A Class of Fast Algorithms in Real-Time Simulation

A class of hybrid algorithms of real-time simulation based on evaluation of non-integerstep right-hand side function are presented in this paper. And some results of the convergence and stability of the algorithms are given. Using the class of algorithms, evaluation for the right-hand side function is needed once in every integration-step. Moreover, comparing with the other methods with the same amount of work, their numerical stability regions are larger and the method errors are smaller, and the numerical experiments show that the algorithms are very effective.

A Mathematical Model of Real-Time Simulation and the Convergence Analysis on Real-Time Runge-Kutta Algorithms

In this paper, a mathematical model of real-time simulation is given, and the problem of convergence on real-time Runge-Kutta algorithms is analysed. At last a theorem on the relation between the order of compensation and the convergent order of real-time algorithm is proved.

FPGA-Based Real-Time Simulation of Renewable Energy Source Power Converters

Developing the control of modem power converters is a very expensive and time-consuming task. Time to market can take unacceptable long. FPGA-based real-time simulation of a power stage with analog measured signals can reduce significantly the cost and time of testing a product. This new approach is known as HIL （hardware-in-the-loop） testing. A general power converter consists of two main parts： a power level （main circuit） and a digital controller unit, which is usually realized by using some kind of DSP. Testing the controller HW and SW is quite problematic： live tests with a completely assembled converter can be dangerous and expensive. A low-power model of the main circuit can be built under laboratory conditions, but it will have parameters （e.g. time constants and relative losses） differing from the ones of the original system. The solution is the HIL simulation of the main circuit. With this method the simulator can be completely transparent for the controller unit, unlike other computer based simulation methods The subject of this paper is to develop such a real-time simulator using FPGA. The modeled circuit is a three-phase inverter, which is widely used in power converters of renewable energy sources.

FPGA-Based Real-Time Simulation of Modular Multilevel Converter HVDC Systems

AC-HVDC-AC energy conversion systems using MMC （modular multilevel converters） are becoming popular to integrate distributed energy systems to the main grid. Such multilevel converters pose a serious problems for HIL （hardware in the loop） simulators required for control, protection design and testing due to the large number of cells that must be simulated individually using very small time steps. This paper demonstrates the advantages of using a very small time step to simulate a MMC topology. The MMC is implemented on FPGA （fiel-programmable gate array） to simulate fast transient with a time step of 250 ns. The AC network and HVDC bus is simulated on the PC, with a slower time step of 10 μs to 20 μs. The simulator architecture and the components simulated on the FPGA and on the PC will be discussed, as well as the method allowing the interconnection of this slow and fast system.

Real-time simulation of ground displacement by digital accelerograph record

With the development of accelerograph, strong ground motion data can be widely applied to many fields. Especially, it is an important milestone for strong motion observation to expand application fields into earthquake monitoring that real-time simulation of ground displacement can be obtained by strong motion records for determining three earthquake parameters. For the purpose of application, on the basis of principle of seismic response of single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) system, this paper presents a suit of formula of simulating ground displacement records by using strong ground motion records with the help of simulator of SDOF system. The research results show that the technique is very efficient and can be widely applied to earthquake monitoring.

Real-time Simulation of Gas Based on Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics

This paper extends the SPH method to gas simulation. The SPH （Smoothed Particles Hydrodynamics） method is the most popular method of flow simulation, which is widely used in large-scale liquid simulation. However, it is not found to apply to gas simulation, since those methods based on SPH can＇t be used in real-time simulation due to their enormous particles and huge computation. This paper proposes a method for gas simulation based on SPH with a small number of particles. Firstly, the method computes the position and density of each particle in each point-in-time, and outlines the shape of the simulated gas based on those particles. Secondly the method uses the grid technique to refine the shape with the diffusion of particle＇s density under the control of grid, and get more lifelike simulation result. Each grid will be assigned density according to the particles in it. The density determines the final appearance of the grid. For ensuring the natural transition of the color between adjacent grids, we give a diffuse process of density between these grids and assign appropriate values to vertexes of these grids. The experimental results show that the proposed method can give better gas simulation and meet the request of real-time.

Exploration of instantaneous frequency for local control assessment in real-time hybrid simulation

Local control parameters such as instantaneous delay and instantaneous amplitude play an essential role in evaluating the performance and maintaining the stability of real-time hybrid simulation(RTHS).However,existing methods have limitations in obtaining this local assessment in either the time domain or frequency domain.In this study,the instantaneous frequency is introduced to determine local control parameters for actuator tracking assessment in a real-time hybrid simulation.Instantaneous properties,including amplitude,delay,frequency and phase,are then calculated based on analytic signals translated from actuator tracking signals through the Hilbert transform.Potential issues are discussed and solutions are proposed for calculation of local control parameters.Numerical simulations are first conducted for sinusoidal and chirp signals with time varying amplitude error and delay to demonstrate the potential of the proposed method.Laboratory tests also are conducted for a predefined random signal as well as the RTHS of a single degree of freedom structure with a self-centering viscous damper to experimentally verify the effectiveness of the proposed use of the instantaneous frequency.Results from the ensuing analysis clearly demonstrate that the instantaneous frequency provides great potential for local control assessment,and the proposed method enables local tracking parameters with good accuracy.

FEM model for real-time guide wire simulation in vasculature

A model suitable for describing the mechanical response of thin elastic objects is proposed to simulate the deformation of guide wires in minimally invasive interventions. The main objective of this simulation is to provide doctors an opportunity to rehearse the surgery and select an optimal operation plan before the real surgery. In this model the guide wire is discretized with the multi-body representation and its elastic energy derivate from elastic theory is a polynomial function of the nodal displacements. The vascular structure is represented by a tetrahedron mesh extended from the triangular mesh of the artery, which can be extracted from the patient＇s CT image data. The model applies the energy decline process of the conjugate gradient method to the deformation simulation of the guide wire. Experimental results show that the polynomial relationship between elastic energy and nodal displacements tremendously simplifies the evaluation of the conjugate gradient method and significantly improves the model＇s efficiency. Compared with models depending on an explicit scheme for evaluation, the new model is not only non-conditionally stable but also more efficient. The model can be applied to the real-time simulation of guide wire in a vascular structure.

A Class of Parallel Algorithms of Real-TimeNumerical Simulation for Stiff Dynamic System

In this paper a class of real-time parallel modified Rosenbrock methods of numerical simulation is constructed for stiff dynamic systems on a multiprocessor system, and convergence and numerical stability of these methods are discussed. A-stable real-time parallel formula of two-stage third-order and A(α)-stable real-time parallel formula with o ≈ 89.96° of three-stage fourth-order are particularly given. The numerical simulation experiments in parallel environment show that the class of algorithms is efficient and applicable, with greater speedup.

FPGA-based real-time simulation for EV station with multiple high-frequency chargers based on C-EMTP algorithm

The electric vehicle(EV)charging station is a critical part of the infrastructure for the wide adoption of EVs.Realtime simulation of an EV station plays an essential role in testing its operation under different operating modes.However,the large numbers of high-frequency power electronic switches contained in EV chargers pose great challenges for real-time simulation.This paper proposes a compact electromagnetic transient program(C-EMTP)algorithm for FPGA-based real-time simulation of an EV station with multiple high-frequency chargers.The C-EMTP algorithm transforms the traditional EMTP algorithm into two parallel sub-tasks only consisting of simple matrix operations,to fully utilize the high parallelism of FPGA.The simulation time step can be greatly reduced compared with that of the traditional EMTP algorithm,and so the simulation accuracy for high-frequency power electronics is improved.The EV chargers can be decoupled with each other and simulated in parallel.A CPU-FPGA-based realtime simulation platform is developed and the proposed simulation of the EV station is implemented.The control strategy is simulated in a CPU with 100μs time-step,while the EV station circuit topology is simulated in a single FPGA with a 250 ns time-step.In the case studies,the EV station consists of a two-level rectifier and five dual-active bridge(DAB)EV chargers.It is tested under different scenarios,and the real-time simulation results are validated using PSCAD/EMTDC.

PARALLEL ROSENBROCK METHODS FOR SOLVING STIFF SYSTEMS IN REAL-TIME SIMULATION

In this paper parallel Rosenbrock methods in real-time simulation are presented on parallel computers. Their construction, their convergence and their numerical stability are studied, and the numerical simulation experiments are conducted on a personal computer and a parallel computer respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Real-time simulation platform for photovoltaic system with a boost converter using MPPT algorithm in a DSP controller

Recently, real-time simulation of renewable energy sources are indispensible for evaluating the performance of the maximum power point tracking （MPPT） controller, especially in the photovoltaic （PV） system in order to reduce cost in the testing phase. Nowadays, real time PV simulators are obtained by using analog and/or digital components. In this paper, a real-time simulation of a PV system with a boost converter was proposed using only the digital signal processor （DSP） processor with two DC voltage sources to emulate the temperature and irradiation in the PV system. A MATLAB/ Simulink environment was used to develop the real-time PV system with a boost converter into a C-program and build it into a DSP controller TMS320F28335. Besides, the performance of the real-time DSP-based PV was tested in different temperature and irradiation conditions to observe the P-V and V-I characteristics. Further, the performance of the PV with a boost converter was tested at different temperatures and irradiations using MPPT algorithms. This scheme was tested through simulation and the results were validated with that of standard conditions given in the PV data sheets. Implementation of this project helped to attract more researchers to study renewable energy applications without real sources. This might facilitate the study of PV systems in a real-time scenario and the evaluation of what should be expected for PV modules available in the market.

Coupling real-time simulation of power supply,trains and dispatching for urban rail transit

In order to study the interaction among the traction power supply,the train group and the operation dispatching of urban rail transit,a coupling simulation system of power supply system,trains and dispatching management is constructed.In order to solve the problems of different timescales and difficult cooperation operation for related subsystems,a multi-bus distributed real-time network architecture based on hierarchical management of communication data is established,and simulation management software is developed to facilitate the free expansion of the simulation system.Meanwhile,the track line,train operation and other large timescale subsystems are realized by the pure digital simulation.And the time-sensitive subsystems,such as train traction system,braking system,auxiliary power supply system and network system etc.,are built by the semi-physical simulation.In this article,the system structure and the main implementation principle of each simulation subsystem are given in detail,and the system is tested and verified at the end.The results show that the simulation system can meet the expected requirements.

GPU based real-time simulation of massive falling leaves

As an important autumn feature,scenes with large numbers of falling leaves are common in movies and games. However,it is a challenge for computer graphics to simulate such scenes in an authentic and efficient manner. This paper proposes a GPU based approach for simulating the falling motion of many leaves in real time. Firstly,we use a motionsynthesis based method to analyze the falling motion of the leaves,which enables us to describe complex falling trajectories using low-dimensional features. Secondly,we transmit a primitive-motion trajectory dataset together with the low-dimensional features of the falling leaves to video memory,allowing us to execute the appropriate calculations on the GPU.

Molecular simulation study of the microstructures and properties of pyridinium ionic liquid[HPy][BF_(4)]mixed with acetonitrile

The microstructures and thermodynamic properties of mixed systems comprising pyridinium ionic liquid[HPy][BF_(4)]and acetonitrile at different mole fractions were studied using molecular dynamics simulation in this work.The following properties were determined:density,self-diffusion coefficient,excess molar volume,and radial distribution function.The results show that with an increase in the mole fraction of[HPy][BF_(4)],the self-diffusion coefficient decreases.Additionally,the excess molar volume initially decreases,reaches a minimum,and then increases.The rules of radial distribution functions(RDFs)of characteristic atoms are different.With increasing the mole fraction of[HPy][BF_(4)],the first peak of the RDFs of HA1-F decreases,while that of CT6-CT6 rises at first and then decreases.This indicates that the solvent molecules affect the polar and non-polar regions of[HPy][BF_(4)]differently.

Models to Simulate Effective Coverage of Fire Station Based on Real-Time Travel Times

In recent years,frequent fire disasters have led to enormous damage in China.Effective firefighting rescues can minimize the losses caused by fires.During the rescue processes,the travel time of fire trucks can be severely affected by traffic conditions,changing the effective coverage of fire stations.However,it is still challenging to determine the effective coverage of fire stations considering dynamic traffic conditions.This paper addresses this issue by combining the traveling time calculationmodelwith the effective coverage simulationmodel.In addition,it proposes a new index of total effective coverage area(TECA)based on the time-weighted average of the effective coverage area(ECA)to evaluate the urban fire services.It also selects China as the case study to validate the feasibility of the models,a fire station(FS-JX)in Changsha.FS-JX station and its surrounding 9,117 fire risk points are selected as the fire service supply and demand points,respectively.A total of 196 simulation scenarios throughout a consecutiveweek are analyzed.Eventually,1,933,815 sets of valid sample data are obtained.The results showed that the TECA of FS-JX is 3.27 km^(2),which is far below the standard requirement of 7.00 km^(2) due to the traffic conditions.The visualization results showed that three rivers around FS-JX interrupt the continuity of its effective coverage.The proposed method can provide data support to optimize the locations of fire stations by accurately and dynamically determining the effective coverage of fire stations.

Model-based framework for multi-axial real-time hybrid simulation testing

Real-time hybrid simulation is an efficient and cost-effective dynamic testing technique for performance evaluation of structural systems subjected to earthquake loading with rate-dependent behavior. A loading assembly with multiple actuators is required to impose realistic boundary conditions on physical specimens. However, such a testing system is expected to exhibit significant dynamic coupling of the actuators and suffer from time lags that are associated with the dynamics of the servo-hydraulic system, as well as control-structure interaction （CSI）. One approach to reducing experimental errors considers a multi-input, multi-output （MIMO） controller design, yielding accurate reference tracking and noise rejection. In this paper, a framework for multi-axial real-time hybrid simulation （maRTHS） testing is presented. The methodology employs a real-time feedback-feedforward controller for multiple actuators commanded in Cartesian coordinates. Kinematic transformations between actuator space and Cartesian space are derived for all six-degrees-of- freedom of the moving platform. Then, a frequency domain identification technique is used to develop an accurate MIMO transfer function of the system. Further, a Cartesian-domain model-based feedforward-feedback controller is implemented for time lag compensation and to increase the robustness of the reference tracking for given model uncertainty. The framework is implemented using the 1/5th-scale Load and Boundary Condition Box （LBCB） located at the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign. To demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed methodology, a single-story frame subjected to earthquake loading is tested. One of the columns in the fraane is represented physically in the laboratory as a cantilevered steel column. For real- time execution, the numerical substructure, kinematic transformations, and controllers are implemented on a digital signal processor. Results show excellent performance of the maRTHS framework when six-degrees-of-freedom are controUed at the interface between substructures.

Seismic performance evaluation of VCFPB isolated storage tank using real-time hybrid simulation

Variable curvature friction pendulum bearings(VCFPB)effectively reduce the dynamic response of storage tanks induced by earthquakes.Shaking table testing is used to assess the seismic performance of VCFPB isolated storage tanks.However,the vertical pressure and friction coefficient of the scaled VCFPB in the shaking table tests cannot match the equivalent values of these parameters in the prototype.To avoid this drawback,a real-time hybrid simulation(RTHS)test was developed.Using RTHS testing,a 1/8 scaled tank isolated by VCFPB was tested.The experimental results showed that the displacement dynamic magnification factor of VCFPB,peak reduction factors of the acceleration,shear force,and overturning moment at bottom of the tank,were negative exponential functions of the ratio of peak ground acceleration(PGA)and friction coefficient.The peak reduction factors of displacement,acceleration,force and overturning moment,which were obtained from the experimental results,are compared with those calculated by the Housner model.It can be concluded that the Housner model is applicable in estimation of the acceleration,shear force,and overturning moment of liquid storage tank,but not for the sliding displacement of VCFPBs.

Analysis of actuator delay and its effect on uncertainty quantification for real-time hybrid simulation

Uncertainties in structure properties can result in different responses in hybrid simulations. Quantification of the effect of these tmcertainties would enable researchers to estimate the variances of structural responses observed from experiments. This poses challenges for real-time hybrid simulation （RTHS） due to the existence of actuator delay. Polynomial chaos expansion （PCE） projects the model outputs on a basis of orthogonal stochastic polynomials to account for influences of model uncertainties. In this paper, PCE is utilized to evaluate effect of actuator delay on the maximum displacement from real-time hybrid simulation of a single degree of freedom （SDOF） structure when accounting for uncertainties in structural properties. The PCE is first applied for RTHS without delay to determine the order of PCE, the number of sample points as well as the method for coefficients calculation. The PCE is then applied to RTHS with actuator delay. The mean, variance and Sobol indices are compared and discussed to evaluate the effects of actuator delay on uncertainty quantification for RTHS. Results show that the mean and the variance of the maximum displacement increase linearly and exponentially with respect to actuator delay, respectively. Sensitivity analysis through Sobol indices also indicates the influence of the single random variable decreases while the coupling effect increases with the increase of actuator delay.

Real-time hybrid simulation for structural control performance assessment

Real-time hybrid simulation is an attractive method to evaluate the response of structures under earthquake loads. The method is a variation of the pseudodynamic testing technique in which the experiment is executed in real time, thus allowing investigation of structural systems with rate-dependent components. Real-time hybrid simulation is challenging because it requires performance of all calculations, application of displacements, and acquisition of measured forces, within a very small increment of time. Furthermore, unless appropriate compensation for actuator dynamics is implemented, stability problems are likely to occur during the experiment. This paper presents an approach for real-time hybrid simulation in which compensation for actuator dynamics is implemented using a model-based feedforward compensator. The method is used to evaluate the response of a semi-active control of a structure employing an MR damper. Experimental results show good agreement with the predicted responses, demonstrating the effectiveness of the method for structural control performance assessment.