Using Real-Time Simulation in Hybrid Electric Drive and Power Electronics Development: Process, Problems and Solutions

This paper highlights the usage of real-time simulation in the development process of hybrid electric drive and other vehicle components that make use of power electronics. The paper objective is to demonstrate the various usages of real-time simulation technologies in the V-cycle design process of hybrid vehicle named Faster-Than-Real-Time (FTRT), Rapid Control Prototyping (RCP) and Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL). The paper explains these solutions in the context of design of fuel cell hybrid electric vehicle systems and power converters.

The paper shows that the fast dynamic of electric systems requires powerful real-time simulators as well as adapted solvers and simulation techniques. Special models are required to accurately simulate in real-time the power converter and drives found in hybrid electric vehicles.

The paper demonstrates this by the use of basic examples followed by the real-time simulation of a fuel cell hybrid vehicle (FCHV). The FCHV case makes use of the two main applications of real-time simulation technologies, RCP and HIL simulation, interconnected in a complete fuel cell hybrid vehicle application.