ATP: a suitable tool for the simulation of power converters and drives

The EMTP (Electromagnetic Transients Program) is a general purpose program originally developed for simulating transient phenomena in power systems. Although the EMTP has important limitations and drawbacks, it is a suitable tool for the simulation of power converters and electric drives. A new version, the so-called SALFORD ATP (Alternative Transients Program), has been recently released; this new program incorporates some capabilities very attractive for the simulation of power electronics. The authors present a short summary of these options and illustrate their advantages and limitations for the simulation of power converters and drives.<<ETX>>