ICT Modeling for Cosimulation of Integrated Cyberpower Systems

The Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) system is the primary infrastructure for on-line monitoring and control of power grids. SCADA systems have evolved from isolated structures into open and networked environments. The new communication systems for modern power grids present cyber security vulnerabilities. Cyber security studies for the SCADA systems can be conducted effectively on an integrated cyber-power environment. The Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) supporting SCADA are coupled with the electric grids. Together, they form a cyber-physical system. Computer simulations on cyber attacks and impact analysis of the power grid help identify the vulnerable points of the SCADA system with a high impact on the grid’s operation. The power and cyber systems must be modeled and integrated in a co-simulation environment. Tools are required to study simultaneously the dynamics of the electric grid and its data delivery infrastructure. This chapter is a tutorial for the development of a co-simulation model that integrates the cyber and power systems. The coupling techniques for software simulators for cyber systems and physical power systems are reviewed. The existing power system simulation tools and communication network simulators are presented. An example of the real-time coupling technique for industrial grade simulation environments and SCADA software is provided. The chapter continues with a brief overview of power system models and their integration with the ICT model of SCADA for data exchange. The emphasis is on modeling of the information and communication system for power grids and the grid control hierarchy. Queuing theory is used for the ICT models. The integrated cyber-physical system model is validated with the IEEE 39-bus system.