ActionPower has launched the PRL Series DC Load Simulator, a regenerative and high-dynamic programmable DC load aimed at power validation work in AI data center architectures, including HVDC and solid-state transformer (SST) systems.

The PRL combines “linear and switching architectures” into a single platform offered in a 5U chassis and in cabinet-scalable configurations. ActionPower lists microsecond-level dynamic behavior as a core design goal, with current response times as low as ≤ 6 μs and a peak current slew rate up to 60 A/μs. The company also claims this slew rate “exceeds OCP ORV3 standard requirements tenfold.” For dynamic testing behavior, ActionPower specifies current overshoot of < 2.5% even under “extreme high-slew-rate” conditions.

On the energy side, PRL is designed to regenerate power back to the grid rather than dissipating it as heat. ActionPower reports peak energy regeneration efficiency of 87.1% at rated conditions, with grid-side power factor PF ≥ 0.99. Under an optional “1 kHz high-frequency dynamic full-load mode,” ActionPower reports measured regeneration efficiency of > 70.35%.

For lab planners, regenerative loads can change the HVAC and electrical design math. If a load can push a large fraction of test energy back to the grid, it reduces steady-state heat rejection compared to purely dissipative load banks, but it also puts more emphasis on upstream power quality, interconnect capacity, and how the facility handles bidirectional power flow during test cycles.

In the 5U chassis, ActionPower rates the PRL at 18.5 kW for an 80 V platform and 25 kW for a 1000 V platform, with a total weight under 65 kg. For transient behavior, it supports up to 1.6x overload for 2 ms. For scaling, ActionPower says a cabinet system can integrate up to seven modular units in parallel in an 800 × 1000 × 1955 mm footprint, reaching 175 kW total capacity while maintaining the microsecond-level dynamic response and regeneration characteristics.

Source: ActionPower