Application Areas

Power Electronic Systems

Power electronic systems including DC/AC or AC/DC converters are commonplace in electric transport. It is typical to test the components used in a power electronic system before they are put together into a full product. While this gives some level of security in respect of the high voltage performance of the components, the complete voltage waveforms and interactions between components when tightly packaged cannot be fully understood.

As a result, we offer test services that allow us to assess the performance of components, sub-systems and complete assemblies. Testing components can be done relatively quickly at volume but in some items such as power electronic modules it is difficult to completely replicate the voltages expected on each terminal and (as a result) the electric field within the component.

Testing of complete assemblies is arguably more representative but needs to be more carefully planned given the complexity of placing the test object in a suitable environment. Tests on complete assemblies may also only rule out the existence of partial discharge, it is more difficult in a full converter to increase the voltage until partial discharge develops given the likelihood that devices will fail quickly when overvolted.

We can replicate the voltages expected in most power electronic systems including high frequency fast fronted squarewaves (with overshoots).