Real-time digital simulator for protective relay testing

Journal Article · Fri Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1994 · IEEE Computer Applications and Power; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1109/67.294167· OSTI ID:7054647

Kezunovic, M ^[1]; McKenna, M

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1. Texas A M Univ., College Station, TX (United States)

Analog power system simulators have been used for a long time in performing relay testing. A number of new transient simulator designs have been introduced in which improved performance and lower cost were the major goals. The most recent approaches are to use digital technology to implement protective relay testing simulators utilizing power system and fault modeling capabilities of electromagnetic transient programs. This approach offers modeling accuracy and user flexibility. First such designs were introduced by GEC Alshom Measurements in England in the early 1980s and by Bonneville Power Administration in the US in the mid-1980s. The use of these simulators has demonstrated some major advantages in meeting complex relay testing requirements, such as fault studies on series compensated lines. However, the main disadvantage of early digital designs was difficulty in providing any meaningful interaction between the relay and the simulation computer. The numerical techniques implemented in the existing electromagnetic transient programs did not allow for the required real-time switching of system configurations as often needed for fault simulations. This article describes a new digital simulator design which is aimed at providing the real-time operation not available in the previous designs while preserving the accuracy and the flexibility already demonstrated by the digital implementations. This is achieved by using low-cost commercial hardware and system software as well as custom-designed user interface and real-time application software.

• OSTI ID: 7054647
• Journal Information: IEEE Computer Applications and Power; (United States), Journal Name: IEEE Computer Applications and Power; (United States) Vol. 7:3; ISSN 0895-0156; ISSN ICAPEH
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION
240100* -- Power Systems-- (1990-)
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
ENERGY SYSTEMS
EQUIPMENT
PERFORMANCE TESTING
POWER SYSTEMS
RELAYS
SIMULATION
TEST FACILITIES
TESTING