Design and implementation of a power-hardware-in-the-loop interface: a nonlinear load case study

Power-hardware-in-the-loop (PHIL) simulation enables the testing of an electrical load virtually exchanging power with a real-time simulator. PHIL extends the applicability of the traditional hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation, which involves only signal exchange. The main challenge of this power exchange is the requirement for a highly dynamic power electronics interface. In this paper, PHIL simulation is used to test a nonlinear load to analyze its impact on existing electrical systems, A multiagent platform is also used to monitor the behavior of the system under study: the monitoring system is used to validate on-line the PHIL, verifying that the interface does not significantly affect the system behavior. Significant industrial applications of the procedure are also discussed