Using clock accuracy to guide model synthesis in distributed systems: An application in power grid control

Published

September 27, 2010

Author(s)

Dhananjay Anand, Jeffrey Fletcher, Ya-Shian Li-Baboud, Julien M. Amelot, James Moyne

Abstract

Practical implementations in distributed model based control face a fundamental trade-off between model complexity and the number of modeled nodes. For linear systems, higher order models better capture the behavior of the system at higher frequencies, although the effective operating frequency range is limited during implementation due to sensor/actuator bandwidth limits, control algorithm limits and, in the case of wide scale distribution, communication bandwidth limits. The optimal choice for model order is the intersection of increasing model fidelity and the increasing generalized cost. Using existing methods for optimal model synthesis we present an evaluation of this cost in terms of clock synchronization accuracy. We show through illustrative example in the domain of large scale power transmission that there is a growing performance penalty as model order is increased in the presence of uncertain timestamps. We discuss how this penalty can be framed as a design parameter for automated model deduction. As a corollary, we also show that the choice of network based clock synchronization method can be formalized by using the same performance metric used in the model synthesis.

Proceedings Title

IEEE International Symposium on Precision Clock Synchronization 2010

Conference Dates

September 27-October 1, 2010

Conference Location

Portsmouth, NH, US

Pub Type

Conferences

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Keywords

time synchronization, networked control, model order deduction, data quality, PTP, NTP, power systems control

Citation

Anand, D. , Fletcher, J. , Li-Baboud, Y. , Amelot, J. and Moyne, J. (2010), Using clock accuracy to guide model synthesis in distributed systems: An application in power grid control, IEEE International Symposium on Precision Clock Synchronization 2010, Portsmouth, NH, US, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=906257 (Accessed October 11, 2025)