Development of an Experimental Platform for Analysis of Cyber Attacks on the Power Grid
- Conference
- Location
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Columbus, Ohio
- Publication Date
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June 24, 2017
- Start Date
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June 24, 2017
- End Date
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June 28, 2017
- Conference Session
- Tagged Division
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Electrical and Computer
- Page Count
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15
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--28167
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/28167
- Download Count
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749
Paper Authors
James Dylan Kollmer Temple University
James Kollmer is currently a second year master’s student in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Temple University. His research is focused on networked control systems and more specifically, Smart Grid resiliency and protection schemes via control theory applications. He is particularly interested in power systems, power electronics, and resilience control applications. Before coming to Temple University, he graduated from East Stroudsburg University and Temple University with a bachelor’s in physics and Electrical engineering. He is currently finishing up his Master’s thesis and works at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Philadelphia Division. He can be contacted at: james.kollmer@temple.edu
Robert Sambuca Irwin Temple University
Robert Irwin is a second-year Master’s student in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Temple University. His research is focused on Networked Control Systems with a focus on power systems. Currently, he is a Graduate Research Assistant in Temple Engineering’s Power, Controls, and Magnetics Laboratory. He can be contacted at robert.irwin@temple.edu.
Saroj K. Biswas Temple University
Saroj Biswas is a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Temple University specializing in electrical machines and power systems, multimedia tutoring, and control and optimization of dynamic systems. His current research focuses on security of cyber-physical systems based on multiagent framework with applications to the power grid, and the integration of an intelligent virtual laboratory environment in curriculum. He is a member of IEEE, ASEE, and Sigma Xi.
Walid Saad
Virginia Tech
orcid.org/0000-0003-2247-2458
Walid Saad received his Ph.D degree from the University of Oslo in 2010. Currently, he is an Assistant Professor and the Steven O. Lane Junior Faculty Fellow at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Virginia Tech, where he leads the Network Science, Wireless, and Security (NetSciWiS) laboratory, within the Wireless@VT research group. His research interests include wireless networks, game theory, cybersecurity, and cyber-physical systems. Dr. Saad is the recipient of the NSF CAREER award in 2013, the AFOSR summer faculty fellowship in 2014, and the Young Investigator Award from the Office of Naval Research (ONR) in 2015. He was the author/co-author of five conference best paper awards at WiOpt in 2009, ICIMP in 2010, IEEE WCNC in 2012, IEEE PIMRC in 2015, and IEEE SmartGridComm in 2015. He is the recipient of the 2015 Fred W. Ellersick Prize from the IEEE Communications Society. Dr. Saad serves as an editor for the IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, IEEE Transactions on Communications, and IEEE Transactions on Information Forensics and Security.
Arif I. Sarwat Florida International University
Arif I. Sarwat (M’08) received his M.S. degree in electrical and computer engineering from University of Florida, Gainesville. In 2010 Dr. Sarwat received his Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from the University of South Florida. He worked in the industry (SIEMENS) for nine years executing many critical projects. Currently, he is an Associate Professor at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Florida International University (FIU), where he leads the Energy, Power and Stainability (EPS) group. His significant work in energy storage, microgrid and DSM is demonstrated by Sustainable Electric Energy Delivery Systems in Florida. His research areas are smart grids, Electric Vehicles, high penetration renewable systems, cyber-physical systems, power system reliability, large scale distributed generation integration, large scale data analysis, cyber security, and vehicular technology. Dr. Sarwat is the recipient of the NSF CAREER award in 2015.
Li Bai Temple University
Dr. Li Bai is a Professor in the ECE department, Temple University. He received his B.S. (1996) from Temple University, M.S. (1998) and Ph.D. (2001) from Drexel University, all in Electrical Engineering. He was a summer research faculty in AFRL, Rome, NY, during 2002–2004 and the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division (NSWCCD), Philadelphia, PA, during 2006–2007. His research interests include video tracking, level 2+ information fusion, array signal processing and multi-agent systems, wireless sensor network and dependable secure computing. His research has been supported by Office of Naval Research, Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA), National Science Foundation, U.S. Army and Exxon Mobil, etc. Also, Dr. Bai served as the Chair of the IEEE Philadelphia Section in 2007 and was Young Engineer of the Year in Delaware Valley, IEEE Philadelphia Section in 2004.
Abstract
DEVELOPMENT OF AN EXPERIMENTAL PLATFORM FOR ANALYSIS OF CYBER ATTACKS ON THE POWER GRID
Abstract
An experimental platform for the evaluation of cyber-attacks and their possible impacts on a generator control system is important for the power industry as well as for undergraduate education in power engineering. Hands on experience in the cyber security aspects of the power grid is practically non-existent (except for a few large research laboratories) because of inherent difficulties in replicating power grid in a laboratory environment. An experimental cyber security testbed will facilitate understanding and evaluation of the impacts of cyber-attacks on the generator control system and its economic ramifications as well as to evaluate any countermeasure capable of defending or preventing harms to the power grid.
This paper presents the design of a single generator networked control system (NCS) from an educational perspective to provide a platform for cyber security studies and their possible impacts on the power grid. The generator NCS is comprised of three main components: 1) a synchronous generator in a two-bus system, and 2) a data acquisition (DAQ) unit and 3) a controller connected in a local area network. The two-bus power grid consists of a LabVolt synchronous generator driven by a dynamometer serving as the prime mover, and the field circuit controlled by insulated gate bipolar junction transistor (IGBT) DC/DC chopper, transmission line, and load bank (resistor, capacitor, inductor). The DAQ unit is comprised of voltage and current transformers and op-amp circuits that are interfaced with an Arduino Uno microprocessor for analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) and further processing. The DAQ system sends the voltage and current data to the controller via the Ethernet link. The controller is implemented in software in a laptop and sends control signals to a separate Arduino which is then responsible for controlling the voltage applied to the field circuit of the synchronous generator. This is accomplished through the use of an IGBT chopper which is controlled by a pulse width modulated (PWM) voltage signal produced by the Arduino.
This experimental platform can be used for the purpose of observing the effects of cyber-attacks on a generator control system in real time. All aspects of the platform development including the DAQ unit, the Ethernet interface, and the controller are discussed in detail. A baseline for the behavior of the two-bus system is first established by operating the generator under various load conditions for which the controller maintains the desired terminal voltage. Then we launch a series of false data injection attacks (biasing and random data) on the sensor network. Lastly, we launch a Denial-of-Service attack that triggers data packet loss in the sensor network. With no attack prevention mechanism in place, the developed experimental platform provides a facility to the students to observe and evaluate the impacts of various cyber-attacks on a real physical power generator.
Kollmer, J. D., & Irwin, R. S., & Biswas, S. K., & Saad, W., & Sarwat, A. I., & Bai, L. (2017, June), Development of an Experimental Platform for Analysis of Cyber Attacks on the Power Grid Paper presented at 2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Columbus, Ohio. 10.18260/1-2--28167
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