Go Real: Power Electronics from Simulations to Experiments in Hours

 This special session aims to help researchers, graduate students, and engineers remove the barriers to go real from power electronics simulations to experiments. It will demonstrate that it is possible to obtain experimental results within hours after completing simulations by adopting the SYNDEM Smart Grid Research and Educational Kit, which is a reconfigurable, open-source, multifunctional power electronic converter with the capability of directly downloading codes from Matlab/Simulink. The session will consist of 100-minute presentations and 100-minute demonstrations. The presentations part will cover the introduction of the Smart Grid Research and Educational Kit and four case studies on solar systems, wind power generation systems, an eight-node 100%-power-electronic-converter-based microgrid, and anti-islanding detection. The demonstrations part will showcase two live demonstrations with the kit: a DC-DC-AC grid-tied energy conversion system and a motor drive system.

Session Chairs:

Qing-Chang Zhong is the Max McGraw Endowed Chair Professor in Energy and Power Engineering with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology, and the founder of Syndem LLC. He is a Fellow of IEEE and IET, a Distinguished Lecturer of IEEE Power Electronics Society, IEEE Control Systems Society and IEEE Power and Energy Society, and the Vice-Chair of IFAC TC Power and Energy Systems. He served as AE for IEEE TAC/TIE/TPELS/TCST/Access/JESTPE. He proposed the SYNDEM (meaning synchronized and democratized) grid architecture for the next-generation smart grid to unify the interface and interaction of power system players with the grid and achieve autonomous operation, through the synchronization mechanism of synchronous machines. His research focuses on power electronics and advanced control theory, together with their seamless integration to address fundamental challenges in power and energy systems.

Beibei Ren is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas Tech University. She is also a faculty affiliate of National Wind Institute, Texas Tech University. Her research focuses on control, microgrids, smart grid and power electronics. She had successful experiences in building microgrid testbeds at different scales for both research and education. She received the TechConnect National Innovation Award for her microgrid control technology. She serves as AE for IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, IEEE Access.

 

 

Speakers:

Qing-Chang ZhongIllinois Institute of Technology & Syndem LLC

Yeqin Wang, Syndem LLC

Yiting Dong, Texas Tech University

Beibei Ren, Texas Tech University

Mohammad Amin, Norwegian University of Science and Technology