Equipment: MRI: Track 1 Acquisition of a Digital Real-Time Simulator to Enhance Research and Student Research Training in Next-Generation Engineering and Computer Science

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This NSF MRI award supports the acquisition of a state-of-the-art flagship digital real-time simulator (DRTS) that is currently bringing transformative change to provide support to model and simulate across multiple domains, including transmission and distribution grids, smart/micro grids, robotics, cyber-physical systems, aerospace, and e-mobility at varying levels of simulation fidelities with the same hardware depending on the use cases. The acquisition of this very powerful, scalable, flexible, computationally superior design, test, and validation platform will make a substantial improvement in Boise State University's (BSU) capabilities to conduct leading-edge research, to provide multi-disciplinary research experiences for student researchers using leading-edge capabilities, and to broaden the participation in science and engineering research by a diverse multi-disciplinary community. The planned uses of the proposed instrument constitute exciting research domains that enable and drive the acquisition request, primarily including modern power and control systems, robotics, and the security of cyber-physical systems. The planned projects will utilize the research instrument to (1) advance the resilience research of Idaho's electrical grid; (2) develop degradation models of retired electric vehicle batteries; (3) pave the way for the development of controllers for robots that make and break contact (4) develop control algorithms designed for drones installing a range of items on power lines; (5) enhance the real-time cybersecurity in modern power systems. These research initiatives will provide student researchers access to state-of-the-art tests, validation, demonstration facilities, and research endeavors. These opportunities will inspire students to pursue education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Ultimately, these efforts will contribute to developing a highly skilled STEM workforce.The integrated research instrument includes a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) system, a cyber-physical simulation (CPS) add-on, and a power hardware-in-the-loop (PHIL) microgrid test bench, along with the necessary software and hardware components that will catalyze research activities in modern power and control systems, robotics, and the security of cyber-physical systems. Research activities to be enabled by this integrated research instrument include 1) identifying appropriate resilience metrics to enhance the resilience of Idaho's electric grid through comprehensively considering all extreme events; 2) improving the representation of second-life-battery energy storage systems (SLBESS) in high-fidelity power systems modeling platforms to better reflect their unique capabilities and constraints in delivering grid services; 3) employing state-of-the-art machine learning techniques ranging from learning mixture-of-experts models to employing attention mechanisms for developing passivity-based controllers for fully autonomous robotic systems that make and break contact; 4) developing state estimation and control algorithms for drones with the capability to install a wide range of items on power lines; 5) researching cyber-attack detection and prevention techniques in cyber-physical energy systems to prevent the catastrophic consequences of cyber-security issues in power grids and providing robust cyber-security solutions for distributed energy resources (DERs); 6) developing new approaches to work towards interoperable, cost-effective control and protection solutions for low inertia microgrids to advance microgrid research and research training at BSU; 7) developing a virtual integration environment (VIE) framework that accommodates a wide range of limb models and algorithms, enabling the adequate management of upper-limb prosthetics with superior dexterity; 8) evaluating machine learning-based predictive grid response systems for Idaho's renewable-dominated power grid to implement a pre-wildfire disaster mitigation strategy; 9) researching solutions for implementing a robust cyber-attack detection and response system to safeguard the integration points of DERs in smart microgrids; 10) raising understanding of microgrid inertia emulation methods in case of severe upstream grid failures. This project is jointly funded by the Division of Electrical, Communications, and Cyber Systems (ECCS) and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.