Systems

Since 2003, we have supplied a large number of diverse applications with test and measurement equipment. On this page, you will find a selection of supplied installations that were realised in consultation with the customer.

192 channel data logger

TTMS has delivered a 192-channel data logger system to one of its customers. The system is intended to measure voltage and current distribution in a large production machine serving the semiconductor industry.

The system consists of 12 Spectrum PCI cards with 16 input channels each, built into an industrial PC. In the PC, we placed a 30TB HD system and a graphics card for four high-resolution HDMI monitors. The PCI cards have a 16-bit A/D converter with an internal memory of 2GB and a maximum sampling frequency of 100k samples per second. All 192 channels are fully synchronised, time-wise.

The setup is divided into 80 AC current channels, 16 AC voltage channels, 48 AC/DC current channels and 48 DC voltage channels. All current probes and voltage probes are made to customer specification. For example, the AC/DC current probes are supplied with a combined signal/power cable where the 9V power supply for these probes comes from a central DC power supply. So there is no need to constantly change batteries or use 48, 9V adapters. We have also done this for the AC differential voltage probes.

With this setup, the customer can stream data from the 192 channels at maximum sample frequency to the Hard Disk. And that for up to more than 9 days. In this way, the influence of voltage/current faults in one branch of the power distribution relative to the other branches of the distribution network can be investigated in a simple way.

Special EV (Automotive) DC power supply

The photo on the right shows a customer-specific solution by TT&MS BV in which a 10 kW DC power supply from Magna-Power, adjustable between 0-800 Vdc, is used as a battery emulator. The special EV connectors are equipped with a safety interlock which in turn are connected to the interlock circuit of the DC power supply.

One of the main reasons is that a “real” battery or accumulator is far from always available. Moreover, in this case it is not necessary to take into account the relatively long charge/discharge times. This by possibly making adjustments to the battery configuration (series/parallel). This offers a great advantage in terms of test time and flexibility.

Battery/battery voltage, electrical power, a SOC (state of charge) are important properties of an energy storage device such as a battery or battery pack. For this, a battery emulator in the form of an adjustable, programmable, DC power supply can be a huge help. Besides a variable output voltage, there are also battery emulators in which, in addition to the Ri, the full, bidirectional battery characteristic is programmable.

We can build these cabinets with voltages up to 1500V and for any desired power.

Acceptance test of an 800kVA Grid Emulator/Battery Emulator

Emulation of an 800kVA AC grid with freely programmable harmonics (up to the 50st) but also voltage dips, unbalance in the three phases and other grid contamination.

The same plant can also be converted to a DC power supply/DC load with a voltage range up to 1500V and battery emulation.

The customer in this case is a manufacturer of Electrical Vehicle charging stations for fast charging of buses and trucks in particular. This installation allows us to test both the mains voltage side and the charging side. Eventually, the desire is to expand the installation to 1,600kVA or more.

AC power supply for production test egg grading machines

TT&MS has supplied a customer-specific 20kVA AC power supply from Elettrotest for Moba. This is used to generate a stable, but controllable 50Hz and 60Hz AC grid. The applied AC power supply is suitable for an output voltage of 0-150Vrms and 0-300Vrms L-N, and can be used in single and three-phase applications.

This special version is equipped with several three-phase connections and is used by the end user for the necessary tests during production and when assembling the complete system. For this, various AC grid conditions need to be simulated. This is to ensure proper and reliable functioning of the end products, worldwide.

For practical reasons, the AC power supply is placed in a specially developed steel frame. This makes it suitable for transport by forklift truck. This guarantees fast and safe transport within the various production locations.

AC power supplies are used, among other things, in applications requiring a stable and clean (low THD) mains voltage. In many applications, it is desirable to be able to vary both the output voltage and mains frequency. Besides generating a clean mains voltage, AC sources are also used for the deliberate generation of harmonic distortion or other power quality-related events.

This particular solution was part of the RTLZ programme ‘How it’s done’, click here for the item.

Mobile test cabinet to customer specification

For testing control cabinets, a number of unique functions and requirements were defined by our customer for the required mobile test cabinet. TT&MS was allowed to develop a customer-specific solution for this in close consultation with the end user.

The customer wanted to be able to use the test cabinet flexibly in the test lab and on the production floor. This for both the short function test and the longer duration test, where setting the various functions must be relatively simple for the user.

Ultimately, this customer-specific test cabinet was assembled with a 6kW DC power supply from Magna-Power, a timer relay, a digital counter, fuse circuit breakers, various switching and pressure components and an additional contact rail on the back. The applied safety switch is connected to the interlock circuit of the DC power supply. This solution enables both manual and automatic testing of the switchgear.

The photo shows this customer-specific mobile test cabinet from TT&MS BV where a 6 kW DC power supply from Magna-Power, adjustable between 0-250Vdc, is used in a production test setup. The whole unit is built into a robust 19″ inch transport case.

For more information, please contact one of our consultants. They will be happy to help you find the right solution for your application.

TT&MS BV, supplier of high quality Power Test and Measurement Equipment has had the opportunity to supply two complete test racks for use at the power lab. Each test rack contains a 4-quadrant regenerative AC/DC grid emulator and is equipped with multiple bidirectional DC power supplies (2x IT6018C-1500-40 & 6x IT-M3902C-80-40).

The Power electronics lab falls under the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EEMCS). Many projects involve integrating power electronics converters into systems that deal with modeling and optimizing component interactions; such as batteries, solar cells, electrical machines and electromechanical actuators. Research focuses on battery electronics and radiated electromagnetic interference. A special theme within the program is small solar energy systems with battery storage to provide off-grid electrical services.

To support the student, researcher and engineer, the test systems provided provide, a versatile test facility suitable for AC/DC Grid emulation, Hardware in the loop, Power Quality, Power analysis and Harmonics generation. The bi-directional power supplies are particularly useful for Energy storage charging/discharging tests, Battery emulation and Solar Panel simulation.

TT&MS has delivered the first “All-in one” Cinergia GE&EL AC/DC ePlus power supply/load delivered in the BeNeLux. The unit was officially introduced in July 2020 and the University of Luxembourg purchased one for their test laboratory because of its versatility.

At the Department of Energy and Environment of the Faculty of Science, Technology and Medicine (FSTM), they have several research projects related to green energy that contribute to the development of eco-cities. One of the projects is to investigate the challenges of an autonomous Off Grid energy system.

Initially, the Cinergia unit will be used as a regenerative AC load that mimics consumer power consumption. With the AC electronic load function, it is possible to simulate resistive, inductive and capacitive loads or a combination of all three. In addition, the GE&EL+ AC/DC is used as an AC grid emulator to see if the solar inverter can synchronize with the grid under the right conditions, as well as disconnect from the grid under the right conditions using the latest standards.

This Cinergia unit is also suitable as a PV emulator, so that regardless of the amount of sunlight, the entire installation can be tested for specifications. Battery storage is also present in this installation. The GE&EL AC/DC ePlus unit is also suitable for both battery testing and battery emulation. This capability offers the University of Luxembourg additional testing capabilities for electric vehicles, V2G testing and also electric motor testing.

This instrument provides the additional capabilities for testing electric vehicles and also electric motors for this application. All in all, it is a very versatile instrument that greatly expands the testing facilities within the university.

Grid Emulator for Offshore Wind Energy Research

Modern wind farms are connected to the mainland grid via long submarine cables with large parasitic capacity. And they have a large number of power electronics converters that produce harmonics. Harmonics are distortions of the sinusoidal grid voltage and current. The interactions between these harmonics and the wind farm components create a serious challenge. Higher harmonics are undesirable because they can lead to energy losses, tripping of protection systems and potentially premature component failure.

The current design approach is on a case-by-case basis with oversized components. This approach is already leading to delays and price increases and poses risks to future offshore grid expansions for additional wind farms.

Cinergia Grid Emulator from TTMS

Research is being conducted at TU Delft by the DC Systems, Energy Conversion & Storage (DCE&S) section of the Electrical Sustainable Energy department using a 20kVA Grid Emulator GE+20 from Cinergia. The Grid Emulator supplied by TTMS is a programmable voltage source that can provide both a stable three-phase AC grid and also a grid with electrical faults. Based on regenerative and bidirectional four-quadrant amplifiers, it constitutes an important tool for testing renewable energy sources such as solar, hydro, cogeneration and other grid-connected devices. At each of the three phases, separately in addition to the fundamental frequency, all harmonics up to the fifteenth are programmable. On top of that, a freely selectable frequency is available between one-tenth (0.1) to fifty times the fundamental frequency. Thus a subharmonic, interharmonic or higher harmonic can be programmed. The Grid Emulator can also be used as a power amplifier for Hardware in the Loop testing and features a powerful and particularly user-friendly Windows interface.

Recently, Kalibra International, an independent expert in the field of calibration and validation, purchased no fewer than eight Isotech portable calibration ovens from TT&MS.

The calibration department has been expanded to include five Isotech Venus (temperature range -35°C to 140°C), two Jupiters (temperature range 35°C to 660°C) and one Pegasus (Temperature range 150°C to 1200°C).

IsoCal-6

The units are part of the award-winning IsoCal-6 series. This series of temperature calibrators is designed to calibrate virtually all types of temperature sensors. As a multi-purpose temperature calibrator, it can be used as a Dry Block. But, using accessories this calibrator can be made suitable as; liquid bath, ice bath, Blackbody source, temperature calibrator for surface sensors and as an ITS-90 fixed point system for low temperatures.

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