Test Platform Development of Vessel’s Power Management System Using Hardware- in-the-Loop-Simulation Technique

Abstract

A PMS (Power Management System) controls vessel's power systems to improve the system efficiency and to protect a blackout condition. The PMS should be developed with considering the type and the capacity of the vessel’s power system. It is necessary to test the PMS functions developed for vessel’s safe operations under various sailing situations. Therefore, the function tests in cooperation with practical power systems are required in the PMS development. In this paper, a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulator is developed for the purposes of the PMS function tests. The HIL simulator can be more cost-effective, more time-saved, easier to reproduce, and safer beyond the normal operating range than conventional off-line simulators, especially at early stages in development processes or during fault tests. Vessel's power system model is developed by using a MATLAB/SIMULINK software and by communicating between an OPAL-RT’s OP5600 simulator. The PMS uses a Modbus communication protocol implemented using LabVIEW software. Representative tests of the PMS functions are performed to verify the validity of the proposed HIL-based test platform.