A Megawatt-Scale Power Hardware-in-the-Loop Simulation Setup for Motor Drives

We report on the application of a 5-MW variable voltage source (VVS) amplifier converter for utilization in power hardware-in-the-loop (PHIL) experiments with megawatt-scale motor drives. In particular, a commercial 2.5-MW variable speed motor drive (VSD) with active front end was connected to a virtual power system using the VVS for integrating the drive with a simulated power system. An illustrative example is given, whereby a 4-MW gas turbine generator system, including various loads, is simulated and interfaced with the VSD hardware in the lab through the VVS using current feedback to the simulation. Mechanical loading is applied to the motor via an identical 2.5-MW dynamometer connected to the same shaft. This paper first describes the PHIL facility, illustrates the challenges of powering a motor drive from a controlled voltage source converter at the multimegawatt scale, and provides experimental results from dynamic simulations. While certain challenges remain with the accuracy of the interface, it is concluded that PHIL simulations at the megawatt power level are possible and may prove useful for validating models of drive systems in the future.