Operational Range of Several Interface Algorithms for Different Power Hardware-In-The-Loop Setups

The importance of Power Hardware-in-the-Loop (PHIL) experiments is rising more and more over the last decade in the field of power system and components testing. Due to the bidirectional exchange between virtual and physical systems, a true-to-reality interface is essential; however, linking several dynamic systems, stability issues can challenge the experiments, the components under test, and the individuals performing the experiments. Over the time, several interface algorithms (IA) have been developed and analyzed, each having different advantages and disadvantages in view of combining virtual simulations with physical power systems. Finally, IA are very specific to the kind of PHIL experiment. This paper investigates the operational range of several IA for specific PHIL setups by calculations, simulations, and measurements. Therefore, a selection of the mainly used respectively optimized IA is mathematically described. The operational range is verified in a PHIL system testing environment. Furthermore, in order to study the influence of different PHIL setups, according to software and hardware impedance, different tests using linear and switching amplifiers are performed.