Cascading failure simulation of cyber-physical power systems with multi-timescale synchronisation and data exchange

Existing simulation methods for cyber-physical power systems (CPPS) often oversimplify cyber-physical interactions, particularly in time synchronisation and data exchange processes, limiting their accuracy to assess cascading failure risks. To address this gap, this article develops a cyberphysical simulation framework for CPPS cascading failure analysis, with its core in the detailed modelling of cyberphysical interactions through multitimescale synchronisation and multidata exchange. The framework employs queuing theory and a stack-based first-in-first-out algorithm to explicitly simulate the data exchange processes of measurement upload, control centre data analytics, and command download, thereby capturing end-to-end delay and packet loss arising from traffic fluctuations. Furthermore, a multitimescale synchronisation mechanism is constructed to coordinate physical system dynamics with the respective time cycles of these information processes. This framework is further integrated with a dynamic power flow model that incorporates frequency response to capture power-frequency dynamics, particularly during fault conditions. Case studies demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed cyber-physical interactions for cascading failure simulation, revealing critical risks caused by queuing delays and multitimescale processes that are overlooked by conventional methods.