Test laboratory for medium voltage converters and power semiconductors

来自太阳能和风能发电厂的可再生能源的数量不断增加，以及输电网和配电网的储能一体化，导致电能的分散发电。这也导致了更大范围内的电能双向流动。因此，未来的电网将是混合型系统，电力电子学将与传统的无源电网元件一起在电网中发挥重要作用。电力电子学在电网中的最新应用通常限于低压电网(如光伏并网)和高压输电网(高压直流输电的变流器)。未来，重点还将放在中压配电网中的电力电子应用上。交流或直流电网的主要应用将是固态变压器、不同电压水平下电网有源连接的变流器、异步电网耦合的变流器、无功补偿器、潮流控制器或有源滤波器。除电网应用外，中压驱动器还提供了各种新的研究课题。特别是在工业过程中能源效率的提高方面，中压电力电子将能够做出实质性的改进。在卡尔斯鲁厄理工学院(KIT)电气工程研究所(ETI)之前的研究项目中，基于模拟、硬件在环设置和实验室规模的低压原型(&lt；=400V)对上述应用的变流器概念进行了调查和测试。为了扩大这些研究项目对全尺寸中压变流器或其电力电子积木(Pebbs)的研究，电气工程研究所(ETI)将建立一个中压实验室。因此，可以在面向应用的原型上研究转炉尺寸、调制和控制方面的研究结果。除了测试无源元件(变压器、电感、电容器和过滤器)和不同的冷却概念外，功率半导体及其栅极控制的研究将是预期调查的主要重点。因此，电气工程研究所(ETI)在中压电力电子关键技术领域的研究能力将得到扩大。与大多数同类研究机构相比，这将使ETI处于领先地位。

The continuously increasing amount of renewable energy from solar and wind power plants as well as the integration of storage in the transmission and distribution grids leads to a decentralized generation of electrical energy. This also results in a bidirectional flow of electrical energy in a larger scale. Therefore, the electrical grid of the future will be hybrid system, in which power electronics enabling a wide range of grid services will play a major role along with conventional passive grid components.State-of-the-art applications of power electronics in grids are usually limited to low voltage grids (e.g. grid integration of photovoltaics) and high voltage transmission grids (converters for high voltage DC transmission). In the future, the focus will also be put on power electronics for applications in medium voltage distribution grids. Major applications in AC or DC grids will be e.g. solid-state transformers, converters for active connections of grids at different voltage levels, converters for coupling of asynchronous grids, reactive power compensators, power flow controllers or active filters.In addition to the grid applications the medium voltage drives also offer a variety of new research topics. Especially regarding the increase of energy efficiency in industrial processes medium voltage power electronics will be able to contribute substantial improvements. In previous research projects at the Institute of Electrical Engineering (ETI) of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) the converter concepts for the above applications have been investigated and tested based on simulations, hardware-in-the-loop setups and lab-scale low voltage prototypes (<=400V).In order to extend these research projects on full-scale medium voltage converters or their power electronic building blocks (PEBBs), a medium voltage laboratory shall be built at the Institute of Electrical Engineering (ETI). Thus the research results e.g. on converter sizing, modulation and control can be investigated on application-oriented prototypes. Besides tests on passive components (transformers, inductors, capacitors and filters) and different cooling concepts, the research on power semiconductors and their gate control will a major focus of the intended investigations. As a result, the research capabilities of the Institute of Electrical Engineering (ETI) in the key technology field of medium voltage power electronics will be extended. Compared to most of the comparable research institutions this will bring the ETI in a leading position.