Power Hardware-in-the-Loop Test Bench for DC Grid and Battery Emulation

The demand for charging infrastructure, especially fast charging, is rising, which increases the load on existing AC distribution grids. DC underlay grids are a possibility to support existing distribution grids but currently lack DC connected fast charging stations. For rapid prototyping and comprehensive testing of these charging stations, a power hardware-in-the-loop (PHiL) test bench consisting of interleaved synchronous buck converters to emulate a DC grid and a battery is proposed. The different real-time models, modeling techniques and communication interfaces are presented. The test bench concept is evaluated in real-time simulations and with measurements using a 50kW DC connected fast charging station.