PhD student position in Modelling of electric drive train in wind turbine applications (Chalmers -Sweden)

Application deadline: 2011-01-31

The Division of Electric Power Engineering at the Department of Energy and Environment is seeking a new PhD student to start in spring of 2011. The research will be conducted on the project “Modelling of the electric drive train”. The position is funded by The Swedish Wind Power Centre, SWPTC. The centre has been founded to support Swedish industry with knowledge about construction issues regarding wind power. SWPTC will also educate future engineers within the subject. The goal of the center is to be able to build both partial and complete wind power systems in Sweden. Behind the SWPTC are Chalmers University of Technology along with several industrial companies such as ABB, SKF, Triventus Energiteknik, Göteborgs Energi, GE Wind (Sweden), Marström Composite and DIAB.

The Electrical Power Engineering research group is heavily involved in research towards wind power applications, with the aim to reduce the environmental impact of power production. The group is working in the area of electric power systems and electric drives for wind turbines.

21st Century Power Transmission Systems

THE ELECTRIC POWER SYSTEM IS ON THE VERGE of significant transformation. For the past five years or so, work has been under way to conceptualize the shape of a 21st-century grid that exploits the huge progress that has been made in digital technology and advanced materials. The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) has identified five foundational key technology areas (KTAs), as shown in Figure 1. Foremost among these KTAs will be integrated communications. The communications requirements for transmission enhancement are clear. Broadband, secure, low-latency channels connecting transmission stations to each other and to control centers will enable advances in each of the other KTAs.

Online Courses: Power Systems Protection (NPTEL-INDIA)

Reliability of electrical energy systems to a large extent is a consequence of the reliability of its protection system. Basic building blocks of the protection system are fuses, overcurrent and distance relays and differential protection schemes. In this course, we will introduce their principles and applications to apparatus and system protection. 
Technology of relaying has changed significantly in last century. The first generation of relays was electromechanical devices. The second generation involved solid state relays. The present generation of numerical relays are realized by digital signal processing.. In this course, we will also introduce both theory and practice of the numerical relays.
The course can be used as a first course in power system protection. It should be also useful to graduate students, practicing engineers as well as the research community.

Job Opportunity: Senior Electrical Engineer, PE (Building Power & Lighting Distribution)

• Details forSenior Electrical Engineer, PE (Building Power & Lighting Distribution
• Address:Sacramento, CA 95815 (map)
• Date Posted:12/22/10
• Job Type:Full-time

DescriptionSenior Electrical Engineer / Professional Engineer, PE
Building Facility Indoor and Outdoor Power and Lighting Distribution

Position: Senior Electrical Engineer, PE (Power & Lighting Distribution)

Office Location: Sacramento, CA 95815

Compensation: $70,000 to $100,000 annual base salary DOE + great benefits and cash bonus performance package

Thriving multi-discipline and sustainable design Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Consulting Firm actively seeks Senior Electrical Engineer, PE with considerable to extensive building/ facility power and lighting distribution experience for our Sacramento, CA office.

Job Opportunity: Electrical Substation Design Engineer (High Voltage)

• Details forElectrical Engineer / Electrical Substation Design Engineer (High Volt
• Address:Sacramento, CA 95815 (map)
• Date Posted:12/22/10
• Job Type:Full-time

DescriptionElectrical Engineer / Electrical Substation Design Engineer
Electrical Utility Design Engineer

Position: Substation Electrical Engineer / Electrical Substation Design Engineer

Office Location: Sacramento, California

Compensation: $70,000 to $110,000 annual salary (DOE & Negotiable) + benefits and performance bonus

Brazilian Blackout 2009

Brazil benefited from correct performance of islanding schemes.

On November 10th, 2009, at 10:13 PM, Brazilian National Interconnected System (NIPS) was submitted to a significant disturbance that caused the interruption of 40% of its load.  The disturbance was triggered by the automatic disconnection of 765 kV transmission line (TL) Itaberá-Ivaiporã #1, #2 and #3 under adverse weather conditions. The lost of the three circuits imposed 5,564 MW generation rejection at Itaipu 60 Hz Hydro Plant, as well as tripping of the remaining 525 kV, 500 kV, 230 kV and 138 kV circuits of South-Southeast Interconnection, rejecting 2,950 MW additional power flow from South to Southeast, and the tripping of the HVDC link (two ± 600 kV bipoles in parallel with the three circuit 765 kV TL) which were loaded with 5,329 MW. This were followed by other disconnections, leading to a total load interruption of 24,436 MW (40%) along NIPS, distributed as listed below:

• Southeastern Region: 22,468 MW
• Central-Western Region: 867 MW
• Southern Region: 104 MW
• Northeastern Region: 802 MW
• Northern Region (Acre and Rondônia States): 195 MW

Advantages of HVDC transmission at 800 kV

Worldwide there is an increasing interest in the application of HVDC at voltage levels above what is presently used. The main reason is that most of the hydro power resources that are within convenient distance to the consumer centers have been exploited by now, and in order to meet the increasing demand for clean, renewable energy, remote hydro generation plants are built. This asks for efficient means for long distance, bulk power transmission, a typical scenario is 6000 MW to be transmitted 2000-3000 km. Also in countries like China and India with vast coal resources, a certain quota of hydro power is needed for stabilizing purposes.

In China large hydropower resources are available in the

Western part of the country and the power will be transmitted to the industrialized regions in the Eastern and Southern areas of China.

China is now the world's largest HVDC user

The Three Gorges Hydroelectric Power Plant is the largest of its kind in the world. It consists of 26 generating units, each with a rated power of 700 MW. The total generating capacity of the plant is 18.2 GW. There are 6 more units are installed in an underground power house and the total capacity of the plant becomes 22.4 GW.

500 kV AC transmission lines delivers power from this plant to Central China and Sichuan-Zhongqing Systems. Power are sent to East China by three HVDC lines and to South China by one HVDC line. The East China System and the South China System are asynchronous with the Central China System, so the HVDC links also connect the large AC systems asynchronously. You can read more about the power networks and grids in China on the web site of The State Power Corporation.

The purpose of the links to East China, a distance of over 1,000 km, is to transfer electric energy from the power plant to the East China Power System during the summer. In the winter it will be used as an interconnecting tie line between the two power systems, transferring power from Central to East China during peak hours and transferring power in the reverse direction during valley hours. 

New HVDC Transmission Line to Link between the Nordic and Baltic Regions

HVDC Light technology offers several environmental benefits, such as neutral electromagnetic fields, oil-free cables and compact converter stations. It is the ideal solution to connect remote power sources like renewables to mainland networks, overcoming distance limitations and grid constraints, while ensuring robust performance and minimal electrical losses.

venska Kraftnät of Sweden and LITGRID turtas AB of Lithuania has ordered a new power transmission link for the Nordic and Baltic regions.  ABB will deliver a high-voltage direct current transmission system comprising two converter stations and cable to transmit 700 MW of electricity with minimum losses across a distance of more than 400 km.

"The new transmission link, based on HVDC Light technology will increase capacity, facilitate power exchange, enhance grid reliability and improve the security of electric supply at both ends,” said Peter Leupp, head of ABB's Power Systems division.

Job Opportunities in T&D

Click on the links below for more details:

Procurement/Materials Consultant – Lead/Senior
Portland, OR
PacifiCorp has an opening for Procurement/Materials Consultant...

Sr. Transmission Engineer
Henderson, CO
Great Southwestern Construction, a subsidiary of MYR Group Inc. has an immediate opportunity for a Sr. Transmission Estimator at its Castle Rock, CO district office...

Engineers & Construction Workers
Africa, Middle East, Afghanistan
Fluor, one of the world's leading engineering and construction companies, is currently in search of individuals for opportunities in contingency locations...

Project Manager for Siting, Routing and Permitting Electrical Transmission Lines
Washington, DCManage projects involving environmental study of power line replacement and expansion...

Wireless Transmission of Electricity

The definition of Wireless Power Transmission (WPT) is: efficient transmission of electric power from one point to another trough vacuum or an atmosphere without the use of wire or any other substance. This can be used for applications where either an instantaneous amount or a continuous delivery of energy is needed, but where conventional wires are unaffordable, inconvenient, expensive, hazardous, unwanted or impossible. The power can be transmitted using microwaves, millimeter waves or lasers
WPT is a technology that can transport power to locations, which are otherwise not possible or impractical to reach.
Maxwell's theory of electromagnetism, published in 1865 mentions electromagnetic waves moving at the speed of light, and the conclusion that light itself was just such a wave. In 1886 Hertz performed a successful experiment with pulsed wireless energy transfer. He produced an apparatus that produced and detected microwaves in the UHF region.

Also Tesla did experiments in the field of pulsed wireless energy transfer in 1899. Tesla's Magnifying Transmitter, an early type of Tesla Coil that measured 16 meters in diameter, could transmit tens of thousands of watts without wires.

Tesla supposedly managed to light 200 lamps, without wires, from 40 kilometers away. No documentation from Tesla's own records has been published validating that this actually happened. In 1897, he filed his first patents dealing with Wardenclyffe tower. This aerial tower was ment to be a pilot plant for his “World Wireless System” to broadcast energy around the globe. The core facility was never fully operational and was not completed due to economic problems.

The Raytheon Company did the first successful WPT experiment in 1963.

In this experiment energy was transmitted with a DC-to-DC efficiency of

13%. This company also demonstrated a microwave-powered helicopter in 1964. The Jet propulsion lab of NASA carried out an experiment and demonstrated the transfer of 30 kW over a distance of 1 mile in 1975.

They used an antenna array erected at the Goldstone facility. This test demonstrated the possibilities of wireless power outside the laboratory.

Rockwell International and David Sarnoff Laboratory operated in 1991 a microwave powered rover at 5.86 GHz. Three kilowatts of power was transmitted and 500 watts was received.

This paper provides an overview of the technologies, possibilities and uses of wireless power transmission. An overall view of the past present and possible transmission systems are presented. In this paper also the different systems; economical, ecological and social aspects are discussed. The paper focuses on wireless power transmission systems with microwaves in the power range of about 100 W to 100 kW. WPT systems using optical technologies (laser) are not discussed.

Download Link for Wireless Transmission of Electrical Power

Wireless-Power-Transmission-via-Solar-Power-Satellite

Wireless Transmission of Electricity

UNSW International Research Scholarships ( Australia)

Applications for Semester 2 2011 International Research Scholarships will open  in late January 2011

S1 2011 Application Guidelines
S1 2011 Referees Report Form

The University of New South Wales offers the following prestigious scholarships to international students of exceptional research potential to undertake a higher degree by research at the University of New South Wales in 2011 (Only one application is required for the UNSW International Research Scholarships; applicants will be considered for all scholarships for which they are eligible):

1. International Postgraduate Research Scholarship (IPRS) Scholarships available for PhD and Masters by Research in all disciplines 
                    
2. University International Postgraduate Award (UIPA)Scholarships available for PhD and Masters by Research in all disciplines
   
3. Tuition Fee Scholarship plus a Faculty Research StipendScholarships available for PhD, Masters by Research and for Masters of Philosophy (in selected disciplines depending on Faculty research areas)
   
4. Tuition Fee ScholarshipScholarships available for PhD, Masters by Research and Masters of Philosophy (in selected disciplines depending on Faculty research areas). This scholarship is only available to students who are sponsored by their home country with a living allowance/stipend with a minimum value of $10,000 per annum.

Online Courses: Power System Planning (IOWA STATE UNIV.)

Electric power systems consist of power generation stations, transmission and distribution circuits, substations, and associated transformers, voltage control equipment, and protection equipment, together with equipment that facilitates monitoring, communication, and information processing to enable decision and control. 

The process to plan and build such facilities takes many years. The length of time between the planning analysis and the initial start-up of the equipment is referred to as the planning horizon. For example, many regulatory bodies require that electric utilities have a 10-20 year planning horizon for generation facilities. The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) requires in Planning Standard TPL-005-0 that “each Regional Reliability Organization shall annually conduct reliability assessments of its respective existing and planned Regional Bulk Electric System (generation and transmission facilities) for,”

• The current year (winter and summer),

• Near-term planning horizons (years one through five),

• Longer-term planning horizons (years six through ten).

Online Video Courses: Power System Dynamics (NPTEL-INDIA)

Power system stability is understood as the ability to regain an equilibrium state after being subjected to a physical disturbance. Three quantities are important for power system operation:

 (i) angles of nodal voltages δ, also called power or load angles;

 (ii) frequency f ;

 and (iii) nodal voltage magnitudes V. 

These quantities are especially important from the point of view of defining and classifying power system stability. Hence power system stability can be divided into: 

(i) rotor (or power) angle stability; 

(ii) frequency stability;

 and (iii) voltage stability.

As power systems are nonlinear, their stability depends on both the initial conditions and the size of a disturbance. Consequently, angle and voltage stability can be divided into small- and large-disturbance stability.

Power system stability is mainly connected with electromechanical phenomena. However, it is also affected by fast electromagnetic phenomena and slow thermodynamic phenomena. Hence, depending on the type of phenomena, one can refer to short-term stability and long-term stability.

Online Courses: Introduction to Energy Distribution Systems (Iowa State Univ.)

Power systems are comprised of 3 basic electrical subsystems.

·        Generation subsystem

·        Transmission subsystem

·        Distribution subsystem

The subtransmission system is also sometimes designated to indicate the portion of the overall system that interconnects the EHV and HV transmission system to the distribution system.

We distinguish between these various portions of the power system by voltage levels as follows:

·        Generation: 1kV-30 kV

·        EHV Transmission: 500kV-765kV

·        HV Transmission: 230kV-345kV

·        Subtransmission system: 69kV-169kV

·        Distribution system: 120V-35kV

Our focus in this course is on the distribution system. About 40% of power system investment is in the distribution system equipment (40% in generation, 20% in transmission).

The distribution system may also be divided into three distinct subsystems.

·        Distribution substation

·        Primary distribution system

·        Secondary distribution system

Instructor: Professors Jim McCalley

Short Circuit Calculations for Industrial and Commercial Power Systems

All electrical installations must be protected 

against short circuits every time there is an electrical connection, which is generally when there is a change in conductor cross-sectional area. The short-circuit current value must be calculated at every stage of installation for different possible network configurations. This is done to determine the characteristics of the equipment that must withstand or switch the fault current. 

The calculation of ac short-circuit currents, essential to the selection of adequately rated protective devices and equipment in industrial and commercial power systems, is becoming increasingly important to the system designer. Today, power systems carry larger blocks of power, are more important to the operation of the plant and building, and have greater safety and reliability requirements. Meeting these requirements necessitates the fulfillment of certain criteria, including the use of adequately rated equipment.

Your guide to design an earthing system

The earthing system, sometimes simply called ‘earthing’, is the total set of measures used to connect an electrically conductive part to earth. The earthing system is an essential part of power networks at both high- and low-voltage levels. 

A good earthing system is required for:

·         Protection of buildings and installations against lightning

·          Safety of human and animal life by limiting touch and step voltages to safe values

·         Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) i.e. limitation of electromagnetic disturbances

·         Correct operation of the electricity supply network and to ensure good power quality.

How to estimate the cost for a residential electrical installation ?

When the building budget is being drawn up, attention (and, in practice, money) is paid to the bricks, floor finish, kitchen and bathroom. Generally, the electrical installation is only thought about at a later stage, even though it is one of the fundamental items in a home. Often at that time, there are not enough funds remaining for a good, comfortable installation. 

The result is a nice house, but with less comfort, flexibility and communications facilities. After a while, there are extension leads with multiple sockets lying around on the floor in many places.

This jeopardises electrical safety.

Technical Guide: Basic Calculations for LV and HV Electrical Networks

This guide is intended to provide a general overview of the main electro-technical calculations carried out in engineering studies on electrical systems at all voltage levels.It deals more with the operation of devices and installations in electrical systems.

This document will help owners, designers and operators understand the importance of these calculations in ensuring correct use of the electrical network and their impact on the total cost of ownership.

PhD Studentship for Modelling the Pultrusion Process of Off-Shore Wind Turbine Blades, Denmark

Level: PhD
Employer: Denmark Technical University
Study Subject: Engineering
Scholarship Description:It is the intention to investigate the pultrusion process for the manufacturing of the blades in the proposed Darrieus wind turbine concept. An important part of this is to develop a numerical model for pultrusion addressing the generic physical phenomena such as material flow during wetting of the fibres, heat transfer during curing and also thermally induced stresses during curing and subsequent cooling. The project will be carried out in close collaboration with the other partners in the project.
Qualifications

Medium Voltage Technical Guide - Basics for MV Cubicle Design

This guide is a catalogue of technical know-how intended for medium voltage equipment designers.

Goal

·       Present MV products and equipment and their environment.

·       Facilitate their choice, according to a normative system of reference.

·       Provide design rules used to calculate the dimensions or characteristics of an MV switchboard.

Master’s Studentship at The University of Edinburgh 2011, UK

Study Subject: Science and Technology Policy and Management, Science and Technology
Employer: The University of Edinburgh
Level: Master’s

Scholarship Description: The David Edge studentship provides support for a full-time student in either the MSc Science and Technology Policy and Management or the MSc Science and Technology Studies at the University of Edinburgh. The studentship is awarded by ISSTI in honour of the life and achievements of Dr

Online Video Courses: Basic Electrical Technology ( NPTEL-INDIA)

Lecture Series on Basic Electrical Technology by Prof. L.Umanand

Course Description

In this course, Professor Loganathan Umanand, Department of Power Electronics Group, CEDT, IISC, Bangalore (NPTEL), gives 39 video lectures on the basic concepts of Electrical Technology. Some of the topics covered are: Passive Components, Sources, Krichoff's Law, Modelling of Circuit, Analysis Using MatLab, Sinusoidal Steady State, Transfer Function, Pole Zero Domain, The Sinusoid, Phasor Analysis, Power Factor and Ports, Transformer Basics, DC Machines, DC Generators, DC Motors, Three Phase System, Induction Motor, Synchronous Machine and many more.
The original name for this course is: Electrical - Basic Electrical Technology. 

Erasmus Mundus Masters in Management and Engineering of Environment and Energy

Erasmus Mundus Scholarships for Masters level studies at European Universities
Study Subject:Management and Engineering of Environment and Energy
Employer: Erasmus Mundus
Level:Masters
Scholarship Description:The ME3 Masters program extends over 2 years. It is composed of an academic period which lasts 3 semesters, and of an industrial or research project period, which covers the 4th semester.
For the 2011-2013 edition of the ME3 program, 3 options should be available. Students will have to indicate their preference for option during application process. The ME3 academic steering board will decide the final option for each accepted applicants which will be informed in their acceptance letter.