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Currently, the number of distributed generation (DG) objects in the world is growing mainly due to renewable energy sources (RES). However, the integration of a large volume of DG based on RES into existing electric power systems (EPS) is associated with a number of significant problems. For a comprehensive study and solution of these problems, it is necessary to carry out detailed simulation of real EPS, which is not always feasible with the help of existing tools. Therefore, the article proposes the use of an alternative solution – the Hybrid Real-Time Power System Simulator (HRTSim). To confirm the properties and capabilities of the HRTSim, the simulation results of a test scheme obtained using the HRTSim and the widely used digital hardware-software complex RTDS were compared. The results of a comprehensive comparison in both complexes confirmed the adequacy of information about the processes in equipment and EPS as a whole, obtained by the HRTSim. Thus, it is proved that further use the HRTSim as a tool for detailed and adequate simulation of real EPS with DG will provide complete and reliable information about normal and abnormal quasi-steady-state and transient processes, which is necessary for reliable and efficient design, research and subsequent operation of EPS with DG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Novel approach for relays tuning using detailed mathematical model. • Hybrid Real-Time Power System Simulator is used as a source of necessary data. • Proposed approach allows to adapt protection settings to practical conditions. The correct operation of relay protection (RP) devices largely determines the security of electric power systems (EPS). The key point that in turn determines the behavior of protection in various emergency modes is a determination of their settings. The existing methodologies and tools often do not allow to provide RP settings adequate to the practical conditions of their functioning. This statement is confirmed by the statistics of faults in EPSs. The main reason for this issue is the inability to reliably reproduce transients in EPS via the software programs used in practice to calculate the RP settings. The Hybrid Real-Time Power System Simulator (HRTSim), developed by the authors, allows to reliably reproduce the entire range of normal and emergency modes and processes in EPS of any scale, topology and configuration by using detailed three-phase models of all power system components. Taking into account this possibility and features of the HRTSim, the task of detailed modeling of RP devices, including instrument current and voltage transformers, becomes relevant. The implemented special tools for RP modeling and the HRTSim in general allow to develop a new methodology for RP tuning. At the same time, the typical elements – relays – can be identified for each type of RP that determine their operation algorithm. This paper presents an analysis of the main relays of the most modern microprocessor-based RP devices and proposed principles of their tuning. The developed approach allows to adapt the RP settings to the practical conditions of their functioning in EPSs and to minimize the probability of RP maloperation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]