Standardized NPSS Propulsion Model Integration into Simulink Process Using FMI

Hear about newly developed methods of integration of propulsion performance models built in the NPSS (numerical propulsion system simulation) environment into MATLAB^® and Simulink^® using the FMI (Functional Mockup Interface) industry standard. NPSS model can now be easily packaged as an FMI version 2–compliant FMU (Functional Mockup Unit) and brought into Simulink using a native FMU Import block. This requires no code to be generated or compiled for the interface as in previous S-function-based methods. Using an NPSS FMU in Simulink also allows for the use of solvers, analysis tools, and other features to analyze and visualize the behavior of the NPSS model. Another feature of the FMU interface is taking advantage of Simulink bus signals, which allow a large number of signals to be grouped together and made available to the user so they can select their own parameters of interest for their task. Additionally, with recent development efforts, the NPSS FMU can be wrapped using Simulink Coder™ to enable the entire Simulink model to be packaged as source code for use in the real-time simulation environment. The FMU generation process around the NPSS model was developed in collaboration with the NPSS Consortium and will be publicly available in FMI version 3.3 later in 2023. This improved process has resulted in faster simulation integration times and added capabilities for process automation and coupling with MBSE tools for requirements testing and verification.