We are establishing a national and international resource for research on the power components of the future and related topics. The research infrastructure will be made available to national and international researchers, as well as industry.
The goal is to develop reliable components for the energy systems of the future by increasing our understanding of fundamental high-voltage phenomena and ageing mechanisms relevant to the stresses expected in the power grids of the future.
The infrastructure aims to help address the following R&D challenges:
- What will the expected electrical load patterns and stresses in the power grids of the future look like?
- How does the introduction of distributed renewable sources affect stresses and load patterns?
- How will the electrification of the transport sector increase operational stresses?
- Which technologies will give rise to these expected stresses?
- How do relevant stresses and load patterns affect ageing and pre-degradation phenomena in materials, insulation systems and components?
- Design and development of suitable test techniques and protocols for the primary components of the future.
- Facilitating knowledge-based development of reliable, high-performance materials and components that can withstand the stresses of the future.
The infrastructure will consist of three parts:
Each part will be of great value to research communities and industry on its own, but the greatest benefit is achieved when the parts are used together.
Flexible power sources
A collection of high-voltage and current sources is being built to generate the stresses expected in the power grids of the future:
- A current source that emulates dynamic/intermittent load patterns, producing significant thermal-electrical and mechanical stresses on components.
- Voltage sources that emulate the frequency content and steep edges arising from power electronics, such as converters and fast-switching equipment.
Characterization of insulation materials
To understand and monitor changes and degradation in components and material systems – both under existing loads and the tougher loads expected in the future – a characterization lab will be established, equipped with instruments for chemical and physical material characterization. Many of the phenomena involved are transient, and what makes this laboratory unique is its immediate proximity to the high-voltage experiments. This makes it possible to examine changes in material properties immediately after, or simultaneously with, component stress testing.
Ultra-fast imaging and measurement
Breakdown, dielectric discharge and mechanical fracture development are extremely fast processes. Investigating them requires equipment capable of capturing the temporal evolution of processes occurring within nano- or microseconds. This part of the infrastructure will consist of digital camera systems with nanosecond shutter speeds and high frame rates, along with the capability for stereoscopic recording at fast shutter speeds and kilohertz frame rates. The cameras are combined with equipment for simultaneous, high-speed acquisition of electrical signal data.
Background and funding
In 2017, SINTEF Energy Research received NOK 29 million from the Research Council of Norway to build a new national research infrastructure – ElpowerLab. The entire infrastructure was scheduled to be fully installed by the third quarter of 2020, co-located with the SINTEF Energy Lab.
ElpowerLab will be available to Norwegian and international research communities and industry, on transparent terms defined in the EU's European Charter for Access to Research Infrastructures.