Facilities

The Dielectric Resiliency & Electrical Aging Mitigation (DREAM) Lab, directed by Dr. Park at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), serves as an independent, non-industrial, university center for high-voltage, dielectrics, and electrical insulation research. The lab is located in the University Service and Research (USR) building 2 miles west of the main campus. The lab floor has low-impedance grounding wells that provide a low electrical noise environment and enable switching impulse experiments. The high-voltage area of the DREAM lab is surrounded by electrically grounded fences for safety. Multiple single- and three-phase power receptacles are either connected to a breaker panel or switched disconnects installed on the lab wall. Finally, an emergency shutdown switch is installed outside the fenced high-voltage area. As shown, currently, the lab space is divided into two areas. First, the fenced area on the left is where we fabricate and characterize novel dielectric materials. The fenced area on the right is where switching transient experiments are performed.