Theses and Dissertations Collection

One of the main goals of this thesis is to expand upon a previously created simulation of a microgrid system to better emulate a real-world power system. By doing this, the system can function more dynamically and behave more realistically in test scenarios. The next goal is to implement substation hardware into the loop to simulate a utility SCADA system with network communication for testing the effect cyber-attacks can have on the system's operation. This will allow the testbed to be used to develop measures to detect attacks along with countermeasures to mitigate cyber-attacks and allow the system to recover faster from such attacks.

This research project successfully, designed, tested, and implemented improvements to the simulated system including the inclusion of dynamic loads, improved generator controls, and DC storage device. These improvements allow the simulated system to more accurately mimic a real-world power system while remaining within a stable operating region. The project also successfully configured and incorporated of substation equipment to simulate multiple substations along with designing and implementing a SCADA master used by operators to directly control the system from a remote location. This SCADA master consists of a human-machine interface, used to monitor and interact with the system, and a data historian, used to record system data points for future review and analysis. These improvements and incorporated hardware allow for the system to be utilized in future projects relating to system resilience and cyber threat analysis.