Typhoon HIL Blog

Ensuring safe and optimized operation of novel hybrid battery technologies is difficult, particularly when developing a first demonstration prototype. This blog shows how a digital twin model of the integrated Amorphous Organic Redox-Flow Battery (AORFB) and Lithium Titanate (LTO) battery container in the HYBRIS project is used to develop and train Energy Management System (EMS) controls considering real site conditions.

This blog was written as part of the European Union’s H2020 HYBRIS project (GA No. 963652). For more information on the project, please visit the HYBRIS website. 

Blog Highlights:

• Introduction | Why is energy storage control important?
• HIL concept | What is HIL testing?
• HIL benefits | Why HIL?

Blog highlights

• Application | Modular Scalable ESS.
• Challenge | Set up a strong controller design for 15 PEBBs, with verification for parallel operations and communication performance.
• Solution | Control development and validation using Typhoon HIL solution.
• Result | Shorter development time and strong performance verification achieved thanks to the flexible development and testing environment.

Blog highlights

• Project objectives | PANDA project supports transport electrification.
• Video interview | Hear about the project from Dr. Ronan German.
• HIL testbed | Typhoon HIL as the validation partner of choice.
• Battery Integration | Reliable and flexible full-vehicle testing
• Project partners | Meet the names behind the project.

Blog Highlights

• Hitachi Energy’s installations across the world reduce the likelihood of mistakes with system configuration, deployment, and operation, and allow them to juggle competing requirements.
• Hitachi Energy pairs these capabilities with HIL modeling and testing to ensure microgrids are the right fit for the market.
• Hitachi Energy applies HIL testing to comply with certification and standards, such as grid codes, prior to deployment.

Michele Fusero is an R&D engineer and control specialist for the e-mesh PowerStore Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) at the Grid Edge Solutions Product Group at Hitachi Energy. He delivered a talk at the virtual PEDG2021 conference on how HIL became the pillar of the e-mesh solution product development. Watch the video above or read the full blog article to learn more.

Fuji Electric Co., Ltd.
Power Electronics System Energy Business Headquarters
Power Supply Equipment Development Department
Mr. Kazuyoshi Umezawa, Mr. Motohiro Tsukuta, Mr. Takuya Kimizu (from left to right)

Blog Highlights

• Application: Fuji Electric’s Kobe site uses the Typhoon HIL platform for their Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) development.
• Challenge: To overcome the typical limitations of open-loop and offline simulations in the early product testing stage, as well as the limitations of the high-power tests in the late product testing stage.
• Solution: The adoption of controller Hardware-in-the-Loop (C-HIL) made it easy to develop and debug new control software functionality, as well as verify the operation in cases that are difficult to reproduce in a high-power lab.
• Result: Typhoon HIL reduced the time and cost of UPS control development and increased test coverage.
• HIL Tested means quick reliable results with lower costs and higher flexibility.

Blog Highlights

• Application: The e-mesh Control is designed for the seamless integration of renewables with traditional energy assets.
• Challenge: Ensuring that multiple e-mesh controls communicate in a coordinated way.
• Solution: Typhoon controller Hardware-in-the-Loop used to design and test e-mesh controls
• Result: Typhoon HIL accelerated e-mesh control development time and increased test coverage.
• HIL Tested means flexibility, reliability, optimized, and great performance.

Blog Highlights

• Hitachi Energy need to integrate various DERs and control multiple loads in a complex system environment.

• Before HIL, Software in the Loop was used to develop control algorithms but a system using real controllers was needed to ensure the system works.
• Controller Hardware-in-the-Loop (C-HIL) gives grid flexibility and adaptability to cover many test cases at an appropriate fidelity.
• C-HIL can be used from the early design phase all the way into operational performance and customer demonstration with factory acceptance testing.
• For microgrids with BESS and solar PV, the seamless transition from grid-connected to islanded mode was demonstrated using C-HIL.
• “HIL Tested” for Hitachi Energy means great performance.
  
  

Highlights

• Typhoon HIL solutions enable Hitachi Energy to push the limits of testing product functionality to cover customer needs throughout the entire product lifecycle.

• Software in the Loop (SIL) supports the development of individual algorithms but a higher fidelity testing environment is needed to ensure the system works as a whole.

• Controller Hardware-in-the-Loop (C-HIL) is a combination of real hardware controllers interfaced with a real-time simulation of the power system.

• Standard models in the Typhoon HIL microgrid library helped save 4-5 months in controller development and testing.

• C-HIL technology increased test coverage in a low-cost environment which ensures great product performance and cost-savings for Hitachi Energy customers.