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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: EP/M016439/1
Title: Analysis of Power Quality in Complex DC Power Networks
Principal Investigator: Todd, Dr R
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Rolls-Royce Plc (UK)
Department: Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Organisation: University of Manchester, The
Scheme: First Grant - Revised 2009
Starts: 30 June 2015 Ends: 30 September 2016 Value (£): 99,767
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Sustainable Energy Networks
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Energy
Related Grants:
Panel History:
Panel DatePanel NameOutcome
03 Dec 2014 Engineering Prioritisation Panel Meeting 3rd December 2014 Announced
Summary on Grant Application Form
Protecting the environment for future generations to enjoy is a key priority for the international community. Emissions from all forms of transport systems, and land based power generation are being addressed by ambitious targets, such as decarbonising both the UK's road transport and power generation sectors by 2050 (A strategy for ultra-low emission vehicles in the UK, 2013, Dept. of Trans., & Delivering our low carbon future, 2011, HM Gov.), and the Flightpath 2050 target of a 75% reduction in CO2 emissions per passenger kilometre relative to an aircraft built in 2000 (Europe's vision for aviation, 2011, EU Comm.). A key challenge to achieving these targets is developing low carbon technologies, and this is being enthusiastically embraced by researchers, with power electronic based systems being widely proposed due to their high efficiency, controllability, flexibility and reliability. This high concentration of power electronic converters, often in small DC networks, can adversely affect system stability; power converters employ sophisticated control and protection functions which are sensitive to changes on the network, these changes can easily be triggered by normal operation of another power converter, and can result in another power converter unnecessarily going offline, which may compromise network security. This project aims to develop a fundamental understanding of power quality in complex DC power networks, and then examine a diverse range of real world scenarios to evaluate power quality using a 100kW DC power network demonstrator system. A key outcome of this project will be to enable systems which have high concentrations of power converters to be designed with confidence, enabling low carbon technologies to be fully exploited in future electric vehicles, aircraft and smart grids.

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Organisation Website: http://www.man.ac.uk