Power conversion & HIL simulators: how GE Vernova keeps German trains running on time

The company

GE Vernova Power Conversion, a division of GE’s broader energy portfolio, delivers advanced electrical technologies and digital solutions for transforming the world’s energy infrastructure. Their Berlin-based team focuses on power conversion systems used in industrial and transportation environments—such as high-speed rail, microgrids, and power-critical facilities—supporting customers in their transition toward decarbonization, electrification, and energy resiliency.

The challenges

With over 20 active test benches and a wide range of custom-developed controllers, GE Vernova’s Berlin team faced mounting pressure to streamline validation, support, and compliance processes. Traditional testing setups were hardware-intensive and inflexible, especially for:

• Diagnosing rare anomalies detected during final Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) or commissioning.
• Managing electromagnetic interference (EMC) issues in grid-connected rail infrastructure.
• Replicating field failures across geographically dispersed customer systems.
• Validating changes or upgrades to certified controllers without triggering lengthy re-certification cycles.

Engineers needed to isolate, simulate, and resolve issues quickly—sometimes within 10-day turnaround windows—to meet tight delivery schedules.

The OPAL-RT solution

To tackle these challenges, GE Vernova implemented OPAL-RT’s real-time Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) simulation platform, enabling scalable, repeatable, and efficient digital testing. The solution centered on:

• RT-LAB: OPAL-RT’s real-time simulation environment for multi-controller architectures.
• eHS (FPGA-based Electrical Hardware Solver): Used to simulate MV7308 converters with high fidelity.
• 200kHz sampling rates, integrated low-pass filters, and RMS calculators: Critical for analyzing EMC behavior and real-world signal interactions.
• Digital twin modeling: For real-time replication of complex systems including power electronics, controllers, and grid disturbances.

By building controller-in-the-loop (CIL) test environments, the team could simulate faults, power loss, abnormal grid events, and more—with full confidence in the accuracy of results.

The results

GE Vernova saw immediate and measurable benefits from its OPAL-RT deployment:

• Faster Issue Resolution: What once took six months or longer to diagnose and resolve in hardware now took less than 10 days with HIL.
• Streamlined Regression Testing: Every code or configuration update could be tested against previously identified faults, significantly accelerating development.
• Improved Certification Workflow: Teams could validate fixes without dismantling certified setups—reducing risk and saving costs.
• High Adoption Across Teams: With a growing backlog of new HIL-based test cases, engineers increasingly used the simulator for R&D, customer support, and product testing.
• Enhanced Technical Support: When needed, OPAL-RT’s responsive engineering team helped accelerate modeling and configuration—ensuring project continuity.

The real-time HIL simulator is now a central asset at GE Vernova’s Berlin lab, supporting their mission to deliver robust, efficient, and clean power conversion systems.

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