PhD Studentship (Power Conversion Research Group)
Fully Funded PhD Studentship in The School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Condition Monitoring of Wind Turbine Generators
Wind power generation remains one of the fastest developing forms of sustainable power production. A large proportion of near future wind turbines will be located at off-shore sites in order to maximize power production through utilizing steadier and higher speed off-shore wind resource. Off-shore locations however expose the turbines to extremely harsh operating conditions. Recent fault surveys indicate a significant failure rate in wind turbine generators that are typically followed by lengthy and expensive repair periods. It is therefore important to put systems in place that are capable of reliably detecting incipient generator faults thus enabling remote fault detection and facilitating planned maintenance.
There is currently a significant push in wind power industry towards increased use of synchronous (PM and wound field) generators in the next generation of wind turbines. The aim of this study is to investigate electrical and mechanical fault detection in wind turbine synchronous generators with a view to identifying mechanical/electrical fault indicators and devising suitable algorithms to monitor these. This project will focus on the development of machine models suitable for analysis of fault. The models should be capable of reliable prediction of machine behaviour under a range of healthy/faulty operating conditions in both time and frequency domains. A laboratory test rig will also be developed to be used for of experimental research of generator electrical/mechanical fault effects.
The University of Manchester Power Conversion group is a part of The SUPERGEN Wind Consortium that consists of university research teams and industrial partners with expertise in wind turbine technology. The mission is to undertake research to achieve an integrated, cost-effective, reliable and available offshore wind power station operating in remote and hostile environments, and this PhD research will overlap with SUPERGEN project activities. This project offers an outstanding opportunity for a graduate engineer to build a research portfolio in the attractive field of wind power generation.
Candidate eligibility and funding
Applicants should be educated to at least BEng (Hons) level with a 2:1 or better in Electrical and Electronic Engineering and ideally have knowledge of electrical machine design, operation and modelling.
A fully funded UK studentship is available for 3 to 3.5 years which covers full tuition fees along with a stipend of £13,590 (tax-free) per year of study.
Due to funding restrictions, the full studentship is only available to students from the UK / EU would be eligible for a fees only scholarship.
If you wish to apply please email a covering letter, full Curriculum Vitae and the names and contact details of at least two academic referees to Ms Marie B Davies.
Informal enquiries should be directed to Dr Sinisa Durovic.
Deadline: 31st October 2011