CAREER: Advances to the EMT Modeling and Simulation of Restoration Processes for Future Grids

Iowa State University, Ames IA

Investigators

Abstract

This CAREER proposal aims to develop the foundations of a new research branch, namely, long-term electromagnetic-transient (EMT) simulations. Classically, EMT simulations have been employed to study the dynamic response of legacy grids for a few seconds. The new challenge is to simulate restoration processes of electric grids powered by converter-based resources (e.g., wind and solar) which can last from minutes to hours. This project will bring transformative advances to accelerate long-term EMT simulations by engineering special dynamic models and numerical approaches for converter-based electric grids. These advances are instrumental to address modern reliability requirements for EMT simulation tools. The intellectual merits of this proposal include the engineering of EMT models of transmission lines and renewable resources as well as a special numerical integration approach and its implementation using parallel computing. The broader impacts of the project include the development of 3D animations and virtual-reality representations of EMT phenomena, which will facilitate communication with the public, continuing education courses for industry, and engaging activities with high-school students. To accelerate EMT simulations, this project will achieve three research objectives. The first is to model three-phase transmission lines using lumped sections of non-uniform length which will be adjusted to minimize simulation errors with respect to a solution to the wave equation in time and space. The second is to engineer a state-variable numerical integration algorithm to solve differential algebraic equations (DAEs) while exploiting the linear and non-linear nature of the modeled transmission lines and converter-based resources, respectively. The third is to implement the DAE solver by exploiting graphics-processing-unit computations and a novel decomposition technique for the system dynamics. The education plan of this project consists of three objectives. The first is to develop 3D animations that have a positive impact on learning. The second is to leverage virtual-reality technology for personalized real-time interaction with EMT animations. The third is to disseminate the advances of this project via social media, continuing education courses, and interaction with high-school students. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.