Real-time simulation-based design of a power-hardware-in-the-loop setup to support studies of shipboard MVDC issues

Power-hardware-in-the-loop (PHIL) experiments provide navy ship designers with a flexible and cost effective tool for studying the technical challenges associated with the use of medium voltage DC (MVDC) for shipboard electric power generation and distribution. In support of this effort, the Electric Ship Research and Development Consortium is planning to conduct MVDC PHIL experiments in the test bed facility at Florida State University´s Center for Advanced Power Systems (CAPS). Low-voltage power electronic building block (PEBB) modules will be configured to function like MVDC AC/DC, DC/DC and DC/AC power converters. They will operate within a simulated, shipboard, MVDC power system environment that will be running on CAPS´s real-time digital simulator (RTDS). This paper describes the planned PHIL test configuration and the simulation models to be employed. It also provides results from an initial ldquosoftware onlyrdquo PHIL demonstration in which the entire PHIL test bed is modeled and simulated on the RTDS. The results illustrate the usefulness of conducting simulations of planned HIL experiments in order to ldquode-riskrdquo the testing program.