Book

Multicore Simulation of Power System Transients

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Synopsis

This book introduces a new simulation approach to reduce the simulation run time of large power systems models. The book includes the design and implementation of a high-performance solver developed by the author, which automatically partitions models into subsystems of much less computational burden. By partitioning and parallelizing the equations of solution on conventional multicore computers, this book demonstrates how to simulate partitioned power system models in significantly less time and without requiring additional hardware or software investments.

The findings analyzed in the book are a direct result of current world-class research at The University of Texas at Austin. In the studies presented, the simulation of a large Navy shipboard model is used as the benchmark to prove the performance of the new simulation partitioning techniques developed by the author. The results attest that simulation run times can be reduced from ~50 minutes to ~30 seconds (100X improvement) , which suggest it is possible to run significantly more studies per day and reduce research costs. In addition, the results have important research implications, economic relevance, and they fill a long-standing void in the field of power system engineering.

Importance

The research effort and encouraging results are timely and promissory because the technology leading to effective simulation has slowed its rate of advance significantly over the past decade. The author and the Center for Electromechanics of the University of Texas at Austin are not alone in recognizing this situation. Within the government broadly, this issue is being addressed by the Office of Science and Technology Policy of the Navy, who is committed to deve loping high levels of simulation innovation for use by its agencies. In Defense, DARPA has staff members that recognize the need to help maintain military superiority while transitioning from an environment driven by Moore’s Law. Outside of DOD, this is one of the top technical challenges being addressed by the IEEE, the global leading technical organization in the field of electro-technology.

The author is among the leaders in recognizing and demonstrating a workable solution to the simulation issue because the development of future ships that are efficient, effective, and employ emerging technology requires exhaustive simulation before and after their construction. This book addresses said technical issue in a pedagogic manner, provides benchmarks for industrial development, and is likely to be the cornerstone on which the next generation of power system simulation will be built. As such, the book is an important hands-on resource for those active in power system simulation who want to preview how the field is changing, as well as for those who are leading the change.

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