Distributed Simulation Applied to Shipboard Power Systems

The development of shipboard power systems for the new generation of all-electric ships is challenging in two aspects. First, all new equipment needs to be tested before being installed onboard; otherwise, the design and testing process would become increasingly costly and risky. Second, the complexity of a shipboard power system demands the use of significant computational resources for detailed computer-aided analysis. Distributed simulation techniques can help reduce the computational load that simulation of shipboard power systems requires by partitioning the system into smaller, more manageable subsystems. Distributed simulation can also facilitate remote testing of equipment and collaboration among research teams located in geographically distant institutions. The initial step in distributed simulation requires achieving software-to-software communication over a network. This paper outlines the progress done at the Mississippi State University in the distributed simulation application to shipboard power systems. Both natural and signal coupling models for distributed simulation are developed and validated. For natural coupling, a general coupling method, which considers transmission lines as suitable decoupling points, is proposed. Distributed simulation tests on several systems, including a shipboard power system, are documented and simulation results demonstrate the feasibility of applying distributed simulation techniques in advanced shipboard modeling and simulation.