Ormazabal participates in a research Project: Real-time simulation in the smart grid lab

How does our power grid deal with fluctuating voltage from wind or solar energy? How does it behave when a large number of electric cars are charging simultaneously? At the new Smart Grid Technology Lab at ie³, the Institute for energy systems, energy efficiency and the energy economy at the Technical University of Dortmund, various grid situations are realistically simulated to answer questions such as these. For the conversion from medium to low voltage in the test environment, a special transformer was required, which compensates for unacceptable voltage fluctuations – fully automatic and on the basis of a predefined control algorithm. Ormazabal supplied a smart transformer with on-load tap changers (OLTC), whose control system was specially tailored to the laboratory’s requirements.

 “The enclosed switchgear and the safety concept implemented by Ormazabal ensure reliable system operation”. confirms Dr Jonas Maasmann, research group leader at ie³ – “Ormazabal provided fantastic support to TU Dortmund in the development of the Smart Grid Technology Lab. In this collaboration, Ormazabal saw itself not simply as a supplier, but proactively contributed its expertise to the building of the system”.

Voltage-regulated distribution transformer (VRDT) – with gae630 switchgear   Product features: Voltage-Regulated Distribution Transformer Electronic data: Input side 10 kV/10 kV, output side 10 kV/0.4 kV Scope of delivery: 10kV gae630 MV switchgear controllable transformers transforma.smart

Ormazabal Solution:

The Voltage-Regulated Distribution Transformer brings together intelligent control with an On-Load Tap Changer (OLTC), developed by Ormazabal, and which adapts the voltage even under load. In order to adjust the controls of the VRDT via certain protocols, it was necessary to modify the control algorithm. In this matter, Ormazabal was able to draw on the experience of its own smart grid laboratory, which the company operates near its headquarters in Spain. The tests can now be run remotely from the Smart Grid Technology Lab’s control room via an Ormazabal gae630 switchgear.

Key Benefits to Client:

• Custom production on a project-specific basis
• Automatic voltage equalisation, even under load
• Can be operated via remote control