What is a bidirectional power supply?

A bidirectional power supply can both source power to a device and sink/absorb power from it, enabling seamless charge/discharge testing without switching between separate instruments.

What is a regenerative power supply?

A regenerative power supply returns absorbed energy back to the local facility AC power grid rather than dissipating it as heat during sinking operation, drastically reducing thermal loads and energy costs.

What applications are bidirectional DC power supplies best for?

Bidirectional systems are ideal for EV battery pack testing, battery simulation, solar inverter validation, fuel cell testing, and regenerative motor drive testing.

How scalable are AMETEK bidirectional systems for megawatt-class test benches?

AMETEK Mi-BEAM and i-BEAM series support parallel master-slave configurations, allowing system power output to scale seamlessly up to 1.3 MW+ for ultra-high-power testing.

Bidirectional & Regenerative Power Systems

Enterprise-Grade Bidirectional Source & Sink Technology

AMETEK Programmable Power designs and manufactures industrial-grade bidirectional and regenerative power systems tailored for global OEMs, Tier-1 automotive suppliers, aerospace contractors, and research institutions. By integrating seamless 2-quadrant source-sink operation with advanced grid regeneration, our systems return absorbed energy to the facility grid with up to 93%+ efficiency.

Whether performing high-speed battery charge/discharge cycling, simulating EV powertrain dynamics, or testing grid-tied solar inverters, our programmable platforms reduce operational HVAC cooling loads, lower total energy cost, and provide sub-millisecond dynamic response across scalable megawatt-class test architectures.

Why Global Test Engineers Rely on AMETEK Power Systems:

Manufactured under ISO 9001:2015 and AS9100 certified quality frameworks, our instruments provide ultra-low current ripple, high-precision voltage regulation, CE/UL safety compliance, and robust galvanic isolation for mission-critical industrial test benches.

Key Engineering Capabilities & Applications

EV & HEV Battery Cycling: Accelerated life testing, characterization, and pack validation with precise current regulation up to ±2,000 A.
Bi-Directional Battery Simulation: Real-time hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) battery pack modeling with low output impedance and rapid step response.
Microgrid & Renewable Energy Testing: Simulate grid disturbances, V2G (Vehicle-to-Grid) interactions, and smart inverter islanding behavior.
Scalable Parallel Power: Master-slave modular configurations allow total system expansion from 12.5 kW up to 1.3 MW+ without signal degradation.

Featured Product Series Overview

Mi-BEAM Modular Bidirectional DC Power System

Mi-BEAM Series — Modular Bidirectional DC Power System

Voltage Range: 600 V to 2,000 V

Current Range: 5 A to 150 A

Unit Power: 12.5 kW to 37.5 kW

Scalability: Parallel up to 1.2 MW+

The Mi-BEAM Series offers high-density bidirectional DC sourcing and sinking with active power factor correction and grid feedback. Optimized for EV traction battery testing, high-voltage component testing, and energy storage integration.

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i-BEAM High Power Bidirectional Regenerative System

i-BEAM Series — High-Power Regenerative DC Test System

Voltage Range: 5 V to 1,000 V

Current Range: ±1,000 A (Parallel to ±2,000 A)

Single Unit Power: Up to 650 kW

System Scaling: Scalable up to 1.3 MW

Designed for ultra-high-power battery cycling, heavy EV powertrain validation, and multi-channel industrial power testing. Features configurable 1-channel, 2-channel, or 4-channel output topologies.

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Sequoia Series Regenerative AC Grid Simulator

Sequoia Series — 4-Quadrant Regenerative AC Grid Simulator

Voltage Output: 0 to 333 VAC (L-N)

Current Rating: Up to 3,000 Arms/phase

Power Capability: 15 kVA to 1.08 MVA

Operation Mode: 4-Quadrant Source & Sink

Precision programmable 4-quadrant AC power source and grid simulator. Simulates complex AC mains anomalies, voltage sags, frequency harmonics, and IEEE 1547 grid compliance conditions.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Common technical queries from international buyers and system integrators regarding bidirectional power electronics:

A standard electronic load can only absorb (sink) power and dissipates that power as thermal waste. A bidirectional power supply integrates both a programmable DC power source and a regenerative sink into one instrument, switching between sourcing power (e.g. charging a battery) and sinking power (e.g. discharging a battery) seamlessly while feeding energy back to the grid.

Regenerative power supplies convert absorbed DC/AC energy back into clean, grid-compliant AC power with up to 93%+ efficiency. This significantly reduces facility electricity consumption and lowers lab air-conditioning infrastructure overhead by minimizing thermal output.

Yes. AMETEK bidirectional systems equip standard industrial control interfaces including Ethernet (LXI), CANbus, GPIB, RS-232, and analog I/O. They support SCPI command sets and standard LabVIEW/Python drivers for fast ATE integration.

All units feature programmable Over-Voltage Protection (OVP), Over-Current Protection (OCP), Over-Power Protection (OPP), Over-Temperature Protection (OTP), reverse polarity safeguards, and rapid hardware interlocks to protect sensitive battery packs and electronics.

Request Technical Specifications & Direct Quotation

Connect directly with our senior application engineers to select the optimal bidirectional power system, request custom configurations, or get direct international pricing for your test project.

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