Actor systems for flexible, scalable and modular simulation of electrical power systems

This paper presents the Actor model as the base to develop high performance simulation environments using three different hardware architectures. Each simulator is oriented to cover different computational needs, looking for portability and compatibility within a graphical simulation system to support smart grid studies. To achieve this, the Actor model was used to integrate existing simulation platforms without graphical interface (EPRI´s OpenDSS), database systems, new component models created locally, and communication interfaces within a graphical development environment. To evaluate the performance of this simulator, classical simulations are performed using vertical code to reproduce similar situations. As result, the systems based in Actor model deliver a reduced time of computation transforming of data into information, covering flexibility, modularity and scalability to interoperate with user customized applications. All developments where made using NI LabVIEW®, NI LabVIEW-RT®, MATLAB and RT-LAB®.