A real-time federated co-simulator for cyber security analysis of microgrid systems

对复杂电力系统扰动进行有效的建模和仿真，尤其是那些源自蓄意网络攻击的扰动，是当前国家关注的一个开放的工程研究和开发问题。2003年的东北大停电和2013年12月大多伦多地区的大规模停电清楚地表明，加拿大电网对偶然和自然中断的脆弱性；鉴于电力系统对通信和计算的依赖程度越来越高，蓄意的网络攻击因此可能造成巨大的破坏。 与使用原型或真实系统进行实验相比，模拟器是一种具有成本效益且更安全的替代方案。它们的执行速度也可以比实时更快，以实现高效的假设分析。因此，智能电网系统的建模和仿真工具对于电力系统利益相关者进行明智的规划和应急准备至关重要。挑战来自于需要开发新兴智能电网系统中网络与物理相互依赖的智能模型，描述现实和有意义的网络攻击的设施，以及平衡精度、规模和复杂性的能力。 这个三方合作的Engage Plus项目建立在多伦多大学Deepa Quedur教授、魁北克水电研究所(IREQ)和Opal RT Technologies，Inc.之间现有的基于Engage的合作基础上，以开发一个网络-物理协同模拟器平台，目的是研究网络攻击对新兴微电网系统的影响。该项目的成果将通过提供一个框架来测试通信和控制战略，从而使微电网和IREQ内的网络安全项目受益。此外，研究产生的实时软件集成见解将转移到Opal-RT，使他们掌握知识，更好地支持他们现有和未来的客户。

Effective modeling and simulation of complex power system disturbances especially those stemming from intentional cyber attack represents an open engineering research and development problem with recent national focus. The Northeast Blackout of 2003 and the December 2013 large-scale power outage in the Greater Toronto Area clearly demonstrate the fragility of the Canadian grid to incidental and natural disruptions; given the increasing dependency of power systems on communications and computation, intentional cyber attack would thus have potential for great devastation. Simulators are a cost-effective and safer alternative to conducting experiments with prototype or real systems. They can also be executed faster than in real-time for efficient what-if analysis. Thus, tools for modeling and simulation of smart grid systems are of paramount importance to power system stakeholders for judicious planning and preparedness for contingencies. Challenges stem from the need to develop intelligent models of cyber-physical interdependencies within emerging smart grid systems, the facility to portray realistic and meaningful cyber attacks, and the ability to balance precision, scale and complexity. This three-way collaborative Engage Plus project builds upon an existing Engage-based collaboration amongst Professor Deepa Kundur, University of Toronto, Institut de recherche - Hydro-Québec (IREQ) and Opal RT Technologies, Inc. to develop a cyber-physical co-simulator platform for the purpose of studying the impacts of cyber attacks on emerging microgrid systems. The results of the project will benefit Microgrid and Cyber Security projects within IREQ by providing a framework to test communication and control strategies. Furthermore, the real-time software integration insights arising from the research will be transferred to Opal-RT to equip them with knowledge to better support their existing and future clients.