Research facilities
The EEPS group has some of the best research facilities in the world that include the largest High Voltage (HV) laboratory of any UK University. We also have extensive bespoke and commercial software available for use.
Test Facilities
The National Grid High Voltage Research Centre contains the following equipment:
- 2MV impulse generator
- 800kV AC test set
- 600kV DC test set
- 20kVA high current source (configurable to maximum current of 10kA)
- Salt fog and environmental test chambers
- Modern digital measurement equipment
- Material processing and characterisation equipment
We also have equipment for use in the testing of power system protection and power system communications. This includes a real time digital simulator (RTDS) in which devices can be tested in real time.
The National Grid High Voltage Research Centre
We are also proud to be the home of the National Grid High Voltage Research Centre. The Centre consist of the largest and best equipped high voltage laboratory of any UK University and now include facilities for teaching and research on topics such as power system protection and insulating materials.
Take a tour of our high-voltage test lab with Dr Ian Cotton as featured on BBC News:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7413828.stm
Software Facilities
An extensive range of software is used to support our research. This software includes:
- Power System Analysis Packages: IPSA (Interactive Power Systems Analysis) and Powerworld are two commercial packages that we use. We also have a number of specific packages developed to perform studies relating to power system optimisation and power system dynamics.
- Output from the CDEGS software showing earth potential plots-CDEGS: This powerful package is used to peform investigations relating to earthing, stray voltages / currents and electromagnetic coupling
- PSCAD: This power system transient simulator can be used in a wide range of studies ranging from insulation coordination to the simulation of power electronic controllers used within modern power systems
- FEA Simulation: Vector Fields 'OPERA' is used to perform both 2D and 3D finite element analysis, typically using an electrostatic based code.
- Large-scale optimisation: Xpress-MP is used to solve complex mixed-integer power system optimisation problems.
