a simple proportional–integral controller is added to the CC-VSG structure to control the state of charge of the ESS. The performed frequency analysis proves the independence of the different control loop operations within the developed CC-VSG. At the same time, a methodology based on the bandwidth separation of different control loops is proposed for the CC-VSG tuning, which allows for the achievement of the desired quality of frequency regulation in the microgrid, taking into account both the energy recovery and the permissible frequency variation. Finally, the time-domain simulation using PSCAD/EMTDC is performed to confirm the obtained results.