Electrical Power Engineering ITB got an Hardware-in-the-Loop device on Wednesday, December 30, 2020. The device is called OPAL-RT, a grant from PT. PLN (Persero) in order to celebrate 100 years of technical education in Indonesia.

OPAL-RT which has type OP5707, RCP / HIL FPGA-Based Real-Time Simulator is a device that can be used for real-time simulation which is widely adopted in the industrial and academic world. This tool has the main function as a tool for Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) applications. HIL is a mechanism that can test the performance of a tool by simulating the real situation that hardwares will face in the real operation. With the HIL mechanism, we can easily run thousands of possible scenarios to test a hardware without having to spend time and money to build a real physical testing facility.

This OPAL-RT simulation tool is widely used in the fields of electric power systems, aerospace, automotive, oil and gas or other electro-mechanical industries. The OPAL-RT OP5700 has the power to simulate systems, while offering all the I/Os required to get a hardware into the loop.

“In the Electrical Power Engineering study program, the courses that can use this tool are quite wide, but generally OPAL-RT can be used for simulating control algorithms in microgrid and power systems, system stability, power system protection, and the interaction of power electronic devices with electric power system, “said Dr. Kevin Marojahan Banjarnahor, who is one of the lecturers in the Electrical Power Engineering study program.

In addition, there are many research that can take advantage from this tool, including on power system protection, advanced defense schemes (ADS) and also on microgrid resilience which is able to survive stably in the midst of high integration of variable renewable energy.

“OPAL-RT will be able to bridge the power system simulation, which is usually based on 100% computer simulation and not done in real-time. Now, computer simulations and their interactions with related hardware, both in communication and in power exchange, can be done in real-time so that the simulation of the power system becomes more real,” added Mr. Kevin in closing.