Grid Interactions Research Facility

The Grid Interactions Research Facility (GIRF) is a research, development, and testing facility dedicated to power electronics at the grid-edge with an emphasis on the interaction of distributed energy resources (DERs) for power grid modernization. Examples of DERs include smart photovoltaic (PV) inverters, electric vehicles (EV), battery energy storage systems (BESS), smart loads, smart appliances, and other devices.

This location provides 1,000 square feet of fully conditioned lab space and an additional 3,000 square feet of high bay workspace. Adjacent to the GIRF is the outdoor Solar Energy Technology Testing Laboratory (SETTL) with permanently installed PV modules and flexibility to suite a variety of PV and balance of systems testing. The SETTL test field is connected to the GIRF through a series of underground conduits to carry power and communications cables for power off-take and telemetry.

The GIRF is supplied from a dedicated medium voltage transformer and has access to 1.8MVA at 480V for research use. Additional facilities include a 8′ W x 13′ D by 8′ H environmental chamber capable of temperature ranges from -60°C to 150°C and sustained -40°C while rejecting 25kW of live load.

More information can be found at the GIRF website

The GIRF facilities is available for use by ground internal to Texas A&M or external. Industry collaborators may find our capabilities useful for R&D or T&E activities. Please contact rbalog (at) tamu.edu to discuss ways to partner for these engineering services.

Power Hardware In the Loop (PHIL)

Currently there are two racks that can be used independently or together.

Typhoon HIL 606 Real-time Simulator

The hardware-in-the-loop HIL606, is built to solve the most demanding power electronics and grid modernization needs with ultra-high fidelity and expansive connectivity ports. Complete specification

• • Real-time emulation of digital twin for power electronics, power system, motors, vehicles, and any other dynamical systems.
  • Switching, average, or behavioral models for power electronics
    Power distribution system modelling
    Exchange power flow data with OpenDSS to obtain quasi-static operating points
    High or low-fidelity models
    Expandable to add additional HIL capability
  • Down to 25 ns real-time simulation time-step (typically 250 ns)
  • Down to 200 ns analog output update rate
  • Interface to controller via 64 analog outputs, 32 analog inputs, 64 digital inputs, and 64 digital outputs.
  • A 3.5 ns Gate Drive Signal (GDS) oversampling on all digital inputs
  • Up to 8 processing cores.
  • Real-time emulation of non-linear machines with spatial harmonics.
  • Real-time emulation of semiconductor switches power losses.
  • JMAG-RT FEM electric machine model import.
  • HIL connectivity includes: USB3.0, 4x Ethernet, 2x EtherCat, 2x CAN FD, 2x QSFP, General Purpose IO (GPIO) and more.

Regatron ACS Regenerative 30 kVA 4-quadrant AC Power Supply

ACS is a programmable regenerative AC power supply for demanding AC test environments. It combines a programmable AC power supply, an AC grid simulator, a fast P-HIL power amplifier and AC load simulator. Capable of reproducing complex grid conditions, testing power electronics under real operating scenarios. Complete specification

• • Grid emulation with bi-direction power flow.
  • Regenerative 4-quadrant operation feeds energy back into the AC mains.
  • Distributed energy resource (DER) emulation
  • Paired with the HIL 606 to interconnect a hardware device under test (DUT) with a real-time simulation of an electrical  distribution system bus/node
  • Battery emulation and testing
  • EV emulation and testing
  • PV emulation and testing
  • Integrated water-cooling for continuous operation at full rated power
  • Can be operated individually or in paralleled

Advanced Power Distribution System (APDS) – Microgrid

Custom built Eaton power distribution switchboard for testing integration of distributed energy resources (DERs). It can be configured as an isolated microgrid or grid-connected for investigating grid-edge modernization. It is expandable and flexible to facilitate multiple DERS all interconnected from a single location. Currently it contains five separate PV arrays and two 30kVA PHIL nodes, BESS, diesel gen-set, and 1.8MVA of grid power;  2 power hardware in the loop (PHIL) nodes, each with Typhoon HIL606 paired with a 30kVA regenerative Regatron power amplifier acting as a grid simulator or arbitrarily controlled DER. 

• Ratings:​
  • 480/277V, 225A
  • 208/120V, 400A
• Interconnections:
  • 5 separate 5kW PV Arrays (4 string inverters, 1 microinverter array)
  • 2 Power Hardware in the Loop (PHIL) nodes
  • Provisioned for Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)
  • Provisioned for diesel gen-set
  • 1,800kVA ac grid power available at facility
• AC and DC Power Meters:
  • Measure up to 61st harmonic of line, neutral, and phase current and voltage
  • 15″ touchscreen for data visualization
  • Data archived for off-line analysis

Environmental Chamber

ESPEC EWSX832-35NA walk-in temperature and humidity chamber. Download  complete specifications.

• Interior Dimensions:
  • 96in. (2438mm) wide x 156in. (3962mm) deep x 96in. (2438mm) tall
  • Full-size swing-open door
  • Temperature Range: -70°C (-94°F) to 150°C (302°F)
• Floor Capacity:
  • 1,500 lb/ft² (7,300 kg/m²) uniformly distributed, or
  • 2000 lb (900 kg) cart rolling on four 4 in (100 mm) casters, or
  • 6,000 lb (2,700 kg) vehicle on four pneumatic tires.
• Temperature Gradient:
  • With 3000 lb. load (80% steel, 20% plastic) and no live load
  • From 65°C to -40°C at a 1.3°C/min average change rate
  • From -40°C to 65°C at a 1.3°C/min average change rate
• Live Load Capacity: 25,000 Watts on at -40°C
• Live Load Humidity:
  • 20°C/95%RH with up to 2000 watts on
  • 65°C/80%RH with up to 20,000 watts on
  • 65°C/85%RH with up to 15,000 watts on