Medium Voltage Lab
Topic:
The Medium Voltage Power Electronics Lab provides a controlled environment to develop, build, and test all the subcomponents required for a high-power converter system. An electric grid increasingly controlled by power electronics needs to interface with a growing number of resources connected via converters and inverters, including renewable power sources, battery storage, and electric vehicle chargers. To operate at multiple interfaces of generation, transmission, and loads, these resources will need to handle significant power levels, whether to integrate offshore wind or expand megawatt-scale charging for heavy-duty vehicles.
As these power levels increase, higher-voltage operation is traditionally employed to reduce the associated current and losses. This requires scaling up solutions -- such as high switching frequencies, isolation techniques, and passive size reduction -- from low to medium voltage.
Uniqueness and capabilities:
- Medium-voltage, isolated converters: Design, build, and test converters (>100 kW) with high frequency isolation (>10 kHz)
- Solid state circuit breakers: Design, build, and test semiconductor-based circuit breakers for >1000V and >100A
- Direct grid interface converters: Design, build and test converters that can interface with the distribution grid (4-13 kV)
Technology resources
- 5 kV DC, 40A isolated controllable power supply
- 2 kV DC, 400A test bed for testing DC/DC converters in a loop
- 13 kV/1MW isolated transformer with multiple secondary taps (2.4-13.8 kV)
- High isolation auxiliary converters to support control, gate drivers, and sensing
- Pulse test characterization, ac and dc transient high voltage (hipot) testing, and partial discharge testing to 10kV
- 2 kV/50kW load bank
