HiPE-LAB
Test laboratory for multimodal lifetime tests on power electronics up to 10 MVA
Load tests for wind turbines
In wind turbines, the power electronics must endure both the electrical loads and possible harsh environmental conditions. The combination of environmental stresses and electrical operating loads to which power electronics are subjected is critical to equipment life. Predicting the effect of these multimodal loads already during the development phase is therefore of great importance for avoiding field failures and thus for long-term product success.
The High Performance Electronics Laboratory HiPE-LAB of the IALB at the University of Bremen offers the unique possibility to expose whole frequency converters with power ratings up to 10 MVA to electrical and climatic loads in almost any combination and to perform tests to predict important issues regarding lifetime. In the field of wind energy, we – as a member of ForWind – work closely with Fraunhofer IWES.
Research focus
The laboratory
With a temperature range of -40 °C to +120 °C and relative humidity between 10 % and 95 % in the temperature range of +10 °C to +95 °C, the climatic conditions of all climatic zones can be largely simulated in the HiPE-LAB. Dynamic, reproducible electrical load profiles allow accelerated aging under the appropriate climatic conditions.
In addition to the examination of frequency converters as a whole, the targeted examination of individual components such as the power semiconductors (for example IGBTs), the driver circuits or the DC link capacitors is also possible in separate climatic chambers. Systems can thus be examined with regard to the following questions: How does the inverter system behave during start-up after it has been standing for a long time and has absorbed moisture in the process? Does condensation occur? How quickly can a plant be baked out by its own losses? What are the most critical components or areas in the inverter cabinet? The prediction of these and other issues already in the development phase of converter systems are the focus of the HiPE-LAB and can be investigated experimentally based on field experience and single component tests on complete converters.
The HiPE-LAB allows individual tests tailored to your product. But tests can also be performed on prototypes as a whole or on individual components during the development phase of a new product.
Services
We offer the following services:
- System anamnesis, system analysis
- Development and selection of test scenarios
- Modeling & Simulation
- Execution of the test scenarios
- Purely electrical load
- climatic tests (temperature, humidity)
- multimodal tests, i.e. climatic tests combined with electrical loading
- Single component testing/component characterization and intermediate measurement
- Sensors and measurement technology
- Voltage measurement, current measurement
- Temperature measurement, humidity measurement and flow measurement (air)
- High-resolution long-term acquisition and storage of measurement data
- Integration of the control of the DUT into the test sequence for the execution of fully automated tests
- Analysis and evaluation as well as documentation of measurement data and results
