Test laboratory for medium voltage converters and power semiconductors

来自太阳能和风力发电厂的可再生能源数量不断增加，以及输电和配电网中存储的集成，导致了电能的分散发电。这也导致了更大规模的电能的双向流动。因此，未来的电网将是一个混合系统，在这个混合系统中，能够提供广泛电网服务的电力电子器件将沿着传统的无源电网元件发挥重要作用。电力电子器件在电网中的最新应用通常局限于低压电网（如光电集成电网）和高压输电网（用于高压直流输电的变流器）。未来，重点也将放在中压配电网中的电力电子应用上。在交流或直流电网中的主要应用将是例如固态变压器、用于不同电压等级电网的有源连接的转换器、用于异步电网耦合的转换器、无功功率补偿器、功率流控制器或有源滤波器。除了电网应用之外，中压驱动器还提供各种新的研究课题。特别是在工业过程中提高能源效率方面，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，已经基于仿真、硬件在环设置和实验室规模的低压原型（<= 400 V）对上述应用的变流器概念进行了研究和测试。为了将这些研究项目扩展到全尺寸中压变流器或其电力电子构建模块（PEBB）上，应在电气工程研究所（ETI）建立中压实验室。因此，研究结果，例如转换器的大小，调制和控制可以在面向应用的原型上进行研究。除了对无源元件（变压器、电感器、电容器和滤波器）和不同冷却概念的测试外，对功率半导体及其栅极控制的研究将是预期研究的主要重点。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展。与大多数类似的研究机构相比，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.