An advanced and powerful real-time digital transient network analyser

A few years ago, the study and simulation of fast power system phenomena in real-time, was the private ground of analog simulators. But the limitation in modeling, the complexity and the costly maintenance of these simulators was a brake upon their development and made their profitability uncertain. The testing of power system equipment such as controls, relays or power electronic devices needed a new type of simulator, much more versatile and cost-efficient than their predecessors: the real-time digital transient network analysers (DTNA). Until a few months ago, the design of DTNAs was based on dedicated technologies. Today, the ever increasing calculation power has now reached a level that allows real-time simulations of fast phenomena to be carried on standard computers. The authors present in this paper a new and fully digital TNA that relies on a standard computer.