Unique Laboratory Provides Freely Adjustable MV Bad Grid Conditions

Facility for Research and Testing of Power Electronic Equipment for MV Applications

The application of power electronic equipment in electricity generation and distribution is rapidly increasing. These power electronic applications, like distributed power generation, smart grids, renewable energy, have the potential to enhance control and management of power flow and thus enable grid operators to make smarter use of their grids. This increased application and penetration also inevitably increases the demand for research and testing and knowledge of the behaviour of the equipment in the grid.

Test facilities are available at LV with limited power and now a unique newly designed medium voltage laboratory has been realised. The laboratory provides a four-quadrant (4Q) freely programmable converter, simulating a bad grid, or load, at voltages up to 4 kV and max power of 1 MVA. In this laboratory innovative control and power electronics can be subjected to testing under complex realistic conditions, which were not available for MV applications.

The test conditions in the laboratory are, amongst others: higher harmonics, voltage dips and frequency and voltage fluctuations. The test conditions are based on the prevailing international standards like EN 50160, IEEE 1547 and IEC 61000. The laboratory has a wide range of capacitors, resistors and reactors available as loads and to control the test conditions.

At the moment the laboratory is being commissioned and the first critical tests have been completed successfully. The laboratory will be available for operation from April 2008.

4Q MV converter providing programmable bad grid

Impression primary system laboratory