Research

Research Areas

• Modeling and Simulation of cyber-physical systems in general, specializing in power systems; real-time simulation, multi-domain simulation, co-simulation.
• Application of System Identification Methods to cyber-physical power system modeling, monitoring and control.
• Synchronized phasor measurement technologies and PMU Apps.
• Stability, Control and Security of cyber-physical systems, specializing in power systems.
• Application of computer languages and software technologies for cyber-physical system modeling and simulation - e.g. UML, SysML, Modelica and FMI.
• AI and machine learning applications for cyber-physical systems.
• Network science application to cyber-physical systems problems.
• Open source software, open hardware, open standards.

Research Projects

Current Research Projects

• (CHEETA): NASA ULI Center for Cryogenic High-Efficiency Electrical Technologies for Aircraft
  • Funded by NASA University Leadership Initiative (ULI), see here
  • PI: Prof. Phillip J. Ansell (UIUC)
  • RPI Co-PI: Prof. Luigi Vanfretti
  • Abstract: The aeronautics industry has been challenged on many fronts to increase efficiency, reduce emissions, and decrease dependency on carbon-based fuels. With subsonic transports serving as the dominant contributor to the carbon footprint of global aviation, these aggressive goals have been met with a boom of research in the field of aircraft propulsion electrification across industry, government, and academic organizations. Most recently, a number of studies have revealed the viability of turboelectric and hybrid-electric aircraft systems for future commercial aircraft, though these studies have definitively identified battery energy storage as a key technological bottleneck to the near- and mid-term feasibility of commercial transport-class aircraft propulsion hybridization. In order to overcome this technological issue, the proposed ULI study will introduce the development of a Cryogenic Hydrogen-Energy Electric Transport Aircraft (CHEETA) design concept. The research activities of this ULI program will lead to ground-level technological development and conceptual design of a fully-electric, commercial aircraft architecture that utilizes liquid hydrogen energy storage with fuel cell energy conversion and an electrically- driven distributed propulsion system. This vehicle concept will utilize an on-board cryogenic system to store and maintain liquid hydrogen, which is used not only as an energy storage strategy, but also to enable highly efficient superconducting electric systems.
  • Additional Information:
    • See the news release from RPI by clicking here.
    • See the news release from UIUC by clicking here.
• (GridX) The Autonomous Grid Digital Grid
  • Funded by the Center of Excellence for NEOM Research at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia.
  • PI: Prof. Shehab Ahmed
  • RPI Co-PI: Prof. Luigi Vanfretti
  • Abstract: The ‘Future of Energy’ envisioned by NEOM challenges the energy community to rise above today’s incremental development and deployment of power grid technologies. The city envisions a 100% renewables powered electrical infrastructure fed by any renewable source (solar, wind, geothermal, algae…). Furthermore, city planners have been mandated to minimize CAPEX intensive centralized infrastructure in favor of a modular distributed infrastructure that can grow with the city’s needs. The project aims to develop the knowledge needed to design a scalable, reconfigurable, self- optimizing, self-organizing electrical power network that ensures sustainable, economic and reliable performance while systematically integrating energy in all forms.
• (GFOV) Mitigation and Modeling for Ground Fault Over-Voltages of Inverter-Based Distributed Energy Resources
  • Funded by NYSERDA through the Electric Power Transmission and Distribution (EPTD) High Performing Grid Program Program Opportunity Notice (PON) 3770.
  • RPI PI: Prof. Luigi Vanfretti
  • In collaboration with JEM Engineering Services LLC, Project Manager: Michael Ruppert.
  • Abstract: This project proposes an Hardware-In-the-Loop-based demonstration of the fast overvoltage detection capability within DER inverters. The result will be educational materials for NY and other utilities regarding real-world inverter capabilities in this regard and help to show under which conditions grounding bank transformers are effective. The project consists of 3 parts, first it aims to illustrate how the fast overvoltage detection within the inverter maintains effective grounding, secondly to provide inverter simulation models, and lastly develop guidelines for future simulation models.
• (BableGrid) Model Translations for Smart Grid Applications Study
  • Funded by NYSERDA through the Electric Power Transmission and Distribution (EPTD) High Performing Grid Program Program Opportunity Notice (PON) 3770.
  • RPI PI: Prof. Luigi Vanfretti
  • In collaboration with New York Power Authority, Advanced Grid Innovation Lab for Energy (AGILe), and managed by George Stefopoulos.
  • Abstract: The current state of modeling and simulation technologies in the power industry results in a complex model management problem where models that only operate in specific tools need to be developed, maintained/updated, homogenized within that specific tool only. Such model management issues create not only modeling intractability and uncertainty, but also unnecessarily limit engineers from utilizing and exploiting to the fullest a large number of diverse and powerful simulation tools. Currently, the great majority of studies are done with a single software tool (PSS/E), and this fact creates barriers for the utilization and understanding provided by other analysis tools and methods. This project aims to survey, analyze, select and adopt methods and tools from computer science to enable model management using the latest advances in the field of model-driven software engineering (MDE). The developed methods and technologies can become the cornerstone of high-efficiency model management while at the same time providing model users with model views in multiple simulation platforms.
  • Additional Information: see the news release here.
• (DeepGrid) Deep Learning for Resilient Grid Operation
  • Funded by NYSERDA through the Electric Power Transmission and Distribution (EPTD) High Performing Grid Program Program Opportunity Notice (PON) 3770.
  • RPI PI: Prof. Luigi Vanfretti
  • In collaboration with New York Power Authority, Advanced Grid Innovation Lab for Energy (AGILe), and managed by Atena Darvishi.
  • Abstract: This project proposes to develop a Machine Learning (ML)-based software tool capable of providing early warnings for current operating conditions, and more importantly, a “recommender system” capable of providing potential preventive or corrective actions to operators. This will be achieved by combining the predictive power of model-based power system simulation and early warnings from synchrophasor data & applications. The goal is to enable rapid operational decision support, moving forward from today’s real-time monitoring into predictive analytics and fast decision making. This tool aims to enhance the operation of generation and transmission assets and to increase its power transmission by avoiding the constrains that today’s conservative operation limits impose while at the same time enable fast decision making during severe events through fast decision-making using recommender systems, and thus, the proposed system would allow utilities to plan for daily operations as well as for the unexpected with invaluable cost savings.
  • Additional Information: see the news release here.

Long Term Research Projects

• The OpenIPSL.org project works in the development of a Modelica library for power system dynamic modeling and simulation. It is the bases for my work on cyber-physical power system design and analysis methods. This project is a continuation of work started in 2012 in the use of the Modelica language for power systems.
  • See OpenIPSL.org for members, results and documentation.
  • Currently partially supported by NYSERDA (see BableGrid project above).
  • Contact me to support this project!
• Cyber-physical power system modeling and simulation.
  • System engineering modeling and simulation methods and tooling, e.g. CIM/UML and Modelica.
  • Multi-domain modeling and simulation, power systems and other domains, e.g. joint modeling of gas turbines (thermo-mechanical models) and power systems.
  • Code generation for real-time simulation and embedded systems.
  • Currently partially supported by NYSERDA (see BableGrid project).
  • Contact me to support this project!
• ALSETLab: a time-sensitive and real-time simulabion-based hardware & software development and testing platform for cyber-physical power systems.
  • Funded by the ECSE department of RPI through my faculty start-up fund.
  • Currently partially supported by NYSERDA (see GFOV project and GridX projects above).
  • Contact me to donate equipment, or to support this project further!
• Mission critical, time-sensitive and real-time synchrophasor technologies for distribution networks.
  • Funded by the ECSE department of RPI through my faculty start-up fund.
  • Contact me to support this project!
  • Synopsis: This project develops of methods and tools for synchrophasor applications, with a focus on power distribution networks and microgrids; as well as traditional power networks. Some of the results of this long term effort are:
    • The S3DK a LabView toolbox for real-time PMU application prototyping.
    • The Strongrid DLL, a real-time PMU data mediation library with several future functionalities in mind, such as a time-synchronization layer and multithreading - and LabView API!
    • A benchmark open source model of transmission and distribution systems for off-line and real-time simulation.
    • … and many others.
• System Identification for Cyber-Physical Power System Model Validation and Calibration.
  • This project deals with the development of methods and prototype implementation of tools for automated power system model identification problems with a theoretical founding on system identification methods. The RaPId tool is used as a platform for method implementation.
  • Currently un-funded. Contact me to support this project!

Past Research

Past Funded Research in the USA

• (2018-2019) Flexible Alternating Current Transmission System Modeling and Performance Analysis using Measurement Data
  • Funded by Dominion Energy.
  • Abstract: With the complexity of the control systems and operational modes of Dominion Energy STATCOMs, and existing fleet of SVCs and STATCOMs, this study will evaluate actual measurement data STATCOMs to evaluate their performance and response to system events (such as faults, generation trips, and other dynamic events). These evaluations will be critical to ensuring we have the accurate settings, control set points, and operational modes enabled for our new STATCOMs to ensure the correct and proper response to these events throughout the many different system events that occur on our grid. To evaluate the measurement data, simulation models of Dominion’s STATCOMs will be developed in the Modelica language and compared to existing models from conventional simulation tools. Different disturbances will be analyzed to assure that the models in Modelica provide the same response, and then, the models will be used to asses the performance of STATCOMs.
• (2018) Computer Model Architecture and Requirements Study: Integrating an Energy Transfer Station Storage Facility (300 kW Fuel Cell, 1 MW Electrolyzer) with Distributed Energy Resources (DER) interfaced to the grid
  • Funded by the Standard Hydrogen Corporation.
  • Abstract: This project developed an initial object-oriented computer model architecture and associated modeling and simulation requirements that can be re-used: (i) to study multi-domain (electrical, electrochemical, and digital control) aspects of the SHC-ETS (Standard Hydrogen Corporation’s Energy Transfer Station ), (ii) to explore different electrical designs and power electronic conversion configurations for SHC-ETS grid integration to maximize renewable energy (e.g.: PV, wind, hydro, etc.) harnessing, and (iii) to address system integration requirements for the overarching sensor, dispatch control and communication architectures for integrated SHC-ETS
• (2018) NeuralNet Foundations for the GridCortex Platform
  • Funded by NeuralNet.
  • Abstract: This project carried out the the design of a first-of-a-kind smart grid platform for multi-tier sensing, communication and data-based monitoring and control applications to facilitate enhanced management of renewable and distributed energy sources at different voltage levels and from disparate generation sources.

Major Funded Projects in Europe

Below, I list only the most relevant and large projects that I’ve carried out in my past career in Europe, in order of relevance; the ones that I liked the most are first.

Contact me for further information regarding smaller past projects carried out in Europe.

The Top Three Past Projects:

• opencps.eu: Open Cyber-Physical System Model-Driven Certified Development. With tool interoperability, vendor lock-ins and tool life-cycle support as major challenges, this research project focuses on interoperability between the Modelica/Unified Modeling Language (UML)/Functional Mock-up Interface (FMI) standards, improved (co-)simulation execution speed, and verified code generation.
  • OpenCPS received the ITEA Award of Excellence September 2019 during the ITEA PO Days 2019, more information: click here.
• The FP7 IDE4L project project developed a substation automation architecture, and we contributed with a synchrophasor protocol gateway and PMU for distribution networks.
• The FP7 iTesla project developed a dynamic security assessment software platform, mostly used in France.

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