Real-time digital simulation of high-power electrical traction system

There are two types of real-time digital simulation, rapid control prototyping (RCP) and hardware in the loop (HIL) simulation. HIL simulation can test the traction control unit (TCU) in various conditions, especially in fault and the maximum conditions. In this paper, the HIL simulation of high-power electrical traction system is proceeding in the dSPACE real-time simulator and the real-time simulation model of the system is established. The error produced by multiple switching events within one simulation time-step is eliminated by two methods. One employs the double linear interpolation algorithm to correct the switching delays and the other method uses a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) to compute the system model at a fix time-step of 10ns, which allows a highly precise account of switching events and eliminates the error essentially. The validity and reliability of the real-time simulation system is verified by the comparative analysis between the HIL simulation and real experiment, so it can replace the real inverter and motor of the electrical traction system in the initial develop and test stages.