Hardware-in-the-Loop Simulation in Distribution Networks: Frequency Variation

The integration of smart grid concepts has been a good strategy for increasing power systems automation, where the activities of all consumers and producers are intelligently and efficiently combined to distribute sustainable, cost-effective, and se-cure electricity sources. Installing small computational units in distribution feeders and active loads provides the technological resources to automate the network in collaboration with conventional protection systems present in substations. Developing these computational units with communication protocol standards and data models ensures system security and interoperability. Their technological innovation presents a challenge that must be addressed. As a result, such computational units should employ Hardware-In-the-Loop simulation as a mechanism to study typical and critical operating scenarios. This study introduces a hybrid technique for simulating transients in distribution systems. This approach offers a powerful combination by merging the fast sampling rate of time-domain models used for voltage and current monitoring with the processing efficiency of algorithms designed for quasi-stationary or steady-state. Tests in a real distribution network under short-circuit conditions demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology.