Modal Analysis of System Partitioning in Distributed Real-Time Simulations

Selection of a suitable decoupling point for system partitioning represents one of the challenges in distributed realtime simulation (DRTS) and (distributed) power hardware in the loop (D-PHIL) setups. In case of DRTS, the decoupling point represents the point where system is partitioned between two digital real-time simulators. In D-PHIL setups, the decoupling point is a point where a device under test is connected (coupled) to the rest of the simulated system. This work proposes a methodology based on the analysis of eigenvalues and participation matrix of the monolithic continuous model of the system, which refers to naturally coupled system, to determine the suitable decoupling point for system partitioning with respect to the simulation fidelity. Sampling period and delay between subsystems are considered in the analysis, and decoupling points analysis is influenced by them. The methodology is validated based on time-domain simulations.