Commissioning of MW-scale Power Hardware-in-the-Loop interfaces for experiments with AC/DC Converters

This paper discusses the potential role Power Hardware-in-the-Loop (PHIL) testing can play in both actual testing and derisking laboratory experiments, and shows results obtained while preparing for MW-scale testing of new AC-DC converter technology. The step-by-step approach taken by moving through phases of modeling and simulation to PHIL experiments is described, and the real time simulation for the PHIL testing including Rest-of-System and setup of experiments is addressed. An AC/DC rectifier was successfully operated in PHIL up to several hundred kilowatt to derisk planned experiments for upcoming performance testing of AC/DC converters. The PHIL experiments used in this way are a crucial part in the commissioning process and allow confidence to be gained in proper setups before the actual converter becomes available for testing.