DIgSILENT PowerFactory

Technical Reference Documentation

Trigger
ElmTrigger

DIgSILENT GmbH
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72810 - Gomaringen
Germany
T: +49 7072 9168 0
F: +49 7072 9168 88
http://www.digsilent.de
info@digsilent.de
Version: 15.2
Edition: 1

Copyright 2014, DIgSILENT GmbH. Copyright of this document belongs to DIgSILENT GmbH.
No part of this document may be reproduced, copied, or transmitted in any form, by any means
electronic or mechanical, without the prior written permission of DIgSILENT GmbH.
Trigger (ElmTrigger)

Contents

Contents
1 General Description

1.1 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1.2 Trigger Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1.2.1 General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1.2.2 Maximum and Minimum Threshold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1.2.3 Gradient . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1.3 Pre and Post-trigger Times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1.3.1 Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1.4 Writing of RMS Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2 Dynamic Simulation

3 Example Configuration

A Parameter Definitions

B Signal Definitions

List of Figures

List of Tables

10

Trigger (ElmTrigger)

General Description

General Description

1.1

Overview

The trigger model monitors the value of a signal. If certain trigger conditions are met the model
will start a trigger event. This will produce a message in the output window, and in case that it
is used in the PowerFactory monitoring system, force the triggered result files to store the data.
An input clock signal starts the calculation. The input signals are read and checked at every
rising edge of the signal connected to the clock input.

General

1.50
Upper Bound Y = 1.100

1.50

DIgSILENT

1.2.1

Trigger Conditions

1.20

0.90

0.60

1.20

0.90

0.60

0.30

0.30

0.00

0.00

-0.30

Lower Bound Y = 0.900

1.2

-0.30
0.00

2.00
Trigger: Input

4.00

6.00

[s]

8.00

0.00

Trigger: Trigger Conditions violated

2.00
Trigger: Input

4.00

6.00

[s]

8.00

6.00

[s]

8.00

Trigger: Trigger Conditions violated

1.20

1.25

0.90

1.00

0.60

0.75
0.50

G Y = 0.200

0.00

Gradient Y = 0.200

0.30

0.25
-G Y = -0.200

-0.30

0.00

-0.60

-0.25
0.00

2.00
Trigger: Input

4.00

6.00

[s]

8.00

0.00

2.00
Trigger: Input

4.00

Trigger: Gradient

Trigger: Gradient

Trigger: Trigger Conditions violated

Trigger: Trigger Conditions violated

Figure 1.1: Trigger Conditions

There are three different trigger conditions for triggering. The trigger conditions are:
Maximum
Minimum
Gradient
The following trigger settings are required for every type of trigger condition:
On Activates or deactivates a trigger condition.
Trigger (ElmTrigger)

General Description

Threshold Maximum or minimum value.

Set after... The trigger will become active if the condition is violated for more than Set after...
measurements in succession. This parameter can be used to ignore short peaks or drops
of the measured signal.
Reset after... The trigger will be reset if the condition is met again for more than Reset after...
measurements in succession. Like the parameter Reset after... it can be used to ignore
short peaks or drops of the measured signal.
If a three phase trigger was defined all trigger conditions are applied to all phases. If different
trigger conditions for the several phases are needed the single phase trigger is to be used.
Some calculations like the frequency measurement require a certain number of measurements
after starting the acquisition until their result is valid. Therefore the trigger must ignore these initial measurements. Otherwise the trigger could create unwanted trigger events. The parameter
sleep defines the number of measurements to ignore after starting.

1.2.2

Maximum and Minimum Threshold

These trigger conditions are violated if the measured signal exceeds (parameter valmax) or falls
below (parameter valmin) the given thresholds.

1.2.3

Gradient

This trigger condition is violated if the magnitude of the calculated gradient exceeds a given
threshold. Therefore there is only one threshold for rising or falling gradients. The time period
for calculation is given by the number of measurements.

2.0

1.0

0.0

0.1

0.2

Input Signal

Gradient (4 readings)

0.3

0.4
Clock

Figure 1.2: Calculation of Gradient

The Number of Points for Calculation of Gradient is used to set the timer period for calculating
the gradient. The number of points is 4 in figure 1.2.
The time period used for calculation of the gradient is:

Tg = ng fc
Therefore the number of points results in:
Trigger (ElmTrigger)

General Description

ng =

Tg
fc

The following variables have been used in the equations above:

Tg : Time period for calculating gradient
fc : Clock Frequency
ng : Number of Points for Calculation of Gradient
In the current version it is not possible to enter the time in seconds. Therefore the clock period
must not be changed during measurement. Changing the clock period during measurement will
lead to a wrong calculation of the gradient. Therefore the model might not trigger properly.

1.3

Pre and Post-trigger Times

Usually the trigger is used to control result files for acquiring data. This option is enabled with the
setting Acquire Data on the Basic Data page of the dialog box. If a trigger condition is violated
(viol=1) the result file starts acquiring data for a given time period. Pre, Post and Maximum
Post-trigger times are defined in the results object.
The recording time results in:

Tr = Tpre + Tpost
The maximum recording time results in:

Tr = Tpre + Tmax
where:
Tr : Recording time in s
Tpre : Pre-trigger time in s
Tpost : Post-trigger time in s
Tmax : Maximum post-trigger time in s

1.3.1

Example

Figure 1.3 shows a curve with a single trigger event. The trigger condition is violated at t=0 s.
Data recording ends at:

t = 0s + 10s = 10s
Trigger (ElmTrigger)

Dynamic Simulation

s:viol

single trigger
retrigger

-5.0

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

pretrigger time
posttrigger time
max. posttrigger time
single trigger, recording time
retriggered, recording time

Figure 1.3: Pre and Post-triggering

In the lower curve a second trigger event occurs 8s after the first one. 8 s is within the posttrigger time (retiggering). Therefore data recording would end at:

t = 8s + 10s = 18s
18 s exceeds the maximum post-trigger time of 15 s, therefore the recording ends at 15 s.

1.4

Writing of RMS Results

The PowerFactory Monitoring system (PFM) stores data in two different result objects. These
are the Instantaneous and the RMS results. The result objects are collecting data in a buffer
which is written to a file in case of a trigger event. The Instantaneous file is acquiring data at
every simulation step size. The RMS values file is controlled by several calculation models. The
trigger can be used to control the writing of the RMS file. The different options are:
Always the RMS file is acquiring data when the output ready is set
If trigger state changes the RMS file is acquiring data when the trigger output viol changes
(s : viol 1 => 0 or 0 => 1)
Never the trigger does not influence data acquisition of the RMS file.

Dynamic Simulation

Single Phase

Three Phase
in_A
in_B
in_C

viol

in

viol

ready

cl

ready

cl

Figure 2.1: Input/Output Definitions

Trigger (ElmTrigger)

Example Configuration

Example Configuration

DIgSILENT

The example is acquiring data using the PowerFactory monitor system. The interface to the data
acquisition system is realized with the block named Acquisition. The trigger (Trig) is monitoring
the signal y1 of the data acquisition interface. The clock is controlling the trigger.

Trigger:

output

cl

Clock
ElmClock

Trig
ElmTrigger
y1

Acquisition
ElmMeas

in
1

Figure 3.1: Block Diagram

Figure 3.2: Project and Grid

The composite model named Main is using the frame of figure 3.2. The model named Acquire
is the interface to the measurement system (in slot Acquisition). Clock is the clock used for
controlling the trigger and Trigger is the model in the slot named Trig.

Trigger (ElmTrigger)

Signal Definitions

Parameter Definitions
Table A.1: Trigger Parameters

Parameter

Description

Unit

loc name
outserv
nphase
res
iopt res
sleep
i max
valmax
npickmax
ndropmax
i min
valmin
npickmin
ndropmin
i grd
valgrd
npickgrd
ndropgrd
npts

Name
Out of service
Number of phases
Acquire data
Writing of RMS results
Number of measured values after start until trigger gets active
Maximum, On
Maximum, Threshold
Maximum, Set after...
Maximum, Reset after...
Minimum, On
Minimum, Threshold
Minimum, Set after...
Minimum. Reset after...
Gradient On
Gradient Threshold
Gradient, Set after...
Gradient Reset after...
Number of points for calculation of gradient

Signal Definitions
Table B.1: Input/Output signals
Name

Description

in A
in B
in C
in
cl
viol

Input phase A
Input phase B
Input phase C
Input (single phase trigger only)
Clock input
Output of trigger state (! = 0 => any of the
trigger conditions violated)
Ready signal

ready

Trigger (ElmTrigger)

Unit

Type

Model

IN
IN
IN
IN
IN
OUT

RMS, EMT
RMS, EMT
RMS, EMT
RMS, EMT
RMS, EMT
RMS, EMT

OUT

RMS, EMT

List of Figures

List of Figures
1.1 Trigger Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1.2 Calculation of Gradient . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1.3 Pre and Post-triggering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2.1 Input/Output Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3.1 Block Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3.2 Project and Grid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Trigger (ElmTrigger)

List of Tables

List of Tables
A.1 Trigger Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

B.1 Input/Output signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Trigger (ElmTrigger)

10