Hardware-in-the-loop simulation of the EAST PF converter for PF control system upgrade

Highlights: • The hardware in the loop simulation of the EAST PF system is presented. • The control functions and the protection logic have been tested and verified. • The major faults could be avoided and commissioning time could be saved on site. - Abstract: The EAST poloidal field (PF) control system was upgraded in 2015 and the new system has been in use for the 2015 EAST campaign. This paper presents the implementation of a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation platform of the EAST PF converter system based on the RT-LAB simulation environment, which was used to improve and evaluate the performance of the real controller. The EAST PF power supply system and its operational modes are presented in this paper. The experiments on HIL simulation platform show that the control algorithms and the over current protection of the controller meet the design requirements well. In addition, the effectiveness of the designed control system has been verified by actual application during the EAST campaign at 2015 for six months.