The Energy Systems Integration Facility has more than 51,000 ft2 of laboratory space and numerous specialized laboratories.
Its specialized laboratories include:
The Energy Systems Integration Facility has multiple high-bay test laboratories suitable for large equipment and multicomponent system testing. Infrastructure within these laboratories includes in-floor carbon monoxide exhaust and diesel day tanks to support indoor generator operation, large roll-up doors suitable for full-size cargo containers, and bridge crane infrastructure for equipment handling.
Most of these laboratories are also equipped with:
The large high-bay laboratories at the Energy Systems Integration Facility allow researchers to test large systems in an integrated environment.
The Energy Systems Integration Facility's simulation and visualization laboratories allow researchers to visualize complex systems and operations in a completely virtual environment, including immersive 3-D. These simulation and visualization capabilities go far beyond what is found in a typical utility operations center.
The Energy Systems Integration Facility's Systems Performance Laboratory is designed for the development and integration of technologies, including distributed and renewable energy resources and smart energy management for building applications. This 5,300-ft2 laboratory is designed to be highly flexible and configurable—essential for smart power applications that range from advanced inverters and power converters to commercial-scale meters and control technologies. Three residential-scale test areas in the Systems Performance Laboratory each represent the load of a house and have connections for 120/240-V electric service, water, and natural gas.
Two Energy Systems Integration Facility laboratories are designed specifically for higher-hazard activities, including the generation and use of flammable gases (including hydrogen). These laboratories also provide space for testing new, unproven, or potentially hazardous equipment for robust safety assessment prior to use in other laboratories at the Energy Systems Integration Facility. One of the two laboratories is designed to test the ability of equipment—using standard and advanced fuels such as hydrogen—to withstand high-voltage surges and high-current faults.
The Energy Systems Integration Laboratory provides more than 3,000 ft2 of monitored Class I, Division 2-approved test space.
The Energy Systems High-Pressure Test Laboratory provides space in which high-pressure hydrogen components can be safely tested.
The walls of the Energy Systems High-Pressure Test Laboratory are concrete, capable of sustaining an overpressure condition or component failure, and can act as secondary containment. Remote data and remote cameras are used for test observation for added safety. An understanding of component failure modes is essential for the development of protocols for accelerated life testing to accurately scale to real-world conditions and for the development of regulations, codes, and standards for safe operation.
These types of tests can be performed in the Energy Systems High-Pressure Test Laboratory:
The Energy Systems Integration Facility's outdoor test areas allow utilities and researchers to evaluate electrical distribution-level equipment.
The Low-Voltage Outdoor Test Area is designed for the testing and integration of 480-V class systems. In addition to test bays, the Low-Voltage Outdoor Test Area features three diesel generator sets (80 kW, 120 kW, and 300 kW in size) and two 30-kW Capstone natural gas microturbines that can be used for experiments. The Low-Voltage Outdoor Test Area is connected via the Research Electrical Distribution Bus to allow tremendous flexibility for testing at megawatt levels.
The Medium-Voltage Outdoor Test Area is designed to support systems up to 13.2 kV. The Medium-Voltage Outdoor Testing Area is arranged with reclosing breakers to simulate two utility distribution feeders at the medium-voltage range. (The "typical" range for medium voltage is 4 kV to 34 kV; the Medium-Voltage Outdoor Test Area is 13.2 kV.) The Medium-Voltage Outdoor Test Area was designed to accommodate a variety of fixed equipment, including 1,000-kVA network protectors, utility reclosers, additional 200-A switch cabinets, additional transformers, load banks, and line impedance simulators. The Medium-Voltage Outdoor Test Area contains two 20-ft by 40-ft and three 10-ft by 10-ft test pads that facilitate easy configuration and connection of a test article to the Research Electrical Distribution Bus at either 13.2 kV or 480 V.
The Rooftop Test Area is planned for future testing of experimental equipment that requires unshaded solar access. Examples include photovoltaic arrays, concentrating solar power systems, solar hot water systems, and HVAC units. The Rooftop Test Area is intended to include an elevated metal test platform with connection to the Research Electrical Distribution Bus as well as connections to house power. At present, the Rooftop Test Area consists only of platform supports (no utilities).
Researchers can run tests on plug-in electric vehicle technologies at the Medium-Voltage Outdoor Test Area, which provides easy interconnection and testing for grid integration hardware.
