A PSCAD Library Component Featuring a Reduced-Order IBR Model for EMT-Based Fault Studies

In recent years, an industry trend has developed to use electromagnetic transient (EMT) simulations for stability analysis and protection studies to capture small timescales, fast transients, and dynamics of power systems. This is driven by the need to include the electromagnetic dynamics of transmission lines, the power electronic switching of inverters, and the detailed controls of the inverter. However, these detailed EMT inverter-based resource (IBR) models are often too complex and computationally expensive, and usually have a long list of parameters and configurations, most of which are unknown to a user, because vendor models are proprietary. All this makes it difficult for utilities to perform EMT-based studies, especially for protection engineers. Reduced-order models (ROMs) offer a faster and more convenient alternative because they capture the transients of IBRs with simplified mathematical representations, and are easy for proper configuration. In this paper, we present a fully implemented ROM in an EMT simulation (PSCAD) library component for direct user utilization in protection studies. We also present a Python script that interacts with the component for top-to-bottom automation, which can automatically generate training data, train parameters, upload parameters, and verify the ROM. With the PSCAD component and the Python library, protection engineers can utilize a trustworthy, accurate ROM for system studies in an easy-to-use and streamlined manner.