Virginia Tech Facilities
The Center headquarters is located at Virginia Tech, occupying office and lab facilities encompassing more than 19,000 sq.ft. of space in one building. Research space at CPES-VT includes an electrical research lab, an integrated packaging lab and computer lab. In addition to the headquarters labs and offices, a research library and a large conference room with voice and video conferencing capabilities supporting remote site course instruction as well as interaction among CPES collaborators is maintained. Interactive collaboration is routinely facilitated through conference calls, WebEx online conferencing, student and faculty exchanges, and face-to-face research project review meetings.
The electrical research laboratory is equipped with state-of-the-art power testing equipment, dynamometers, prototype PWB manufacturing equipment, an EMI chamber, a clean room, a mechanical shop, and numerous high-end computer workstations. The Power Electronics Research Lab is equipped with state-of-the-art tools and instrumentation necessary for development of power electronic circuits and systems of all sizes from sub-volts, sub-watts to 6 kV, 1 MW. Standard instrumentation is comprised of GHz oscilloscopes; function generators; network, spectrum, impedance, logic and power analyzers; thermal sensors; and AC/DC bench supplies of all sizes. Specialized equipment includes: thermal test equipment; Hi-Pot tester; 3-D magnetic field scanner; EMI/EMC analyzer; large and small dynamometers; automatic circuit board routing equipment; programmable and variable loads; and liquid cooled heat-exchanger.
The Integrated Packaging Lab is the only university facility in the nation devoted to power electronics packaging research. It has the capability to produce FR4, DBC, and thick film hybrid substrates, mount bare die and SMT components, and perform thin film deposition, metal plating, ceramic laser machining, and device wire bonding. Component and module level thermal measurement, environmental and electrical testing capabilities, including device die probing and inspection via microscope, are also available.
The Computer Lab supports all major software used in power electronics analysis and design, including: SPICE, Saber, PSCAD/EMTDC, I-DEAS, Analogy Design Tools Workbench, Ansoft-Maxwell 2-D and 3-D finite-element analyzers, Mentor Graphics and Cadence circuit simulation software, SIMPLIS, TMA, FLOTHERM circuit thermal analyzer software, Silvaco device simulation software, iSIGHT, and Ansys.
High power, high voltage power conversion technologies are attracting increasing attention in academia as well as industry in response to a need for more emerging power electronics applications, including alternative energy and power conversion such as wind power generations, fuel cells, hybrid electric vehicles and all-electric ships. Enabled by a 2002 award of $839,337 from the Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP) paired with CPES cost sharing of more than $250K for renovations, the electrical research lab area at VT has been renovated and upfit to accommodate medium voltage, megawatts power capability. The facility has two medium voltage 1 MVA reconfigurable transformers, corresponding reactors, capacitors, switchgears, and controllers. A 1 MW Innovation Series medium voltage IGBT drive donated by GE is installed as a programmable load. The complete set-up is capable of testing power converters in various active and reactive operation modes continuously at 1 MVA, 4160 V level. The unique installation distinguishes VT as one of a few select universities in the nation with this capability and enhances its position as a leader in power electronics research well beyond the NSF ERC life expectancy.
