Simscape Electrical
Model and simulate electronic, mechatronic, and electrical power systems
Simscape Electrical™ (formerly SimPowerSystems™ and SimElectronics®) provides component libraries for modeling and simulating electronic, mechatronic, and electrical power systems. It includes models of semiconductors, motors, and components for applications such as electromechanical actuation, smart grids, and renewable energy systems. You can use these components to evaluate analog circuit architectures, develop mechatronic systems with electric drives, and analyze the generation, conversion, transmission, and consumption of electrical power at the grid level.
Simscape Electrical helps you develop control systems and test system-level performance. You can parameterize your models using MATLAB® variables and expressions, and design control systems for electrical systems in Simulink®. You can integrate mechanical, hydraulic, thermal, and other physical systems into your model using components from the Simscape family of products. To deploy models to other simulation environments, including hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) systems, Simscape Electrical supports C-code generation.
Simscape Electrical was developed in collaboration with Hydro-Québec of Montreal.
Semiconductor Devices
Examine switching-level characteristics, losses, system-level behavior, and thermal effects.
Tailor Models to Your Needs
Select simple models to match dynamic characteristics and achieve faster simulation speeds. Add nonlinear charge model to capture detailed transients and predict losses. Enter datasheet values directly into your model.
IGBT simplified and full models.
Include Thermal Effects
Specify how the device behavior changes with temperature. Model heat generation within the device. Connect to thermal network to model heat transfer between the device and the environment and assess the impact on performance.
Linear voltage regulator with thermal effects.
Reuse SPICE
Convert subcircuit netlists for discretes to Simscape™ components. Connect your circuit model to thermal networks, mechatronic devices, and control algorithms. Evaluate and select a circuit architecture before performing parasitic extraction.
Converting a SPICE Netlist to Simscape blocks.
Motors and Drives
Design control systems and verify impact of nonlinearities and heat on system performance.
Tailor Models to Your Needs
Select simple models to match steady-state behavior and achieve faster simulation speeds. Add nonlinear flux and saturation to capture detailed transients and predict losses. Enter values directly from datasheets to match your specification.
BLDC speed control.
Include Thermal Effects
Specify how actuator behavior changes with temperature. Model heat generation within the actuator. Connect to a thermal network to model heat transfer between each winding and the environment and assess the impact on performance.
Linear voltage regulator with thermal effects.
Reuse FEM Data
Import data from a finite element analysis to model nonlinear flux linkage. Connect your circuit model to thermal networks, mechatronic devices, and control algorithms. Verify the impact of nonlinearities on system behavior.
Import IPMSM flux linkage data from ANSYS Maxwell.
Power Networks
Analyze grid-level performance in networks with renewables, power electronics, and drives.
Power Generation
Model generators with synchronous and asynchronous machines. Enable nonlinear effects such as saturation. Add renewable energy sources including photovoltaic arrays, wind turbines, and batteries for energy storage.
Three-phase asynchronous wind turbine generator.
Power Transmission
Model single and multiphase transmission lines and cables. Include transformers with nonlinear behavior due to effects such as saturation, varying core dimensions, and hysteresis.
IEEE 13 Node Test Feeder.
Power Consumption
Integrate rectifiers, inverters, and common converter topologies such as buck and boost. Connect to electric drives with drive control algorithms such as field-oriented control, vector control, and direct torque control.
Inverting topology buck-boost converter control.
Fault Tolerance
Minimize losses, equipment downtime, and costs by validating design under fault conditions.
Create Robust Designs
Specify the conditions under which components might fail. Model failed components, such as an open- or short-circuit. Automatically configure faults to efficiently validate your design against all fault conditions.
MOSFET fault in buck converter.
Perform Predictive Maintenance
Generate training data to train predictive maintenance algorithms. Validate algorithms using virtual testing under many scenarios. Reduce downtime and equipment costs by ensuring maintenance is performed at just the right intervals.
Multi-class fault detection using simulated data.
Minimize Losses
Calculate the power dissipated by electrical components. Verify circuit components are operating within their safe operating area. Analyze specific events and sets of test scenarios automatically and postprocess the results in MATLAB®.
Solar power converter.
Virtual Testing
Verify system behavior under more conditions than with hardware prototypes.
Test More Scenarios
Use MATLAB to automatically configure your model for testing. Use the ideal switching algorithm for fast and accurate simulation of power electronic devices. Run sets of tests or parameter sweeps in parallel on a desktop or a cluster.
Electric aircraft model in Simscape.
Predict Behavior Accurately
Choose continuous, discrete, or phasor simulation mode to analyze transient effects or voltage levels. Automatically tune parameters to match measured data. Control step size and tolerances automatically in Simulink® to ensure precise results.
Phasor-mode simulation in Simscape components.
Automate Analyses
Perform load flow analyses to determine steady-state conditions. Use FFT analysis to analyze the power quality of your design. Use MATLAB to automate every step of acquiring and postprocessing simulation results.
Initializing a 29-bus, 7-power plant network.
Model Deployment
Use models for the entire development process, including tests of embedded controllers.
Test Without Prototypes
Convert your model to C or HDL code to test embedded control algorithms and controller hardware using hardware-in-the-loop tests. Perform virtual commissioning by configuring tests using a digital twin of your production system.
Electric vehicle configured for HIL.
Accelerate Optimization
Convert your model to C code to accelerate individual simulations. Run tests in parallel by deploying simulations to multiple cores on a single machine, multiple machines in a computing cluster, or a cloud.
Supercapacitor parameter identification.
Enable Other Teams
Leverage advanced components and capabilities from the entire Simscape product family without purchasing a license for each Simscape add-on product. Share protected models with external teams to avoid exposing IP.
- Simscape™
- Simscape Driveline™
- Simscape Electrical™
- Simscape Fluids™
- Simscape Multibody™
Working in Restricted Mode in Simscape.
Simscape Platform
Test in a single simulation environment to identify integration issues.
Model the Entire System
Test the integration of electrical, magnetic, thermal, mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, and other systems in a single environment. Identify integration issues early and optimize system level performance.
Tailor Models to Your Needs
Using the MATLAB based Simscape language, define custom components that capture just the right amount of fidelity for the analysis you want to perform. Increase your efficiency by creating reusable assemblies with clear interfaces and parameterization.
Battery cell with customer electrochemical domain.
Integrate Design Teams
Enable software programmers and hardware designers to collaborate early in the design process. Use simulation to fully explore the entire design space. Communicate requirements using an executable specification for the entire system.
Power split hybrid vehicle electrical network.
MATLAB and Simulink
Find an optimal design faster by automating tasks performed on the complete system model.
Automate Any Task
Use MATLAB to automate any task, including model assembly, parameterization, testing, data acquisition, and postprocessing. Create apps for common tasks to increase the efficiency of your entire engineering organization.
MATLAB commands that automate model construction. MATLAB commands enable you to automate model construction by adding, parameterizing, and removing blocks and connections.
Optimize System Design
Use Simulink to connect control algorithms, hardware design, and signal processing in a single environment. Apply optimization algorithms to find the best overall design for your system.
Optimal trajectory for robot arm. Optimization algorithms are used to find the trajectory for a robot arm that consumes the least amount of electrical power.
Shorten Development Cycles
Reduce the number of design iterations using verification and validation tools. Ensure system-level requirements are met by continuously verifying them throughout your development cycle.
Continuous verification of motor requirements. A set simulations and post-processing steps are completely automated so that motor requirements can be verified after every design change.
Latest Features
SPICE Conversion Assistant
Convert SPICE models into Simscape components
Expanded Control Library
Speed up modeling by using prebuilt and documented algorithm components
Frequency and Time Formulation
Increase simulation speed for systems with a single base frequency
Battery Characteristics Visualization
Plot voltage-charge characteristic for battery model parameter values
Fuel Cell Stack Block Presets
Model a 3 kW or 25 kW Solid-Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC)
Peltier Device Block
Model conversion between electrical and thermal energy
See the release notes for details on any of these features and corresponding functions.
