Micro to macro scale modeling of electrical machines

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My Discovery Research program investigates electrical energy efficiency and the development of low carbon electrical power equipment. This broad scope covers the development of new high-efficiency electric motors, creating tools to understand losses in hydro generators through to the integration of renewable energy and energy storage technologies into systems. These systems may include electric transportation, microgrids or larger power systems. As the world considers how to reduce the carbon footprint of energy use, two key solution paths have developed: 1) electrification of carbon-intensive systems; 2) reducing the carbon intensity of electric systems. A primary application of electrification is transportation. Examples here include decisions by auto manufacturers such as Volvo to move to produce only electric or hybrid-electric vehicles. Less well known are the work to produce more-electric and fully-electric aircraft or the development of electric ship propulsion. Reductions to the carbon intensity of electricity generation are occurring through well-known efforts such as the expansion of wind and solar generation, but also through the deployment of small-scale gas turbines. A key factor in all these developments is the rapid expansion in the use of high efficiency and fault tolerant electrical motors and generators. As a result of this growth, there is a growing need to understand how new electrical machines operate within systems when the equipment is faulted or operating under non-ideal conditions. Transportation systems and energy production must be robust and continue to operate safely in the presence of faults. In order to be able to investigate the potential propagation of faults and non-ideal operation of machinery, it is necessary to develop modelling strategies that scale from the detail of individual component design, through component control strategies to wide area power system analysis. There are currently no practical analysis approaches capable of this. Innovative research in this program will develop these analysis tools. These new models require coupling of multiple physical scales and timescales. Conventionally, this has been accomplished by use of uncoupled consecutive modelling approaches - detailed models of components are developed and parameterized, then reduced scale models are introduced into transient electromagnetic models. Results from these models are in turn used in steady state power system analysis. This approach works well if a system fault is applied to an ideal symmetrical machine. However, it fails when component faults and systems interact. This research program will develop methods to enable concurrent multiscale models of distributed energy resources in electrical energy systems and electric machines in small power systems such as electric transportation.