Real-Time Simulation of Power Electronic Systems

Real-time simulation of power electronic systems has emerged as a cornerstone for the design, validation and control of converters, inverters and grid‐connected power electronic assemblies. By executing detailed electromagnetic transient models with time‐steps on the order of nanoseconds to microseconds, real-time platforms enable hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing that faithfully reproduces dynamic behaviour under fault, transient and steady-state conditions. This approach accelerates prototype development, de-risks control software and supports the integration of wide‐bandgap semiconductors, such as silicon carbide and gallium nitride, whose high switching frequencies challenge traditional offline simulation tools. Advances in parallel computing architectures – notably field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and multiprocessor system-on-chip (MPSoC) platforms – have driven improvements in simulation fidelity, time-step resolution and system size. At the same time, the adoption of model-order reduction, machine-learning-based component emulation and adaptive numerical integration techniques has increased computational efficiency while maintaining accuracy. The global significance of these developments spans electric-vehicle fast-charging stations, high-speed rail traction systems, renewable energy inverters and emerging smart grid applications, where real-time simulation underpins safety, performance optimisation and regulatory compliance.

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Real-Time Simulation of Power Electronic Systems publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in real-time simulation of power electronic systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL): A testing methodology in which a physical controller or device is interfaced with a real-time simulation of the rest of the system to validate performance under realistic dynamic conditions.

Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA): A reconfigurable semiconductor device composed of an array of logic blocks and interconnects that can be programmed to implement parallel computation architectures for real-time simulation.

Electromagnetic Transient (EMT) Simulation: A high-fidelity modelling approach that calculates the detailed time-domain behaviour of electrical circuits and power electronic converters, including switching transients and electromagnetic interactions.

Digital Twin: A virtual replica of a physical system or component, often accelerated beyond real time, used for rapid experimentation, optimisation and predictive analysis.

References

1. Real-Time Hardware-in-the-Loop Emulation of High-Speed Rail Power System With SiC-Based Energy Conversion. IEEE Access (2020).
2. Real-Time FPGA-RTDS Co-Simulator for Power Systems. IEEE Access (2018).
3. FPGA-based real-time simulation for EV station with multiple high-frequency chargers based on C-EMTP algorithm. Protection and Control of Modern Power Systems (2020).
4. Machine Learning Building Blocks for Real-Time Emulation of Advanced Transport Power Systems. IEEE Open Journal of Power Electronics (2020).
5. Machine Learning Based Transient Stability Emulation and Dynamic System Equivalencing of Large-Scale AC-DC Grids for Faster-Than-Real-Time Digital Twin. IEEE Access (2022).
6. Analysis of the aliasing effect caused in hardware-in-the-loop when reading PWM inputs of power converters. International Journal of Electrical Power & Energy Systems (2022).
7. Improving Numerical Accuracy in Time-Domain Simulation for Power Electronics Circuits. IEEE Open Access Journal of Power and Energy (2021).
8. An Automatic Design Framework for Real-Time Power System Simulators Supporting Smart Grid Applications. Electronics (2020).