Hawassa University
Institute of Technology, Department of Electromechanical Engineering
2024 Academic Year, Semester II
Electrical Power Systems (ECEg4176)
Laboratory Manual
Lab Experiment 1: Introduction to Simulink Environment and Simulating
Three-Phase Power Flow
Objective
1. Introduction to Simulink: Understand the basics of using Simulink for power system
simulations.
2. Three-Phase Power Flow Simulation: Develop and simulate a three-phase power flow
model using Simulink, including voltage, current, and power flow analysis.
Required Software
MATLAB/Simulink with the Simscape Electrical toolbox.
Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of power systems.
Familiarity with MATLAB/Simulink.
Part 1: Introduction to Simulink Environment
Step 1: Launch MATLAB and Simulink
1. Open MATLAB and type simulink in the command window. This will open the
Simulink start page.
2. From the start page, click on Blank Model to open a new model.
Step 2: Simulink Layout
1. Model Window: This is where you will design your model by dragging blocks from the
library browser.
2. Library Browser: Open the library browser by clicking on the icon. Here, you’ll find
pre-built blocks categorized by functions (e.g., Sources, Sinks, Math Operations).
3. Toolbar: Contains tools for running the simulation, zooming, and saving.
Step 3: Basic Block Operations
1. Open the Sources and Sinks libraries.
o Drag a Sine Wave block from Sources.
o Drag a Scope block from Sinks.
2. Connect the blocks by dragging from the output of the Sine Wave to the input of the
Scope.
3. Double-click the Sine Wave block to edit its properties (e.g., set amplitude =230,
frequency =50).
4. Simulate by clicking the Run button on the toolbar. Open the Scope to view the wave
output.
Part 2: Simulating Three-Phase Power Flow
Objective
To simulate a basic three-phase power system using Simulink and analyze power flow between a
source and a load.
Step 1: Creating the Three-Phase Source
1. In the Simulink Library Browser, navigate to the Simscape > Electrical > Specialized
Power Systems > Sources.
2. Drag a Three-Phase Programmable Voltage Source block into the model.
3. Set the source parameters (e.g., peak voltage =400, frequency=50, phase angle=0).
Step 2: Creating a Load
1. Navigate to Simscape > Electrical > Specialized Power Systems > Passives.
2. Drag a Three-Phase Series RLC Load block into the model.
3. Set the load parameters (Active Power, Inductive Reactive Power, and Capacitive
Reactive Power as needed).
Step 3: Power Measurement
1. Navigate to Simscape > Electrical > Specialized Power Systems > Sensors and
Measurements.
2. Add a Three-Phase Power Measurement block.
3. Connect this block between the source and load.
Step 4: Voltage and Current Measurement
1. Add Three-Phase V-I Measurement block.
2. Connect these blocks between the source and load to measure the voltage and current in
the system.
Step 5: Display Results Using Scopes
1. Drag Scope blocks from the Sinks library.
2. Connect the Three-Phase V-I Measurement, and Power Measurement outputs to
separate Scopes to observe voltage, current, and power waveforms during the simulation.
Step 6: Ground Connection
1. In Simscape models, always include a ground. Add a Ground block from Simscape >
Electrical > Specialized Power Systems > Utilities and connect it to the system.
Step 7: Simulation Setup
1. In the toolbar, click Simulation > Model Configuration Parameters.
2. Set the simulation time (e.g., 0.5 seconds) and solver to ODE45 (Variable Step) for this
simple case.
Step 8: Run Simulation
1. Click the Run button to start the simulation.
2. Open each Scope block to view the results of voltage, current, and power waveforms.
Analysis
1. Voltage Waveform: Observe the three-phase voltages and check their peak values and
phase shift (120° apart).
2. Current Waveform: Check the phase relationship between voltage and current. For a
purely active power load, current will be in phase with voltage.
3. Power Flow: Analyze the active and reactive power flow. Positive active power indicates
power delivery from the source to the load.
Questions
1. What is the phase difference between the three phases in the voltage waveform?
2. How does the current waveform change with a purely active power versus an purely
inductive power load?
3. How about purely capacitive load?
Conclusion
This lab provides an introduction to Simulink and demonstrates how to simulate a basic three-
phase power system. By running the simulation, students can observe voltage, current, and
power waveforms, gaining insight into power flow dynamics in three-phase systems.
