Simplified Synchronous Machine

(To be removed) Model the dynamics of simplified three-phase synchronous machine

The Specialized Power Systems library will be removed in R2026a. Use the Simscape™ Electrical™ blocks and functions instead. For more information on updating your models, see Upgrade Specialized Power System Models to use Simscape Electrical Blocks.

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Libraries:
Simscape / Electrical / Electromechanical / Synchronous

Description

The Simplified Synchronous Machine block models both the electrical and mechanical characteristics of a simple synchronous machine.

The electrical system for each phase consists of a voltage source in series with an RL impedance, which implements the internal impedance of the machine. The value of R can be zero but the value of L must be positive.

The Simplified Synchronous Machine block implements the mechanical system described by

$$\begin{array}{c}\Delta \omega (t)=\frac{1}{2H}{\displaystyle \underset{0}{\overset{t}{\int }}\left(Tm-Te\right)}-Kd\Delta \omega (t)dt\\ \omega (t)=\Delta \omega (t)+{\omega }_0,\end{array}$$

where

Δω = Speed variation with respect to speed of operation H = constant of inertia Tm = mechanical torque Te = electromagnetic torque Kd = damping factor representing the effect of damper windings ω(t) = mechanical speed of the rotor ω0 = speed of operation (1 p.u.)

(1)

Although the parameters can be entered in either SI units or per unit in the dialog box, the internal calculations are done in per unit. The following block diagram illustrates how the mechanical part of the model is implemented. The model computes a deviation with respect to the speed of operation; not the absolute speed itself.

The Kd damping coefficient simulates the effect of damper windings normally used in synchronous machines. When the machine is connected to an infinite network (zero impedance), the variation of machine power angle delta (δ) resulting from a change of mechanical power (P_m) can be approximated by the following second-order transfer function:

$$\frac{\delta }{P_m}=\frac{{\omega }_s/(2H)}{s^2+2\zeta {\omega }_{n}s+{\omega }_n^2},$$

where

δ	Power angle delta: angle of internal voltage E with respect to terminal voltage, in radians
Pm	Mechanical power in pu
ωn	Frequency of electromechanical oscillations = $$\sqrt{{\omega }_s{P}_{\text{max}}/(2H)}$$ in rad/s
ζ	Damping ratio = $$\left(K_d/4\right)\sqrt{2/\left({\omega }_{s}H{P}_{\text{max}}\right)}$$
ωs	Electrical frequency in rad/s
Pmax	Maximum power in pu transmitted through reactance X at terminal voltage Vt and internal voltage E. Pmax = VtE/X, where Vt, E, and X are in pu
H	Inertia constant(s)
Kd	Damping factor (pu_of_torque / pu_of_speed)

This approximate transfer function, which has been derived by assuming sin(δ) = δ, is valid for small power angles (δ < 30 degrees). It follows from the preceding ζ expression that the Kd value required to obtain a given ζ damping ratio:

$$K_d=4\zeta \sqrt{{\omega }_{s}H{P}_{\text{max}}/2}.$$

Assumptions and Limitations

• The electrical system of the Simplified Synchronous Machine block consists solely of a voltage source behind a synchronous reactance and resistance. All the other self- and magnetizing inductances of the armature, field, and damping windings are neglected. The effect of damper windings is approximated by the damping factor Kd. The three voltage sources and RL impedance branches are Y-connected (three wires or four wires). The load might or might not be balanced.

• When you use Simplified Synchronous Machine blocks in discrete systems, you might have to use a small parasitic resistive load, connected at the machine terminals, to avoid numerical oscillations. Large sample times require larger loads. The minimum resistive load is proportional to the sample time. Remember that with a 25 μs time step on a 60 Hz system, the minimum load is approximately 2.5% of the machine nominal power. For example, a 200 MVA simplified synchronous machine in a power system discretized with a 50 μs sample time requires approximately 5% of resistive load or 10 MW. If the sample time is reduced to 20 μs, a resistive load of 4 MW should be sufficient.

Ports

Input

Pm — Mechanical power, watts

scalar

Mechanical power supplied to the machine, in watts. The input can be a constant signal or it can be connected to the output of the Hydraulic Turbine and Governor block. The frequency of the internal voltage sources depends on the mechanical speed of the machine.

Dependencies

To enable this port, set the Mechanical input parameter to Mechanical power Pm.

w — Machine speed, rad/s

scalar

Machine speed, in rad/s.

Dependencies

To enable this port, set the Mechanical input parameter to Mechanical power Pm.

E — Amplitude of internal voltages, volts or pu

scalar

Amplitude of the internal voltages of the block. It can be a constant signal or it can be connected to the output of a voltage regulator. If you use the SI units machine, this input must be in volts phase-to-phase RMS. If you use the pu units machine, it must be in pu.

Dependencies

To enable this port, set the Mechanical input parameter to Mechanical power Pm.

Output

m — Measurement signals

12-element vector

Measurement signals, returned as a 12-element vector. You can demultiplex these signals by using the Bus Selector block.

Name	Definition	Units
ias	Stator current is_a	A or pu
ibs	Stator current is_b	A or pu
ics	Stator current is_c	A or pu
va	Terminal voltage Va	V or pu
vb	Terminal voltage Vb	V or pu
vc	Terminal voltage Vc	V or pu
ea	Internal voltage Ea	V or pu
eb	Internal voltage Eb	V or pu
ec	Internal voltage Ec	V or pu
theta	Rotor angle theta	rad
w	Rotor speed wm	rad/s
Pe	Electrical power Pe	W

Conserving

N — Neutral terminal

specialized electrical

Electrical conserving port associated with the neutral terminal.

Dependencies

To enable this port, set the Connection type parameter to 4-wire Y.

A — Phase A terminal

specialized electrical

Electrical conserving port associated with the phase A terminal.

B — Phase B terminal

specialized electrical

Electrical conserving port associated with the phase B terminal.

C — Phase C terminal

specialized electrical

Electrical conserving port associated with the phase C terminal.

S — Machine rotor shaft

mechanical

Mechanical rotational conserving port associated with the machine rotor shaft.

Dependencies

To enable this port, set the Mechanical input parameter to Mechanical rotational port.

Parameters

In the Machines library you can choose between the SI units or the pu units Simplified Synchronous Machine blocks to specify the electrical and mechanical parameters of the model. These two blocks simulate exactly the same simplified synchronous machine model; the only difference is how you enter the parameter units.

To edit block parameters interactively, use the Property Inspector. From the Simulink^® Toolstrip, on the Simulation tab, in the Prepare gallery, select Property Inspector.

Configuration

Connection type — Number of wires in three-phase Y connection

3-wire Y (default) | 4-wire Y

Specify the number of wires used in the three-phase Y connection: three-wire (neutral not accessible) or four-wire (neutral is accessible). Default is 3-wire Y.

Mechanical input — Option to select mechanical input

Mechanical power Pm (default) | Speed w | Mechanical rotational port

Select the mechanical power applied to the shaft or the rotor speed as a Simulink input of the block, or to represent the machine shaft by a Simscape rotational mechanical port.

Select Mechanical power Pm (default) to specify a mechanical power input, in W or in pu, and change labeling of the block input to Pm. The machine speed is determined by the machine Inertia J (or inertia constant H for the pu machine) and by the difference between the mechanical torque Tm, resulting from the applied mechanical power Pm, and the internal electromagnetic torque Te. The sign convention for the mechanical power is when the speed is positive, a positive mechanical power signal indicates generator mode and a negative signal indicates motor mode.

Select Speed w to specify a speed input, in rad/s or in pu, and change labeling of the block input to w. The machine speed is imposed and the mechanical part of the model (inertia constant H) is ignored. Using the speed as the mechanical input allows modeling a mechanical coupling between two machines.

The next figure indicates how to model a stiff shaft interconnection in a motor-generator set when friction torque is ignored in machine 2. The speed output of machine 1 (motor) is connected to the speed input of machine 2 (generator), while machine 2 electromagnetic torque output Te is applied to the mechanical torque input Tm of machine 1. The Kw factor takes into account speed units of both machines (pu or rad/s) and gear box ratio w2/w1. The KT factor takes into account torque units of both machines (pu or N.m) and machine ratings. Also, because the inertia J2 is ignored in machine 2, J2 referred to machine 1 speed must be added to machine 1 inertia J1.

Select Mechanical rotational port to add to the block a Simscape mechanical rotational port that allows connection of the machine shaft with other Simscape blocks having mechanical rotational ports. The Simulink input representing the mechanical power Pm or the speed w of the machine is then removed from the block.

The next figure indicates how to connect an Ideal Torque Source block from the Simscape library to the machine shaft to represent the machine in motor mode, or in generator mode, when the rotor speed is positive.

Use signal names to identify bus labels — Option to use signal names to identify bus labels

off (default) | on

When this check box is selected, the measurement output uses the signal names to identify the bus labels. Select this option for applications that require bus signal labels to have only alphanumeric characters.

When this check box is cleared, the measurement output uses the signal definition to identify the bus labels. The labels contain nonalphanumeric characters that are incompatible with some Simulink applications.

Parameters

Nominal power, line-to-line voltage, and frequency — Nominal power, line-to-line voltage, and frequency

[187e6 13800 60] (default) | vector of three positive values

The nominal apparent power Pn (VA), frequency fn (Hz), and RMS line-to-line voltage Vn (V). Computes nominal torque and converts SI units to pu.

Inertia, damping factor and pairs of poles — Inertia, damping factor and pairs of poles

[3.7 0 20] (default) | [3.895e6 0 20] | vector of nonnegative values

The inertia (J in kg.m² or H in seconds) damping factor (Kd) and number of pairs of poles (p). The damping factor must be specified in (pu of torque)/(pu of speed) in both machine dialog boxes (in pu and in SI). Default is [3.7 0 20] for pu and [3.895e6 0 20] for SI.

Internal impedance — Resistance and reactance for each phase

[0.02 0.3] (default) | [0.0204 0.8104e-3] | positive scalar

The resistance R (Ω or pu) and reactance L (H or pu) for each phase. Default is [0.02 0.3] for pu and [0.0204 0.8104e-3] for SI.

Initial conditions — Machine initial conditions

[ 0,0 0,0,0 0,0,0 ] (default) | vector of positive values

The initial speed deviation (% of nominal), rotor angle (degrees), line current magnitudes (A or pu), and phase angles (degrees). These values are automatically computed by the load flow utility of the Powergui block. Default is [ 0,0 0,0,0 0,0,0 ].

Sample time (-1 for inherited) — Block sample time

-1 (default) | scalar

Specifies the sample time used by the block. To inherit the sample time specified in the Powergui block, set this parameter to −1. Default is −1.

Advanced

To enable the Advanced tab, set the Simulation type parameter of the powergui block to Discrete and, on the Preferences tab, clear the Automatically handle discrete solver and Advanced tab solver settings of blocks parameter.

Discrete solver model — Block integration method

Trapezoidal non iterative (default) | Trapezoidal robust | Backward Euler robust

Specifies the integration method used by the block. The choices are Trapezoidal non iterative(default), Trapezoidal robust, and Backward Euler robust.

When you select the Automatically handle discrete solver and Advanced tab solver settings of blocks parameter in the powergui block, the discrete solver model is automatically set to Trapezoidal robust.

Trapezoidal non iterative requires you to add a non-negligible shunt load at the machine terminals to maintain simulation stability, and the simulation may fail to converge and stop when the number of machines increases in the model.

Trapezoidal robust and Backward Euler robust allow you to eliminate the need to use parasitic loads. To eliminate the topological errors of the machines connected to an inductive circuit (for example, a circuit breaker connected in series with the machine), the machine models a negligible internal load of 0.01% of nominal power.

Trapezoidal robust is slightly more accurate than Backward Euler robust, especially when the model is simulated at larger sample times. Trapezoidal robust may produce slight damped numerical oscillations on machine voltage in no-load conditions, while Backward Euler robust prevents oscillations and maintains accuracy.

Sample time (-1 for inherited) — Block sample time

-1 (default) | scalar

Specifies the sample time used by the block. To inherit the sample time specified in the Powergui block, set this parameter to −1. Default is −1.

Load Flow

The load flow parameters define block parameters for use with the Load Flow tool of the Powergui block. These load flow parameters are for model initialization only. They have no impact on the block model or on the simulation performance.

The configuration of the Load Flow tab depends on the option selected for the Generator type parameter.

Generator type — Generator type of voltage source

PV (default) | swing | PQ

Specify the generator type of the voltage source.

Select swing to implement a generator controlling magnitude and phase angle of its terminal voltage. The reference voltage magnitude and angle are specified by the Swing bus or PV bus voltage and Swing bus voltage angle parameters of the Load Flow Bus block connected to the machine terminals.

Select PV (default) to implement a generator controlling its output active power P and voltage magnitude V. P is specified by the Active power generation P parameter of the block. V is specified by the Swing bus or PV bus voltage parameter of the Load Flow Bus block connected to the machine terminals. You can control the minimum and maximum reactive power generated by the block by using the Minimum reactive power Qmin and Maximum reactive power Qmax parameters.

Select PQ to implement a generator controlling its output active power P and reactive power Q. P and Q are specified by the Active power generation P and Reactive power generation Q parameters of the block, respectively.

Active power generation P — Active power generated by machine

0 (default) | scalar

Specify the active power that you want generated by the machine, in watts. When the machine operates in motor mode, you specify a negative value.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, set Generator type to PV or PQ.

Reactive power generation Q — Reactive power generated by machine

0 (default) | scalar

Specify the reactive power that you want generated by the machine, in vars. A negative value indicates that the reactive power is absorbed by the machine.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, set Generator type to PQ.

Minimum reactive power Qmin — Minimum reactive power generated by the machine

-inf (default) | scalar

Minimum reactive power that can be generated by the machine while keeping the terminal voltage at its reference value. This reference voltage is specified in the Swing bus or PV bus voltage parameter of the Load Flow Bus block connected to the machine terminals. The default value is -inf, which means that there is no lower limit on the reactive power output.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, set Generator type to PV.

Maximum reactive power Qmax — Maximum reactive power generated by the machine

inf (default) | scalar

Maximum reactive power that can be generated by the machine while keeping the terminal voltage at its reference value. This reference voltage is specified in the Swing bus or PV bus voltage parameter of the Load Flow Bus block connected to the machine terminals. The default value is inf, which means that there is no upper limit on the reactive power output.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, set Generator type to PV.

Extended Capabilities

C/C++ Code Generation
Generate C and C++ code using Simulink® Coder™.

Version History

Introduced before R2006a