Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute Accelerated Control and Analysis of a Grid-Connected Power Conversion System

Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI) is a leading research institution driving innovation in electrical technology. The institute focuses on enhancing real-time testing capabilities for grid technology. The KERI team used actual hardware with MATLAB^® and Simulink^® to develop and test control algorithms for large-scale power systems in a hybrid microgrid.

Through a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) setup, KERI tested the impact of smart inverters on the grid. Actual smart controller inverters were connected to a real-time simulated grid, and power HIL was used to test multiple grid-forming inverters. The grid was modeled in a real-time simulator with actual hardware for the power compensation device and operating system, including four to five actual controllers for each side. The team quantified energy savings and total reactive power compensation.

The KERI team used Simscape Electrical™ to build a hybrid model to perform phasor and electromagnetic transient (EMT) simulation for grids. First, a system of 29 buses, including synchronous generators, was simulated in the phasor domain. The team then performed EMT simulation for power electronics devices that required switching dynamics, using the phasor simulation method to improve simulation speed for the rest.

In conclusion, KERI developed a grid-tied converter and a hybrid real-time testing model to perform large-scale power system analysis in a short time frame.