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AbstractA Swiss start-up company developed a Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) simulator technology for Power Electronics (PE) applications which has 1 µs latency. The target application areas for this technology are HIL testing of PE software for wind and solar power, hybrid and electric vehicles and industrial automation. The company is looking for partners for further development or joint exploitation of its technology.DetailsThe purpose of power electronics (PE) is to find the most efficient way to convert the electrical energy from its “raw” form into the form that exactly matches the need of the load (voltage, frequency, wave shape). Therefore, it can be found in a wide range of industrial processes, but also in airplanes, wind plants, fuel cells, solar plants, electric, hybrid electric and conventional cars, as well as in the transmission and distribution of electricity. Power electronics systems exhibit extremely fast dynamics due to the inherent switching actions of power devices which requires extremely high resolution during simulation of these processes. The Swiss company offers technology for Hardware in the Loop (HIL) simulation of PE systems which is 50 times faster and much easier to use than the competing state-of-the-art simulation technologies or buildinh testing systems.This technology enables “virtual reality simulation” of power electronics converters with unprecedented fidelity, thanks to its fine time resolution of 1 µs. It enables engineers, for the first time, to experience “virtual reality” world of ultra-fast power electronics signals, in real time, before ever building or turning on (if it already exists) a high-power PE converter. Digital HIL simulator can substitute the PE hardware during all but final release tests of PE software and firmware. With its 1 µs latency it captures most of the relevant system dynamics including steady state, regular and fault transients. HIL simulator platform is an ultra low latency real-time digital simulator of a two-level back-to-back three-phase inverter/converter matrix with grid, transformers, cables, filters, motors and mechanical loads that can be used in a wide range of circuit and system configurations. Future application areas of the HIL simulation technology include fields in which technological innovation plays a major role and which represent major societal challenges: Renewable Energy: - Hardware-in-the-Loop simulation and testing of power electronics controls hardware, software, and firmware of variable speed wind turbines, photovoltaic inverters, wave energy generators, etc. - Real-time simulation and utility side harmonic simulation. - Real-time thermal simulation of semiconductors under all steady state and transient conditions including fault transients Automotive: - Hardware-in-the-Loop simulation of power electronics converters, electric motors, for conventional, hybrid, and electric vehicles. - Real-time simulation of electric power network (including electric motors, inverters, dc/dc converters, batteries etc.) with unprecedented fidelity for conventional, hybrid, and electric vehicles. - Real-time thermal simulation of semiconductors under all steady state and transient conditions including fault transients Transportation: - Hardware-in-the-loop testing of power electronics for main and auxiliary power subsystems for electric trains (metro, regional, intercity), locomotives, and trams. - Real-time simulation and utility side harmonic simulation for main and auxiliary power subsystems. - Real-time thermal simulation of semiconductors under all steady state and transient conditions including fault transients Industrial drives and automation: - Hardware in the loop testing and verification of control software and firmware for variable speed drives. - Real time simulation of utility side harmonics for variable speed drives. - Real-time thermal simulation of semiconductors under all steady state and transient conditions including fault transients In addition, HIL simulator is an extremely effective teaching and training tool for high-power electronics equipment, as well as a laboratory tool for rapid prototyping and teaching power electronics control hardware, firmware and software design, as it provides a safe, and realistic learning environment. It offers unprecedented insights into inner workings -“virtual reality world” of power electronics equipment. Innovative Aspects: Ultra low latency HIL (Hardware-in-the-Loop) simulation platform, which enables a combined simulation step and latency of 1 µs, is enabled by the innovations in the fields of: - high-speed, ultra low-latency digital processor design, - algorithms and compilers for dynamic system simulations, and - high-speed, low-latency I/O analog/digital interface design. The ability of offered technology to simulate power electronics systems with high speed and fidelity can improve power electronics systems by making them more reliable, less expensive, and more efficient. There are three compelling reasons for using HIL simulation: - reduction of development cycle, - fulfilment of the demand to extensively test control hardware and software in order to meet safety and quality requirements, and -need to prevent costly failures during testing
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