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The School of Electrical and Electronic
Engineering
The Faculty of Engineering and Physical
Sciences at the University of Manchester
(formerly UMIST) has a strong tradition
of collaboration with industry, encom-
passing sponsored research and com-
mercial application of results. Its School
of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
has an exceptionally high proportion of
postgraduate activity. The Manchester
Centre for Electrical Energy (MCEE) com-
bines the activities of the University’s
Electrical Energy and Power Systems
(EEPS) Group and the Power Conversion
(PC) Group. It has 19 academic staff
with approximately 60 PhD students and
20 RAs and research staff. During the
past 40 years, it has established itself
as one of the longest continuously ac-
tive university-based research centres in
electrical power engineering anywhere
in the world. The School houses the
National Grid Centre for High Voltage
Research and the Rolls Royce University
Technology Centre in Electrical Engi-
neering for Extreme Environments.
Power Conversion Group
Power electronics research at Manchester
is principally based in the Power Conver-
sion Group which is active in many ar-
eas, undertaking both fundamental and
applied research that covers:
•
Power Electronics Enabled Electrical
Systems for Aircraft, Vehicles and
Marine
•
Wind Turbine Systems and Condition
Monitoring
•
Power Electronics in Powers Systems
(HVDC, FACTS and Custom Power)
•
Converter Circuits and Systems
•
Motor Drivers and Actuators
•
Superconducting Devices
•
Supercapacitor and Battery-Based
Energy Storage Systems
The Rolls-Royce UTC
Rolls-Royce opened a new University
Technology Centre (UTC) at the University
The University of Manchester
The Intelligent Electrical Power Networks Evaluation
Facility (IEPNEF) Control Room
Testing on a Fuel-Cell Powered Taxi
of Manchester in 2004 to pursue re-
search into innovative electrical technol-
ogies for aerospace, marine and energy
applications.
The Centre designs electrical systems for
air, sea and land vehicles which oper-
ate in ‘extreme environments’ like those
experienced by planes at altitudes of
60,000ft and by ships in freezing waters.
The Centre houses a state of the art lab-
oratory – the Intelligent Electrical Power
Networks Evaluation Facility (IEPNEF) –
in which all of these conditions can be
tested.
This major Rolls-Royce £1M plus facility
has been installed as part of a national
project to devise and develop more-
electric technologies for future aircraft,
marine and land-based vehicles.
Multi-Phase Marine Converter Testing
