Advanced Techniques for the Modeling of Electrical Interconnects

在从智能手机、平板电脑到大型机的每一种电子产品中，我们都发现了大量密密麻麻的电线，它们连接着数百万个组件。仅这些线路中的每一条就可以每秒传输数十亿比特的信息！这种互连网络的复杂性令人惊叹，其适当的设计对于开发更快、更节能的电子产品至关重要。然而，互联设计是一项艰巨的任务。这项研究计划将开发一种新的强大的计算机方法，用于模拟、设计和优化电气互连网络。类似的网络虽然要大得多，但却向我们的城市输送能源。这些网络也非常复杂，因为它们绵延数百公里，由许多架空线路和地下电缆组成。尽管智能手机中的互连和配电网络中的互连在大小上存在巨大差异，但这两种互连结构可以用相同的数学公式来描述。因此，所提出的计算机技术也将适用于它们，用于预测由故障、雷电现象或网络运行引起的过电压。我们的贡献将帮助电力工程师最大限度地减少停电，最大限度地提高可再生能源的普及率，使我们渴望能源的城市更可持续。

Inside every electronic product, from smartphones and tablets to mainframes, we find a multitude of densely packed wires that connect millions of components. Each one of these wires alone can deliver billions of bits of information per second! The complexity of this interconnect network is amazing, and its proper design is crucial to developing faster and more energy-efficient electronic products. Interconnect design, however, is a daunting task. This research program will develop a new breed of powerful computer methods for the simulation, design, and optimization of electrical interconnect networks. Similar networks, although much bigger, distribute energy to our cities. These networks are also extremely complex, since they extend for hundreds of kilometers and consist of many overhead lines and underground cables. In spite of the great difference in size between the interconnects in a smartphone and the power distribution network, both interconnect structures can be described with the same mathematical formulas. Hence, the proposed computer techniques will be also applicable to them for the prediction of overvoltages caused by faults, lightning phenomena, or network operation. Our contributions will help power engineers to minimize blackouts and maximize the penetration of renewable energy sources, making our energy-hungry cities more sustainable.