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Educatio

Researc

Technolog

WEMPECWisconsin Electric Machines & Power Electronics Consortium

30 Years of Collaboration and Innovation 19812011


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Table of contents

Co-Directors Message ...............................................................2

WEMPEC Sponsors .......................................................................3

WEMPEC Faculty and Staff ......................................................4

WEMPEC History ........................................................................12

Program Activities

In the Classroom ..................................................................16

In the Research Lab ............................................................18

In the Technical Community ........................................26

Facilities

WEMPEC Electronic Machines and

Power Electronics Research Lab ................ ............... ..27

Family

Graduate Students ..............................................................28Alumni ........................................................................................29

Visiting Professors ................................................................34

Post-Docs and Visiting Scholars ............. ................ .....36

Founders Message

The idea of an industrial support organization

and the subsequent creation of WEMPEC with

the help of people like Norb Schmitz, Ken

Phillips and others has been one of the most satis-

fying and rewarding experiences of our lives. When

we founded WEMPEC in 1981, little did we know

that this consortium of companies supporting our

research will likely outlive us!

Maybe WEMPEC and the WEMPEC plan wasa very good idea at exactly the right time, but the

long-term success we celebrate at the 30-year mark

owes everything to the dedication and hard work of

the faculty, students, staff, and sponsors who have

chosen to be part of the WEMPEC family. Over the

past 30 years, our students and visiting researchers

have contributed to literally every nook and cranny

of the power electronics motor drive world. We are

extremely proud of them and what they have accom-

plished both at UWMadison and at their present

place of employment in industry.

The WEMPEC organization has been crucial inproviding us the support and incentive to carry out

the work we love, and we both are content with the

fact that we have left WEMPEC in good hands. We

thank all of you for your part in making reality bigger

than our dreams. Long live WEMPEC (and us, too)!

Lipo Novotny


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HISTORY

We welcome you to this booklet

recognizing WEMPECs 30th

anniversary. Regardless of

whether you are a newcomer to WEMPEC

or a longtime friend and partner, we hope

that you will enjoy this opportunity to take

a glimpse backward at WEMPECs 30 years

of growth and to review WEMPECs current

programs and future directions. In doing

so, we hope you will note the key themes

of service to our students, to our sponsors,

and to our professional community that

have been central to WEMPECs history

and success since its inception in 1981.

We would like to take this opportu-

nity to acknowledge and thank WEMPECs

founders, Professors Emeritus Don Novotny

and Tom Lipo, for their exceptional fore-

sight, academic achievements, and hard

work that both have invested in WEMPEC

since its beginning. We are extremely fortu-

nate that both of them have continued tomake valuable contributions to WEMPEC

since becoming emeritus professors. Our

grateful acknowledgment of their invalu-

able contributions to WEMPEC has been

accompanied by public recognition of

their outstanding technical achievements

by the international technical community.

These high honors have included the 2009

IEEE Nikola Tesla Field Award, presented

to Professor Novotny, and Professor Lipos

election to the U.S. National Academy of

Engineering in 2008. This booklet gives us the opportunity

to highlight many of the key outcomes

resulting from the successful pursuit of

WEMPECs vision and mission. First and

foremost are the WEMPEC students. To

date, more than 330 WEMPEC graduates,

equipped with broad, multidisciplinary

technical skills and an international

outlook, have gone on to become industry

leaders in the fields of electric machines,

drives, power electronics, and controls.

Many of those alumni are employed by

our WEMPEC sponsors, and we are pleased

by the opportunities this gives many of

them to remain active in the extended

WEMPEC community.

Another major outcome of WEMPECs

unique partnership, which links the

university with industry, is the continuing

flow of state-of-the-art technical contribu-

tions to our sponsors and to the larger

international technical community. With

the sustained support and inspiration of

our sponsors and the valuable contribu-

tions of our many distinguished visiting

faculty and scholars who spend time

with us in WEMPEC, we are proud of the

international reputation that WEMPEC has

earned for sustained technical excellence

and productivity.

A third major outcome is WEMPECs

educational program, which serves not

only the on-campus students, but also a

growing number of off-campus engi-

neers working in industry. The WEMPEC

faculty are committed to sharing their

unique educational resources with

distance learners who can take advan-

tage of this program to earn advanced

degrees or simply to update their tech-

nical skills to meet the challenges posed

by a fast-changing global marketplace.

We would like to thank all of ourpartners, including sponsors, UWMadison

colleagues, and our studentsall of whom

have combined to make WEMPEC such an

exciting and successful academic venture

during the past 30 years. We feel extremely

fortunate to be part of the WEMPEC

community, and we are committed to

doing everything necessary to ensure

WEMPECs continued success in the future.

WEMPECs MissionTo maintain a tightly-coupled relation-

ship between WEMPEC-supported

university research and educational

programs and the engineers in global

industry who sponsor and support

these programs.

To continuously improve the

WEMPEC program in order to more

effectively foster and sustain the

growth of advanced electrical energy

conversion technologies and theirindustrial, commercial, residential,

consumer, automotive, and aerospace

applications.

To develop effective methodolo-

gies for transferring new knowledge

gained in WEMPEC-supported

research to all engineers in industry

who sponsor and support this

research, reflecting a long-term

commitment to career development

of engineers in our field.

To globally foster the spirit of tech-

nological innovation and progress

in electrical and electromechanical

power conversion.

WEMPECs VisionTo be the lifelong hub of a worldwide

network of engineers who are active

in all facets of power electronics and

electromechanical power conversion

and their applications.

Jahns Lorenz

Greetings from WEMPEC Co-Directors Tom Jahns & Bob Lorenz!

30 Years of Collaboration and Innovation 19812011

WELCOME


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Sponsors (as of April 2011)A.O. Smith Corporate Technology Center

ABB Drives and Power Products

ABB Corporate Research Center (US)

ALSTOM Transport SA

American Superconductor Corp.

ANSYS Inc.

BAE SystemsE&IS

Baldor/Dodge/Reliance

Bombardier Transportation

Bucyrus International, Inc.

Caterpillar Inc.

Chrysler Group LLC

Construction and Forestry Div. of John Deere

CSR Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Research

Daikin Industries Ltd.

Danfoss Power Electronics

Delphi Electronics

DRS Power & Control Technologies Inc.

Eaton CorporationInnovation Center

Everson Tesla Inc.

Ford Motor Company R&AE

Fuji Electric Holdings Co. Ltd.

GE Global Research Center

Generac Power Systems Inc.

GM R&DWarren

Hamilton Sundstrand

Hitachi Research Laboratory, Hitachi Ltd.

Honda R&D Co. Ltd.

Honeywell International Inc.

Ingersoll Rand Industrial Technologies

John Deere Technology Innovation Center

Johnson Electric Group

JSOL Corporation

Kohler Company

Kollmorgan Corp.

L3 Communications Electron Devices

LEM U.S.A. Inc.

Magna E-Car SystemsMagna Powertrain USA Inc.

Marathon Electric Mfg. Div. of RBC

Meggitt Control Systems

Mercedes-Benz R&D, NA

Mercury Marine

Miller Electric Mfg. Co.

Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp.

MTS Systems Corp.

National Semiconductor Corp.

Nidec Motor Corp.

Nissan Motor Co. Ltd., Nissan Research Center

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Orchid International Monroe, LLC

Oshkosh Corporation

Pacific Scientific OECO

Phoenix International, a John

Deere Company

Rockwell AutomationKinetix

Motion Control

Rockwell AutomationStandard Drives

Rolls-Royce NA Technologies Inc.

S&C Electric Company

Teco-Westinghouse Motor Company

Texas Instruments Inc.

TMEIC GE Automation Systems LLCToro Company

Toshiba International Corp.

TEMAToyota Technical Center USA Inc.

Toyota Motor Corporation - Japan

Trane Company

UNICO Inc.

United Technologies Research Center

Vestas Wind Systems A/S

Whirlpool Corporation

Woodward Engine Systems

Yaskawa Electric America Inc.

As one of the four founding member

companies of WEMPEC 30 years ago, Eaton

forges ahead to support this global, industry-

leading research consortium. Practicing

engineers find the research publications,

professional short courses, and industry interactions quite

valuable for acquiring and improving necessary skills to

succeed at work. Through my experiences with WEMPEC, I

believe its legacy in advanced technology innovation will

continue to benefit society in the future.

Kevin Lee, Eaton Corporation Innovation Center

WEMPEC produces outstanding caliber

engineers that hit the ground running. I

hire WEMPEC students because they are

ready to make contributions at a high level.

Richard A. Lukaszewski, Standard Drive Business

I continue to be impressed with the faculty,

students, and curriculum at WEMPEC,

as well as the depth and quality of their

research. Our sponsorship has helped us

build relationships with students to aid

in our recruitment efforts for internships and full time

employment opportunities.

Steve Lind, Phoenix International

Over the years, Miller Electric has been veryblessed to have WEMPEC as a strategic

business partner. We have hired several

grads from WEMPEC who have been top-

performing engineers.

Bruce Albrecht, Miller Electric Manufacturing Co.


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FACULTY

Robert D. Lorenz, IEEE Fellow, received

his BS, MS, and PhD from the University

of WisconsinMadison and an MBA from

the University of Rochester, New York.

Since 1984, he has been on the faculty

of the UWMadison, where he is the

Consolidated Papers Foundation Professor

of Controls Engineering in MechanicalEngineering. He is co-director of WEMPEC.

In 196667, Dr. Lorenz did his

junior year studies in electromechanical

engineering at the Monterrey Institute

of Technology, Mexico. In 196970, he

did his masters research at the Technical

University of Aachen, Germany. From

197072, he worked for the U.S. Army

as a systems test engineer at Aberdeen

Proving Ground, Maryland. From 1972

to 1982, he was research staff at the

Gleason Works in Rochester, New York,

working on high-performance drives

and synchronized motion control. He

was a visiting research professor in the

Electrical Drives Group of the Catholic

University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium,

in the summer of 1989, and in the Power

Electronics & Electrical Drives Institute

of the Technical University of Aachen,

Germany, in the summers of 1987, 1991,

1995, 1997, and 1999. He also spent the

academic years 2000/2001 there as the

SEW Eurodrive Guest Professor. During the

fall semester of 2009, he was Global COE

Visiting Professor at the Power Electronics

Laboratory of the Tokyo Institute of

Technology.

His current research interests include

design of motors/actuators for self-sensing,

power electronic device junction tempera-

ture estimation and real-time control of

thermo-mechanical strain in power elec-

tronic modules, deadbeat-direct torque

and flux control for loss minimization, and

wireless power transfer technologies. He

has authored more than 230 published

technical papers and holds 24 patents.

Dr. Lorenz was the IEEE Division II

director for 200506. He is past chair of

the Periodicals Committee of the IEEE

Technical Activities Board. Dr. Lorenz was

the IEEE Industry Applications Society

(IAS) president in 2001, a distinguished

lecturer of the IEEE IAS in 200001,

and served as chair of the IAS Awards

Department and IAS Industrial Drives

Committee. Dr. Lorenz was awarded

the IEEE IAS Outstanding Achievement

Award in 2003, honoring his techno-

logical developments in the applicationof electricity to industry. He has been a

member of the executive committee of

the IET (UK) technical network on power

conversion since 2000 and a member of

the EPE International Steering Committee

since 1998. In 2006, he received the EPE

PEMC Outstanding Achievement Award

for his contributions to advanced motor

drive control. In 2010, he was awarded an

honorary doctorate from the University of

Stephen the Great, in Suceava, Romania.

He has won 25 IEEE prize paper awards.

He is a member of the IAS IndustrialDrives, Electrical Machines, Industrial

Power Converter, and Power Electrical

Devices and Components committees.

Since 1999, he has been the IEEE ISA

representative on the IEEE Sensor Council

AdCorn. He is also a member of the ASME

ISA and SPIE. Dr. Lorenz is a registered

professional engineer in the states of New

York and Wisconsin.

ROBERTD. LORENZ

Professor

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Selected Publications

M.L. Spencer and R.D. Lorenz, Analysis

and In-Situ Measurement of Thermal-

Mechanical Strain in Active Si licon Power

Semiconductors, Proc. of IEEE IAS Conf.

Oct. 59, 2008, Edmonton, Canada.

P.E. Schneider and R.D. Lorenz,

Integrating Giant Magneto-Resistive

(GMR) Field Detectors for High

Bandwidth Current Sensing in Power

Electronic Modules, Proc. of IEEE

Energy Conversion Congress and

Exposition (ECCE2010), September

1216, 2010, Atlanta, GA.

N. Limsuwan, Y. Shibukawa, D. Reigosa,

and R.D. Lorenz, Novel Design of

Flux-Intensifying Interior Permanent

Magnet Synchronous Machine

Suitable for Power Conversion and

Self-Sensing Control at Very Low

Speed, Proc. of IEEE Energy Conversion

Congress and Exposition (ECCE2010),

Sept. 1216, 2010, Atlanta, GA.

S.C. Yang, T. Suzuki, R.D. Lorenz, and

T.M. Jahns, Surface PermanentMagnet Synchronous Machine Self-

Sensing Design for Sensorless Position

Estimation at Low Speed Application,

Proc. of IEEE Energy Conversion

Congress and Exposition (ECCE2010),

Sept. 12-16, 2010, Atlanta, GA.


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Thomas M. Jahns, IEEE Fellow, received

the SB and SM degrees in 1974 and

the PhD degree in 1978 from the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

(MIT), Cambridge, Massachusetts, all in

electrical engineering. Dr. Jahns joined

the faculty of the University of Wisconsin

Madison in 1998 as a Grainger Professor ofPower Electronics and Electric Machines

in the Department of Electrical and

Computer Engineering. He is a co-director

of WEMPEC and the Wisconsin Power

Electronics Research Center (WisPERC), as

well as research director of the Center for

Renewable Energy Systems (CRES).

Prior to coming to UWMadison, Dr.

Jahns worked for 15 years in GE Corporate

Research and Development (now GE

Global Research Center) in Niskayuna,

New York, where he pursued new power

electronics and motor drive technology

in a variety of research and management

positions. While at GE he made many new

technical contributions in the areas of

high-performance AC permanent magnet

and switched reluctance machines for

applications that range from aerospace

power-by-wire actuators to direct-drive

washing machines. During 199698,

Dr. Jahns conducted a research sabbatical

at MIT, where he directed research activi-

ties in the area of advanced automotive

electrical systems and accessories as

co-director of an industry-sponsored

automotive consortium.Since arriving at UWMadison in

1998, Dr. Jahns has continued to pursue

his interest in AC permanent magnet (PM)

synchronous machines. This research has

led to significant new PM machine devel-

opments including the extension of their

capabilities for electric traction applica-

tions that require wide speed ranges of

constant-power operation. Dr. Jahns also

has continuing research interests that

include renewable energy, microgrids,

battery management, and techniquesfor combining power electronics and AC

machines into integrated motor drives.

In 2005, Dr. Jahns received the IEEE

Nikola Tesla Technical Field Award for

pioneering contributions to the design

and application of AC permanent magnet

machines. Dr. Jahns is also a past recipient

of the IEEE William E. Newell Award,

presented in 1999 by the IEEE Power

Electronics Society (PELS) as its highest

award for technical achievement in the

field of power electronics.Dr. Jahns has been recognized as a

distinguished lecturer by the IEEE Industry

Applications Society (IAS) during 199495

and by IEEE-PELS during 19982000. He

has served as president of the Power

Electronics Society (199596) and as a

member of the Industry Applications

Society Executive Board from 1992 to

2001. In 2007, he received the IEEE-PELS

Distinguished Service Award in recogni-tion of his sustained contributions to

the Power Electronics Society. Dr. Jahns

has also served two years (200102) as

an elected member of the IEEE Board

of Directors in the position of Division II

director/delegate.

THOMASM. JAHNS

Professor

Department of Electrical

and Computer Engineering


P.B. Reddy, T.M. Jahns, T.P. Bohn,

Modeling and Analysis of Proximity

Losses in High-Speed Surface

PM Machines with Concentrated

Windings, in Proc. of 2010 IEEE Energy

Conv. Congress & Expo (ECCE 10),

Atlanta, Sep. 2010, pp. 9961003.

S-H Han, T.M. Jahns, Z-Q Zhu, Analysis

of Rotor Core Eddy-Current Losses

in Interior Permanent-Magnet

Synchronous Machines, IEEE Trans. on

Industry Applications, Vol. 46, Jan./Feb.

2010, pp. 196205.

A.M. EL-Refaie, T.M. Jahns, Impact of

Winding Layer Number and Magnet

Type on Synchronous Surface PM

Machines Designed for Wide Constant-

Power Speed Range Operation, IEEE

Trans. on Energy Conversion, Vol. 23,

Mar. 2008, pp. 5360.

S. Krishnamurthy, T.M. Jahns, R.H.

Lasseter, The Operation of Diesel

Gensets in a CERTS Microgrid, in Proc. of

2008 IEEE Power & Energy Society Gen.Meeting, Pittsburgh, Jul. 2008, pp. 18.

K. Lee, T.M. Jahns, T.A. Lipo, G.

Venkataramanan, W.E. Berkopec,

Impact of Input Voltage Sag and

Unbalance on dc Link Inductor

and Capacitor Stress in Adjustable

Speed Drives, IEEE Trans. on Industry

Applications, Vol. 44, Nov/Dec 2008,

pp. 18251833.


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FACULTY

Giri Venkataramanan studied electrical

engineering at the Government College

of Technology, Coimbatore, India, and

received his BS from the University of

Madras, India. He moved to the United

States to continue his studies and obtained

his MS and PhD from the California

Institute of Technology and the Universityof WisconsinMadison, respectively.

At Wisconsin, he worked on several

projects, including aircraft power conver-

sion, resonant DC link converters, and

unity power factor power converters.

During his doctoral studies, he also

completed an industrial internship at GE

Corporate Research and Development in

Schenectady, New York, and an academic

internship at the Institute for Power

Electronics and Electric Drives at Aachen

University of Technology in Germany.

While in Madison, he was also active in

bringing out several editions of a student

newsletter, The Wempecker.

Upon graduation, Dr. Venkataramanan

moved west to take a teaching

appointment at Montana State University

Bozeman. For seven years, he taught

electrical engineering, developed several

courses, and designed and commissioned

a power electronics and drives lab. He has

focused his research on the development

of pulse width modulated AC-AC power

conversion technology. He completed

several research projects in the area of

utility power electronics and control andpower quality funded by NSF, NASA, EPRI,

and several private industries.

Dr. Venkataramanan returned to

UWMadison as a faculty member in 1999.

Since his return, he has been active in

expanding and modernizing the labo-

ratory infrastructure, while continuing

to direct research in various areas of

power conversion. He has been actively

conducting research in the areas of power

converter topologies, microgrids, wind

power systems, grid interface for electricvehicles and utility scale power electronic

systems. He is an active member in the IEEE

Industry Applications Society, participating

in various technical committees of the

Industrial Power Conversion Department.

He holds seven U.S. patents and regularly

contributes to various power electronics

conferences and journals.

Dr. Venkataramanan complements

his interests in power electronics with

educational activism both inside and

outside the classroom, developing hands-

on student projects aimed at increasing

learning effectiveness and addressing

energy development issues. In recogni-

tion of his teaching excellence he won

the Gerald Holdridge Teaching Award,

the 2008 Benjamin Smith Reynolds

Award for Excellence in Teaching and

the UWMadison Chancellors Award for

Distinguished Teaching. He serves as the

faculty advisor for the Engineers Without

Borders and HKN student organizations.

He is known on campus for his leader-

ship in developing the undergraduate

Certificate in Engineering for Energy

Sustainability, his work on small scale

wind turbine and photovoltaic installa-

tions, and inspiring students on various

sustainability activities across the board.

GIRIVENKATARAMANAN

Professor




D. Ludois, J. Reed, G.Venkataramanan,

Hierarchal Control of Bridge of Bridge

Power Converters, IEEE Transactions

on Industrial Electronics, Vol. 57, no, 8,

pp. 2679-90, Aug. 2010.

M. Illindala, G. Venkataramanan,

Small Signal Stability of a Microgrid

with Parallel Connected Distributed

Generation, Special Issue on

Smartgrids: Microgrid Systems,

International Journal of Intelligent

Automation & Soft Computing, Vol. 16,

No. 2, 2010. Invited paper.

P. Flannery, G. Venkataramanan, A

Fault Tolerant Doubly Fed Induction

Generator Wind Turbine Using a Parallel

Grid Side Rectifier and Series Grid Side

Converter, IEEE Transactions on Power

Electronics, Special Issue on Wind

Power, May 2008, Page(s): 1126 1135.

F. Mancilla-David, S. Bhattacharya,

G. Venkataramanan, A Comparative

Evaluation of Series Power Flow

Controllers Using DC and AC LinkConverters. IEEE Transactions on

Power Delivery, vol. 22, April 2008,

Page(s):985 996

M. Illindala, A. Siddiqui, G.

Venkataramanan, and C. Marnay,

Localized aggregation of diverse

energy sources for rural electrifica-

tion using microgrids, Journal of

Energy Engineering-ASCE, vol. 133, pp.

121-131, Sep 2007.


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Yehui Han received his bachelors degree

with honors from Tsinghua University,

Beijing, P.R. China, in 2000, as well as his

masters degree in 2003. He earned his

PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of

Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts,

in 2010, all in electrical engineering. Dr.

Han is a recipient of the MIT LandsmanFellowship in 2007.

Dr. Han is currently an assistant

professor with the Department of

Electrical and Computer Engineering at

the University of WisconsinMadison,

and is affiliated with the Wisconsin

Electric Machines and Power Electronics

Consortium (WEMPEC). He teaches power

electronics courses at Wisconsin. Dr. Hans

primary research interests are power

electronics and their applications in

renewable energy and energy efficiency.

He has conducted research in the rangefrom several watts (as in power supply) to

tens of megawatts (as in FACTS). Dr. Hans

ongoing research focuses on developing

new circuit designs, novel magnetic

components and means of applying new

devices (GaN and SiC) to achieve orders

of magnitude increase in frequency over

the current state-of-art while maintaining

high efficiency. His research reduces

the size (and ultimately cost) of power

electronics. This, in turn, opens up new

possibilities for how power electronicscan be designed and applied. Dr. Han

received the IEEE Power Electronics

Society Transactions Prize Paper Award

and the IEEE Power Electronics Specialists

Conference Prize Paper Award, both in

2008. He holds three patents.

YEHUIHAN

Assistant Professor

Department of Electrical and

Computer Engineering


9/42

FACULTY

Donald W. Novotny, IEEE Fellow, received

his BS and MS degrees in electrical

engineering from the Illinois Institute of

Technology, Chicago, in 1956 and 1957,

and his PhD degree from the University of

WisconsinMadison in 1961. Since 1961,

Dr. Novotny has been a member of the

faculty at the University of Wisconsin

Madison, where he is currently Grainger

Professor Emeritus of Power Electronics

and co-founder and former co-director of

WEMPEC. He retired from full-time activity

in 1996 but continues teaching part-time.

From 1976 to 1980, he served as

chairman of the Department of Electrical

and Computer Engineering. He also

served as an associate director of the

University-Industry Research Program

from 1972 to 1974 and from 1980 to

1993. He has been active as a consultant

to many organizations and a visiting

professor at Montana State University;

the Technical University of Eindhoven,

Eindhoven, Netherlands; the Catholic

University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium;

and a Fulbright Lecturer at the University

of Ghent, Ghent, Belgium.

Dr. Novotnys teaching and research

interests include electric machines,

variable frequency drive systems, and

power electronic control of industrial

systems. He is the coauthor of three

textbooks on electro-mechanical systems;has contributed chapters on variable

speed drive systems in two handbooks

on electric machines and drives; and

has published more than 100 technical

articles on electric machines, variable

frequency drives, and power electronic

control of industrial systems. He has

received eleven prize paper awards from

the IEEE Industry Applications Society

and other groups, and three awards for

outstanding teaching from the University

of WisconsinMadison, the College ofEngineering, and the Department of

Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Other awards include the IEEE-IAS

Outstanding Achievement Award in 1998,

the 2009 IEEE-PES Nikola Tesla Award,

and a Third Millennium Award from

IEEE-IAS in 2000. In addition to his regular

university teaching, he has been very

active in continuing education through

short courses and seminars for industry,

IEEE tutorials, and videotape courses

for off-campus graduate study. He also

served for twelve years as chairman of

the Electrical Engineering Program for the

National Technological University (NTU).

Dr. Novotny is a registered professional

engineer in Wisconsin.

DONALDW. NOVOTNY

Professor Emeritus

Department of Electrical and

Computer Engineering


N.H. Kutkut, H.L.N. Wiegman, D.M.

Divan and D.W. Novotny, Design

Considerations for Charge Equalization

of an Electric Vehicle Battery System,

IEEE-IAS Trans., Vol. 35, No. 1, January/

February 1999, pp 2835.

M.S. Rauls, D.W. Novotny, D.M. Divan,

R.R. Bacon, and R.W. Gascoigne,

Multiturn High-Frequency Coaxial

Winding Power Transformers,

IEEE Industry Applications Society

Transactions, Vol. 31, No. 1, January/

February 1995, pp. 11235.

R. DeDoncker and D.W. Novotny, The

Universal Field Oriented Controller,

IEEE Transactions on Industry

Applications, Vol. 30, No. 1, January/

February 1994, pp. 92100.

I.T. Wallace, R.D. Lorenz, D.W.

Novotny, and D.M. Divan, Increasing

the Dynamic Torque Per Ampere

Capability of Induction Machines,


Transactions, Vol. 30, No. 1, January/February 1994, pp. 146153.

X. Xu and D.W. Novotny, Selection

of the Flux Reference for Induction

Machine Drives in the Field Weakening

Region, IEEE Industry Applications

Society Transactions, Vol. 28, No.

6, November/December 1992, pp.

13531358.


10/42

Thomas A. Lipo is an IEEE Fellow, Fellow

of the IET (London), and Fellow of both

the National Academy of Engineers (USA)

and the Royal Academy of Engineering

(UK). He is a director emeritus of WEMPEC

as well as one of the consortiums original

founders. He earned his BEE with honors

from Marquette University in Milwaukee,

Wisconsin, in 1962, as well as his MSEE in

1964. He then completed his PhD work at

UWiMadison in 1968. Before returning to

UWMadison as an electrical engineering

professor and the co-founder/director

of WEMPEC/WisPERC in 1981, Dr. Lipo

worked for Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing

Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and

General Electric in Schenectady, New York.

He was also professor in the Department

of Electrical Engineering at Purdue

University in West Lafayette, Indiana, in

198081. Dr. Lipo has been a visiting fellowat the University of Manchester Institute

of Science and Technology, Cambridge

University and Sheffield University,

England, and the University of Sydney and

Monash University, Australia. He was a

Fulbright Fellow at University of Trondheim,

Norway during the year 2008.

Dr. Lipos major area of interest is

the discipline of power electronics and

electrical machines, particularly as they

apply to variable speed operation of AC

machines. He believes that one chal-

lenging aspect of research in this area is its

multidisciplinary nature: the fundamentals

of solid state devices, integrated circuits,

control theory, computer simulation,

microprocessors, circuit theory, and electric

machines are all brought into play before

a satisfactory design can be realized. His

most recent projects include the design of

machines with unconventional winding

configurations, materials, and/or geom-

etries that will operate more harmoniously

with minimum switch count solid state

frequency converters. These projects

require not only design and construction

of the machine but also the associated

power electronic converter and controller.

Dr. Lipo enjoys such interesting chal-lenges which are multifaceted and firmly

embedded in the real world.

Dr. Lipo holds numerous distinguished

awards and honors. In 1986, he received

the Outstanding Achievement Award of

the IEEE Industry Applications Society for

contributions to industrial AC drives. In June

2000, he received the IEEE Third Millennium

Medal for contributions to IEEE from the

IEEE Power Electronics Society. In February

1995, he was awarded the IEEE Nikola Tesla

Field Award for pioneering contributions

to simulation of and application to electricmachinery in solid-state AC motor drives.

He was an IEEE distinguished lecturer for

both the PES and IAS Societies (199294). In

June 1990, Dr. Lipo received the William E.

Newell Award of the IEEE Power Electronics

Society for contributions to power elec-

tronics. In 2002, he was made a Fellow of

the British Royal Academy of Engineering,

a distinction held by only 40 other

researchers in the U.S. In 2004 he received

the Hilldale Award from the University ofWisconsin, the highest honor bestowed by

the university for research excellence. He

is only the fourth faculty member in the

College of Engineering and the first in the

Department of Electrical and Computer

Engineering to have received this award.

Dr. Lipo has published five books and more

than 500 technical papers, of which more

than 200 are in the IEEE Transactions. He is

also the recipient of 38 U.S. Patents.

THOMASA. LIPO

Professor Emeritus




S. Chen and T.A. Lipo, Bearing Currents

and Shaft Voltages of an Induction

Motor Under Hard and Soft-Switching

Inverter Excitation, IEEE Industry

Applications Society Transactions, Vol.

34, No. 5, September/October 1998,

pp. 10421048.

H. Toliyat and T.A. Lipo, Analysis of

Concentrated Winding Induction

Machines for Adjustable Speed Drive

Applications -Experimental Results,

IEEE Transactions on Energy

Conversion, Vol. 9, No. 4, December

1994, pp. 695700.

F. Liang, Y. Liao, and T.A. Lipo, A New

Variable Reluctance Motor Utilizing

an Auxiliary Commutation Winding,


Transactions, Vol. 30, No. 2, March/April

1994, pp. 423432.

T.A. Rowan and T.A. Lipo, A

Quantitative Analysis of Induction

Motor Performance Improvement by

SCR Voltage Control, IEEE IndustryApplications Society Transactions, Vol.

1A19, No. 4, July/August 1983, pp.

545553.

T.A. Lipo and A.B. Plunkett, A Novel

Approach to Induction Motor Transfer

Functions, IEEE Transactions on

Power Applications and Systems, Vol.

PAS83, September/October 1974, pp.

14101418.


11/42

FACULTY

Robert H. Lasseter received his PhD

in physics from the University of

Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, in 1971. He

was a consulting engineer at General

Electric Co. until he joined the University

of WisconsinMadison in 1980. His

research interests focus on the application

of power electronics to utility systems.This work includes microgrids, interfacing

distributed energy resources and renew-

able to the power distribution system,

control of the power transmission systems

through FACTS controllers and the use of

power electronics in distribution systems.

For the last 10 years he has been the

technical lead for the CERTS Microgrid test

project at AEP. Professor Lasseter is a Life

Fellow of IEEE, and an IEEE distinguishedlecturer on distributed generation.

CERTS is an organization of four

national laboratories (LBNL, SNL, ORNL,

PNNL) and PSerc. The Consortium for

Electric Reliability Technology Solutions

was formed in 1999 to research, develop,

and disseminate new methods, tools, and

technologies to protect and enhance

the reliability of the U.S. electric power

system. CERTS research covers three

principal areas: real-time grid reliability

management, reliability and markets, anddistributed energy resources integration.

Professor Lasseter is the technical leader

of this third area for CERTS. Learn more at

certs.lbl.gov/DER.html.

ROBERTH. LASSETER

Professor Emeritus

Department of of Electrical



R.Lasseter, Smart Distribution;

Coupled Microgrids, Special Issue of

Proceedings of IEEE, The Smart Gr id,

March/April 2011

R. Lasseter, J. H. Eto, B. S chenkman,

J. Stevens, H. Volkmmer, D. Klapp, E.

Linton, H. Hurtado, and J. Roy, CERTS

Microgrid Laboratory Test Bed, IEEE

Transactions on Power Delivery,

February 2011.

R. Lasseter, Microgrids and DistributedGeneration, International Journal

on Intelligent Automation & Soft

Computation, Vol. 16, No. 1, 2010.

H. Nikkhajoei, R. Lasseter, Distributed

Generation Interface to the CERTS

Microgrid, IEEE Transactions on Power

Delivery, Volume 24, issue 3, July 2009.

B. Kroposki, R. Lasseter, T. Ise, S.

Morozumi, S. Papathanassiou, and

N. Hatziargyriou, Making Microgrids

Work, IEEE Power & Energy Magazine,

May/June 2008.

Lasseter, Robert H., Paolo Piagi,

Microgrid: A Conceptual Solution,

PESC 04 Aachen, Germany, 2025,

June 2004.

Lasseter, R. H., Control of Distributed

Resources, Invited paper Bulk Power

Systems Dynamics and Control IV;

Restructuring, Santorini, Greece,

August 2328, 1998.


12/42

MITCHBRADT

Program Director, Department of

Engineering Professional Development

Mitch Bradt received his masters degree

in electrical engineering with a focus on

utility application of power electronics

from the University of WisconsinMadison

in 1996, with Professor Bob Lasseter

as his advisor. While in grad school, he

spent two years as a special researchassociate at Kyoto University in Kyoto,

Japan, from 199496. He had previously

received a bachelors degree in electrical

engineering, cum laude, from Marquette

University.

From 1996 through 2001, Bradt

served in the U.S. Air Force, developing

and testing aircraft electrical systems

and aircraft survivability. He later

worked in industryfirst at American

Superconductor and later as a consulting

engineer. He commissioned STATCOM

and SMES systems installed in trans-

mission substations at AMSC. Later, he

designed on substations, system protec-

tion installations, and renewable energy

balance-of-plant installations.

Mitch has been a program director in

the UWMadison College of Engineering

since 2006, delivering continuing educa-

tion in the areas of power electronics and

machines (with WEMPEC), wind/alternative

energy, electrical distribution, and electrical

safety. He is a professional engineer in

Illinois and Wisconsin, the chair of the IEEEs

Wind and Solar Plant Collector System

Working Group, and a past chair of the

Madison, Wisconsin, section of IEEE.

HELENEDEMONT

Credit Courses

at a Distance

(CCD) Program

Manager,

Department

of Engineering

Professional

Development

Helene Demont

has been

involved with

continuing engineering education since

1986. She has been active in the American

Society of Engineering Education (ASEE),

serving as general conference chair

(2008), program chair (2005, 2000), divi-

sion chair (200305) and board secretary

(200003, 20072010).

Her role with Credit Courses at aDistance (CCD) is to serve as the liaison

between off-campus students and the

UWMadison faculty and administration.

Students kindly refer to her as Mother

Outreach, as she provides assistance with

every detail, making the process as seam-

less as possible.

Credit Courses at a Distance (CCD) is

administered through the Department of

Engineering Professional Development

(EPD) in the College of Engineering.

In addition to the six online master s

programs offered, engineers and technical

professionals can choose from more than

300 short courses, some of which can also

be delivered to your site.

Helene has three grown daugh-

ters. She earned a certificate in distance

learning administration from UWMadison

in 2008 and will complete her bachelor

of science in public administration from

Upper Iowa University in May 2011.

Helene plans to earn her masters degree

in higher-ed administration.

RAY

MARION

WEMPEC,

Instrument

Specialist

Raymond Marion

is the manager

of the WEMPEC

research labora-

tory. He received a BSEE with high honors

from the University of Illinois at Urbana-

Champaign. Ray has worked at several

companies involved in power electronics,medical electronics, and audio electronics.

He joined WEMPEC in 1993 and has been

instrumental in the development of and

modifications to the labs to achieve their

current level of modernization. He holds

a patent in the area of battery charge

equalization.

Affiliate Staff


13/42

HISTORY

In the 1970s rising energy prices

coupled with developments in the

emerging field of power electronics

were creating a major worldwide expan-

sion in power engineering activity. The

UWMadison faculty in electric machines

recognized the need to expand the UW

program to become a dominant player in

this growth area. To reinforce the need for

this expansion, it was decided to enlist the

support of Wisconsin industry, and in the

spring of 1980 a preliminary proposal for

an industrial support group was devel-oped by Professors Donald W. Novotny

and Norbert L. Schmitz. Initial contact

was established with Professor Thomas A.

Lipo (then at Purdue University) with the

goal of attracting him to Wisconsin. With

Professor Lipos assistance, the proposal

was modified and expanded, and he was

named as the faculty member to be hired.

The preliminary proposal was

discussed with a small group of indus-

trial contacts consisting of Steve Bomba

of Allen-Bradley Co. and Roy Hyink and

Ken Phillips of Eaton Corp. (then Cutler

Hammer Inc). Discussion and modification

of the proposal occupied several months

and resulted in the final Program Plan used

to create the Wisconsin Electric Machines

and Power Electronics Consortium

(WEMPEC). The program plan outlined the

goals, administrative structure, and opera-

tion of the consortium and has served with

remarkably few changes to the present

time. Incorporating educational, research

and service components, the overall

program was designed to create a close

working relationship between program

faculty, students, and industrial spon-

sors. Emphasis was on generic research

projects of a basic and widely applicable

nature and means for rapidly commu-

nicating the results to the sponsors.

Expanded programs of resident instruction

and continuing education courses were

also emphasized. The Wisconsin AlumniResearch Foundation (WARF) was desig-

nated to handle any patents developed

in the program. The sponsor contribution

was set at $5,000 per year with a maximum

of three sponsorship units available to a

single company.

The program was formally initiated

in January 1981 with three sponsors: Allen

Bradley Co., the Graham Co., and Eaton/

Cutler Hammer. Professor Lipo joined

the faculty in January 1981, and by the

end of the year, six additional companies,

including Love AC, Rexnord Corp., Reliance

Electric Co., Sta Rite Industries, Unico,

and A.O. Smith, became part of the list of

charter sponsors. The first WEMPEC Review

Meeting was held at Union South on April

21, 1982, at which time there were 12

sponsors. The program summary for the

first 15 months of operation listed nine

graduate students, two visiting professors,WEMPEC lab, 1980s.

No other part of my education has had more enduring value than

my experiences at WEMPEC. The quality of people, instruction

and facilities fosters a unique intellectual environment and

collaborative opportunity. As a member of industry, I know that

WEMPEC graduates are imbued with the right balance of theoretical

knowledge and hands on experience to contribute immediately at a

high level and continually push the state of the art.

Patrick Flannery (MS 2003, PhD 2008,

American Superconductor Corp.


14/42

and three visiting scholars. A total of 11

WEMPEC reports were completed, three

short courses were offered, and a total of

24 projects were started, completed or

continued during the period. There were

34 industrial representatives in attendance

at this first review meeting.

From 1982 to 1985, the program grew

in terms of industrial sponsors, students,

and visiting professors and scholars. The

first MS degree (Tim Rowan) was awarded

in 1982 and the first PhD (Daniel Kirschen)

in 1985. The focus of the research withinWEMPEC during this early period was

primarily on electric drive systems with

much of the work related to energy

conservation and efficiency improvement.

High performance, field oriented drives

were also a major developing technology

and a number of research projects and

tutorial reports were devoted to this area.

In December 1984, Professor Robert

D. Lorenz joined the UW Department

of Mechanical Engineering faculty.

Through an affiliate appointment in theDepartment of Electrical and Computer

Engineering (ECE), he became a WEMPEC

faculty member, allowing expansion of

WEMPEC into motion control applications

and control design. In the spring of 1985,

Professor Deepak M. Divan joined the ECE

faculty and also became a member of the

WEMPEC faculty, adding much needed

expertise in power electronics.

While the initial WEMPEC member-

ship was comprised of traditional electrical

manufacturing companies, the expanded

activity in power electronics and control

attracted participation from electronic

equipment manufacturers, control special-

ists, machine tool companies, and others

interested in the myriad applications of

power electronics and controls. The scope

of WEMPEC activity was again expanded

to include power system applications in

1988 by the addition of Professor Robert

H. Lasseter. This year also brought the

first company sponsor with headquar-

ters outside the United States (Goldstar

Industrial Systems Co.), which was quickly

followed by several others.In 1988, the first of several Research

Summaries was produced, bringing

together in one volume the tutorial and

research activities of WEMPEC in the area

of field orientation and high performance

control. The format of the WEMPEC Review

Meeting was also modified to include

tutorial presentations and the meeting

was expanded to one and a halfdays.

The 10-year anniversary meeting,

held on April 17, 1991, was attended by

more than 140 representatives from 41

companies. During the tenth year of oper-

ation there were 47 graduate students

in the program, nine of whom received

degrees and a total of 52 separate

research projects were listed for the year.

The new Grainger Electric Machines and

Power Electronics Laboratory, funded at a

level of nearly $1 million (with more than

$600,000 from The Grainger Foundation),

was dedicated at the meeting. The

laboratory served very well with no

major modifications until the laboratory

improvement efforts initiated in 1998.

Over the first 10 years of operation, atotal of over $1.6 million in sponsor contri-

butions provided the base funding for a

program that had grown to be one of the

largest of its kind in the U.S., involving more

than 80 different graduate students and

awarding more than 40 advanced degrees.

By 1993, the program had reached

a size where full-time administrative

support was essential and Ms. Kathy Torok

was hired as an administrative assistant.

She continued in this position until

October 2000, when Ms. Bonnie Johnson

filled her position beginning in January

2001. The initiation of the newsletter

WEMPEC Reviewcoincided with the addi-

tion of the WEMPEC administrator in 1993.

The WEMPEC library and conference room

were completed in 1994, providing both

a research library and space for meeting

with the many company representatives

WEMPEC lab, 1990s.


15/42

HISTORY

coming to campus to discuss projects and

meet with students.

In June 1996, Professor Novotny

announced his retirement. He has

continued to participate in WEMPEC

activities by teaching on campus and

Outreach courses and participating in

WEMPEC staff meetings.

The five years between 1996 and 2001

were a time of rapid change of personnel,

organization, laboratory facilities, and

technology. Professor Deepak Divan left

the university, first on leave and then

permanently in August 1998, to start and

run his own company. Randy Gascoigne,

who managed the WEMPEC labora-

tory from 1988 to 1995 and served as a

consultant until 2000, also left to be part

of Professor Divans start-up company. In

the fall of 1998, Professor Thomas M. Jahns

joined the Department of Electrical and

Computer Engineering and the WEMPEC

program, and in the fall of 1999, Professor

Giri Venkataramanan accepted a position,

bringing the number of WEMPEC faculty

back up to the pre1996 level of five

professors. Ray Marion, who had partici-

pated in the laboratory on a part-time

basis, became the lab manager following

the resignation of Randy Gascoigne.

From August 1998 to July 2008,

WEMPEC participated with Virginia

Polytechnic Institute and three other

schools in an NSF Center called the

Center for Power Electronic Systems

(CPES). Professor Lipo served as the CPES

Campus Director for UWMadison and

Professor Lorenz and Professor Jahns

were technical thrust area leaders. ManyWEMPEC students participated in CPES

projects and in other CPES educational

and research activities. An arrangement

was made which allowed any WEMPEC

sponsor to automatically become an

associate member of CPES. At this time,

the WEMPEC sponsor contribution was

increased to $10,000 to better reflect

increased graduate student stipends and

other rising costs.

Professor Annette Muetze accepted

an appointment as assistant professorin May 2004 and became a WEMBEC

faculty member. Professor Muetzes area

of interest was electric machine design

and analysis as related to electric drives. In

July 2004, Professor Bob Lasseter retired,

but has continued his research in the area

of microgrids with only limited partici-

pation in WEMPEC. Randy Gascoigne

rejoined the WEMPEC program in 2004

with responsibility for the second genera-

tion laboratory upgrade funded by the

Grainger Foundation.

During the evolution and growth of

WEMPEC, the teaching program incor-

porating regular credit courses, credit

and non-credit Outreach courses, short

courses, and tutorials has grown and

developed to keep pace with technology

and the needs of students and sponsors.

The number of regular credit courses

has increased from seven in 1981 to 19

First Grainger instructional lab, 19902000.

As a WEMPEC student, I had the opportunity to learn from the worldsleaders in electric machines and power electronics. Industry funding

and engagement was strong, supporting technology transfer and

employment opportunities. Now as a WEMPEC sponsor, I look for

students to hire and advanced technology to incorporate into our

products.

Matthew L. Spencer (MS 2007)John Deer Product Development Center


16/42

in 2010 and, because of the number of

WEMPEC students (including Outreach

students), the courses have been run on

a regular schedule with very few cancel-

lations. The first videotaped Outreach

course was produced in 1984; now in

2010 there are 16 WEMPEC courses avail-

able through the Outreach program. The

growth of the Credit Courses at a Distance

(CCD)/ fomerly Outreach program in

recent years has resulted in the number

of graduate students taking most of

their coursework via Outreach coursesbecoming about equal to the number

of regular on campus WEMPEC students.

WEMPEC faculty have published five

textbooks over the 30 year duration of

WEMPEC and, in addition, more

than 50 sets of the recorded

lectures of the Outreach credit

courses have been sold or

rented for use as in-house

courses by WEMPEC sponsors

and other organizations.

The most recent five yearsof WEMPEC activity has seen a

rapid expansion and a growing

diversity of sponsors coupled

with a continuation of the

number and quality of graduate

students, visiting scholars and

faculty from around the world.

The demand for WEMPEC

graduates as future employees

is intense, implying that the goal

of producing very high quality

graduates is being met in the

eyes of the world. Significant

recent events include: the

retirement of Professor Lipo

in 2008 after a distinguished

46-year career in industry and

academia, completion of the

second generation test stands

in the Grainger Laboratory, the

termination of WEMPEC faculty

participation in CPES as that program

reached the end of its 10-year life, and the

departure of Professor Annette Muetze

after three years to accept a position

in England. There was also a change in

administrative support as Bonnie Johnson

retired after eight years with WEMPEC,

and was replaced by Sandra Finn in 2009.

Over the first 30 years of operation,

approximately 120 PhDs and 280 MS

degrees have been awarded. WEMPEC

research activity has resulted in more

than 1,200 individual project descriptionslisted in the annual WEMPEC Program

Summaries. The results of this research

have been reported in more than 750

WEMPEC Research Reports, and in four

research summary volumes. In addition

to the regular schedule of credit courses

and Outreach courses, nearly 75 short

courses have been offered over the 30

year period.

The international reputation of the

WEMPEC program has attracted more

than 120 visiting faculty members from

all over the world to spend sabbatical

time of three months or more in Madison.

There have been an even larger number

of visiting scholars including many post-

docs and doctoral candidates who havespent time in the WEMPEC community

over this same period. Many significant

aspects of WEMPEC research activity

resulted from the interactions fostered by

these visits.

All of this has been made

possible by a cumulative total

of over $10 million in sponsor

contributions and by the enthu-

siastic support and countless

hours of participation in semi-

nars, individual meetings andattendance at annual meetings

by the engineers and managers

in our sponsors organizations.

The 30th year, with 74

sponsors and 80 graduate

studentshalf of whom are off

campus with their coursework

delivered via the weband

over 40 active research projects,

is far larger and stronger than

any early vision and plan for

WEMPEC. The WEMPEC faculty,staff, and students are dedicated

to continuing this tradition of

excellence and program growth.

WEMPEC lab, early 2000s.


17/42

HISTORYPROGRAM ACTIVITIES

Campus Classroom

The WEMPEC faculty have developed

and continue to evolve a full range of

semester-long courses in the fields of

electrical machines, power electronics,

AC drives, power systems, renewable

energy, and real-time control of electro-

mechanical systems. During the past 30

years since WEMPEC began, the growthof the faculty and financial resources

and the increased number of students

has resulted in an increase from seven

courses in 198182 to the present 20

courses taught in cooperation with other

faculty colleagues in the electrical and

computer engineering and mechanical

engineering departments. Most of these

courses are offered for credit as digitally

recorded lectures through the University

of WisconsinMadison College of

Engineering Credit Courses at a Distance(CCD) program, noted in the list below

with asterisks. The following undergrad-

uate courses are taught at least once each

academic year:

ECE 304Electric Machines Lab

ECE 355Electromechanical Energy

Conversion *

ECE 356Electrical Power Processing for

Renewable Energy Systems

ECE 377Fundamentals of Electrical and

Electromechanical Power Conversion *

In addition, Professor Giri Venkataramanan

has delivered special courses that offer

undergraduates the opportunity to gain

hands-on experience building power

converters and wind turbines. These courses

help attract new students into the field.

Starting with three courses in 198182,

there are now a total of nine courses

offered at the senior graduate level, two

of which are laboratory courses. These are

typically taught once per year.

ECE 411Introduction to Electric Drive

Systems *ECE 412Power Electronic Circuits *

ECE 427Electric Power Systems *

ME 446Automatic Controls *

ME 447Computer Control of Machines

and Processes *

ECE 504Electric Machines and Drive

Systems Laboratory *

ECE 511Theory and Control of

Synchronous Machines *

ME 547Design of Computer Control

Systems *

ECE/ME 577Automatic Controls

Laboratory *

There are currently seven courses

regularly offered at the graduate level,

compared with two offered in 198182.

ECE 711Dynamics and Control of AC

Drives *

ECE 712Solid State Power Conversion *

ECE 713Electromagnetic Design of AC

Machines *

ECE 714Utility Applications of Power

Electronics *ECE/ME 739Advanced Automation

and Robotics *

ME 746Dynamics of Controlled

Systems *

ME 747Advanced Computer Control of

Machines and Processes *

Laboratory teaching is greatly enhanced

by the Grainger Teaching Laboratory for

Electric Machines and Power Electronics.

The five test stands in this lab are designed

to make it as appealing as possible for

students to learn about machine andpower electronic system properties and

their control using modern drive equip-

ment and instrumentation. This teaching

environment is regarded as one of the best

in the nation for electric machines, power

electronics, and their integrated control.

The laboratory is also used regularly to

provide off-campus CCD students with

an advanced laboratory experience by

WEMPEC in the Classroom

WEMPEC and the Credit Courses at a Distance program provided

a unique and exemplary opportunity for me to pursue both an

MS and PhD degree, while employed 1,000 miles from campus.

The paralleling of a rigorous academic graduate program with an

industrial research environment provided me with confidence anda competitive edge when it came to innovation and new product

development. The format was portable, easy to use and provided

wonderful learning opportunities from renowned subject-matter

experts. I continually recommend the WEMPEC distance learning

experience to those who are committed to continuous learning

within their field and are ready to gain physical insightfulness!

Steven Fredette (MS 1996, PhD 2009)American Superconductor Corp.


18/42

alternately scheduling ECE 504 and ME/

ECE 577 during the three-week interses-

sion at the beginning of every summer.

Distance LearningClassroom

Distance education continues to be a

major priority of the WEMPEC faculty,

providing a valuable benefit to the

employees of WEMPEC sponsor organi-

zations and engineers everywhere. The

UWMadison Credit Courses at a Distance

(CCD) program offers 18 of the 20 under-

graduate and graduate courses listed

in the preceding section via recorded

lectures.

The ability to offer this broad range

of courses to off-campus students in

the areas of power electronics, electric

machines, control, and power systems

makes it possible for working engineers

to earn masters degrees at their home

locations with a minimum of on-campus

residency requirements. A few dedi-

cated engineers continue on, using the

CCD course program as the basis for

earning their doctoral degrees with their

employers support. Many other engineers

without specific degree aspirations pick

and choose specific courses as a valuable

means of updating their professional skills

in specific technical areas.

Many of the engineers who choose

to use the distance education CCD

program to pursue advanced degrees

are engaged in research projects under

the supervision of one of the WEMPEC

faculty members. These research projects

are typically conducted using employer

laboratory facilities and often involve

research topics related to the engineers

primary area of job responsibility. As

demonstrated by a long track record of

successful CCD degree programs, these

research projects often lead to innova-

tive technical contributions that mutually

benefit the student employee as well as

the employer.

WEMPEC courses offered via the CCD

program are updated regularly to ensure

that students are exposed to the most

recent developments in each of the key

areas of power technology. Engineers

are encouraged to take the courses

concurrently with their fellow students

in Madison, but opportunities are also

provided on occasion for students to

take the courses during semesters when

they are not being offered in Madison.

Students view recorded lectures at times

and locations that fit their schedules,

while completing course assignments

and tests on schedules comparable to

those of their on-campus counterparts.

Arrangements are made to ensure conve-nient access to the responsible WEMPEC

faculty member via telephone and e-mail

for all course-related questions.

All WEMPEC CCD courses are

also available for purchase or rental

by corporations or other professional

organizations for in-house training.

A significant discount is offered to

WEMPEC sponsor organizations for all

such purchases and rentals.

For complete program and course

information, visit the Office of EngineeringCredit Courses at a Distance (CCD)

website: epd.engr.wisc.edu/ccd.

You can also directly contact Ms.

Helene Demont, program manager, to

discuss any questions regarding program

and course options, at [email protected].

edu or via telephone at 6082625516.

Short Courses

In addition to teaching full-length

academic courses to both on-campusand distance learning students, WEMPEC

faculty members are actively engaged

each year in teaching technical short

courses to the broad community of

engineers working in industry and

government. Almost all of these short

courses are offered under the auspices

of the Department of Engineering

WEMPEC distance-education students on campus.


19/42


Professional Development (EPD) of the

University of WisconsinMadison.

The short courses are typically sched-

uled for three or four days and cover all

forms of power electronics and AC motor

drive technology. Since one of the major

goals of these courses is to give attendees

a broad introduction to technology

areas, the material presented in the short

courses is typically drawn and distilled

from several different courses taught by

the WEMPEC faculty. Several of the short

courses also include invited instructorsfrom industry and academia who bring

their special expertise and practical appli-

cations experience to enrich the short

course curriculum for attendees.

One of the keys to the long-term

success that these short courses have

enjoyed is a determination to keep the

presented material up-to-date and rele-

vant to industry needs. For example, we

successfully launched a new short course

on AC permanent magnet machines

and drives in 2008 to help attendeesunderstand both the opportunities and

technical challenges posed by this impor-

tant class of AC machines for a wide range

of applications. Through a wide range of

topics in this short course, extending from

machine design and analysis to position

sensor elimination techniques, attendees

leave the short course with a broad

and detailed introduction to the topic

that they take back with them to their

workplaces.

Find more information about the

short courses scheduled for the coming

months via links on the WEMPEC website

www.wempec.wisc.edu or direct ques-

tions to Mitch Bradt in EPD at bradt@wisc.

edu or 6082631085.

A key component of the

WEMPEC mission is research in the areas

of power electronics, electrical machines,

and all related topics. This research serves

multiple purposes. Significantly, WEMPECresearch seeks answers to important

questions, such as the technical viability

of new concepts and the comparative

advantages of alternative approaches,

providing results that can dramatically

shorten product development time for

WEMPECs industrial sponsors.

Developing these answers and

promptly communicating them to

our sponsors are major objectives of

WEMPECs research and technology

transfer program. In addition, WEMPECresearch provides the means of teaching

students how to conduct independent

research, building skills that will be critical

to their future success as employees

of our sponsors or the next generation

of academic faculty in this field. The

following paragraphs describe two major

classes of WEMPEC-based research.

WEMPEC Pre-CompetitiveResearch

Given the broad base of WEMPECs indus-

trial support, often coming from corporate

competitors, the research program

carried out using WEMPEC member-

ship funds is specifically structured to

be pre-competitive in nature. Individual

WEMPEC-funded research projects are

selected at the discretion of the WEMPEC

faculty. Although sponsors do not directly

determine the choice of specific projects,faculty members make significant efforts

to communicate with WEMPEC sponsors in

order to identify shortcomings of current

technology and opportunities for new

research. Based on these inputs, WEMPEC

research is focused on emerging and

fundamental issues that will be of interest

to a broad cross-section of the sponsors.

Results of this research, often in the form

Microgrid static switch.

In the Research Lab


20/42

of technical papers, are shared simultane-

ously with all sponsors as soon as they are

available, typically several months before

they are presented at open conferences.

WisPERC SponsoredResearch

Since WEMPEC funds are used only for

conducting pre-competitive research,

WEMPEC members are encouraged to

sponsor focused research contracts that

pursue promising concepts in more detail

to meet their particular needs. As a result,

only those sponsors with a particular

interest in a particular technology area

support a more detailed investigation once

the viability of the basic concept has been

established using WEMPEC membership

funds. While WEMPEC does not get directly

involved in product design, the results of

these contracts often serve as the basis for

subsequent product development carried

out by the sponsor. Such focused research

projects are administered by the WisconsinPower Electronics Research Center

(WisPERC), an administrative center at the

university that handles all contract research

in power electronics and related areas.

WEMPECs InternationalFocus

WEMPECs international reputation for

excellence in both education and research

attracts the best students from the U.S.

and from around the world. The research

environment inside WEMPEC is further

enhanced by long-standing relationships

with many of the worlds most renowned

researchers in this field from a wide variety

of international institutions. Over its

30-year history, WEMPEC has hosted a large

number of visiting professors and scholars

from around the world, often for extended

periods of time (see detailed list in later

section). Furthermore, WEMPEC faculty and

students frequently reciprocate by visiting

the top international research centers in

the areas of power electronics and electric

machines. This continuous intellectual

exchange on a national and international

basis generates a steady and lively influx

of new ideas into WEMPEC that contrib-

utes substantially to the dynamism of theWEMPEC research program.

Testbed power converter.

The thing I remember most isthe camaraderie and fun I had

interacting with the professors,

students, and visiting scholars

while working on challenging

topics. The skills that you learn

enable you to be a successful

engineer and researcher.

However, knowledge is gained

not just by reading books but

also by interacting with people,

and WEMPEC has always

attracted the best researchers

from around the world. Even

after graduating, I eagerly look

forward to visiting Madison

to see the innovative work

being carried out and meet

with students and hear their

excitement and passion.

Shashank Krishnamurthy (PhD 2008)

United Technologies

Research Center


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Technology TransferOne of the most important charters for

WEMPEC is the timely transfer of new

technology to its industrial sponsors. In

its most basic form, this is accomplished

through the distribution of advance

copies of 40 or more research reports

each year, including tutorial reports and

thesis summaries. However, technology

transfer means much more than sharing

research reports. For example, technology

transfer is greatly enhanced by the flow of

students to industry during internships as

well as the permanent hiring of WEMPEC

graduates. Whenever possible, employees

of our sponsors are encouraged to spend

extended periods of time in Madison

working directly with WEMPEC faculty

and students. In addition, faculty visits to

sponsors, an annual review meeting, and

sponsor visits to the WEMPEC laboratory

are also important elements in the tech-

nology transfer process.

WEMPEC Team FocusSuccessful research in electric machines,

drives, and power electronics depends

heavily on a multidisciplinary approach

to problem solving. Collectively, WEMPEC

faculty, staff, and students possess

the broad spectrum of technical skills

necessary to achieve this success,

complemented by the world-class skills of

other faculty in the UWMadison College

of Engineering. WEMPEC faculty members

have long taken pride in their ability to

work together in teams to accomplish

research objectives that would be nearly

impossible to achieve alone. The broad

technology base, complementary tech-

nical skills, and effective teamwork found

within the WEMPEC community represent

key program strengths.

Research AreasWEMPEC research projects span a wide

range of time horizons. Some are of imme-

diate relevance to industry, while others

have a much longer-term perspective,

providing the basis for future technology

and industrial growth. Brief descriptions of

the major WEMPEC research thrust areas

appear below.

Advanced Electric Machines

Electric machines have been experiencing

a major resurgence of interest in the

international research community during

recent years because of the critical role

they play in high-profile commercial prod-

ucts ranging from hybrid/electric vehicles

to wind turbines. The high-performance

electric machines required for these

demanding applications present major

technical challenges to machine designers

Research on advanced electric

machines has continued at WEMPECcontinuously since its inception, including

times periods in past decades when

machine research was being terminated

at other major universities. Electric

machine research at WEMPEC has earned

an international reputation for its long

history of ground-breaking innovations

that span a wide spectrum of new topolo

gies ranging, from axial-airgap machines

to double-airgap machines and linear

machines. Major themes that pervade

much of the machine research todayinclude the application of new materials

and new approaches for more tightly

integrating the electric machine with its

power converter, controls, and sensors.

Friday morning WEMPEC staff meeting.


22/42

PM Machine DesignWEMPEC is well known around the

world for its many contributions to

the development of new permanent

magnet (PM) machine designs and the

associated analytical techniques for their

optimization. For example, WEMPEC

faculty members have been pioneers

in the development of interior PM (IPM)

machines that are used in nearly all

hybrid/electric passenger vehicles now

in commercial production. Key innova-

tions have included the development

of several alternative machine design

topologies for both IPM and surface PM

(SPM) machines to achieve a wide speed

range of constant-power operation that

is critical for traction applications. Major

technical progress has also been achieved

in other important areas, including the

reduction of losses in high-speed PM

machines to boost their power density

and efficiency and the development of

promising new PM machine topologiestailored for high-torque, low-speed direct-

drive applications.

Matrix Converter Topologies

Ever since their introduction 20 years ago,

matrix power converters have held out

the promise of direct AC-to-AC power

conversion with minimal need for bulky

passive capacitor and inductor compo-

nents. However, realization of this promise

has been impeded by several layers of

practical issues that have limited their

practical applications. Ever since its incep-

tion, and particularly during the past five

years, WEMPEC has steadily contributed

to the development of solutions to these

problems, including increased voltage

transfer utilization, improved commuta-

tion strategies, use of reduced switch

count, and dynamic modeling.

For instance, matrix converter topologies

have been demonstrated that reduce the

number of required power switches from18 in conventional matrix converters to

12, nine, or even six switches. These new

converters show considerable promise for

reducing the cost of matrix power conver-

sion equipment with only a minimal

loss of functionality. Coupled with these

advances, emerging developments in

multi-quadrant semiconductor devices

are increasing the opportunities for their

viable application in the near future.

Multilevel ConverterTopologies

The application of power electronic

converters at higher power levels reaching

into the range of several MW has become

possible in recent years as a result of major

advances in the development of various

classes of multilevel power converters.

WEMPEC faculty and students have made

significant contributions to the topo-

logical development, control techniques,

modulation strategies, and design-oriented

modeling of these converters in applica-

tions ranging from low-cost, low-power

motor drives to utility-scale reactive power

compensators. Continuing work in these

activities include the bridge-of-bridge

power converters and dc-dc-dc converters

suitable for medium voltage and high

voltage systems.

MicrogridsPrevailing global trends for providing

electrical energy infrastructure in the

world today are favoring the growth

of smaller-scale distributed generation

systems in addition to more conventional

central power generation systems. This

trend has been accelerated by recent

technical developments in alternative

power generation such as wind and

solar systems, cogeneration systems,

and microturbines, as well as concerns

for economic, social, geographic, and

security issues. The microgrid concept

introduced and developed by WEMPEC

faculty is becoming a dominant paradigm

for configuring distributed generation

systems. Continuing work is leading

to several demonstration projects in

the field, in collaboration with various

vendors, setting the stage for their wider

adoption in the future, funded by various

agencies including the California Energy

Commission, U.S. Department of Defense,U.S. Department of Energy, and utilities.

Utility Applications

Several investigations have focused

on power electronics applications in

high-power utility electrical systems.

Superconducting DC networks, dynamic

modeling, power quality improvement

techniques, and control of flexible AC

Concentrated winding PM traction machine.


23/42


transmission systems (FACTS) and power

converters for custom power have

been some of the selected focus areas.

In addition to the modeling of more

conventional devices such as phase-

controlled converters, a new family of

power converter architectures based on

AC link technologies has been developed

in recent years as a potential and compet-

itive alternative to conventional DC link

approaches for AC power flow control.

Wind PowerWEMPEC faculty have played a long-

standing role in the development of

electric power train systems for wind

turbine systems ever since its inception.

Alternative machine configurations,

drive control systems, power converter

topologies, direct drive machines, utility

interface systems, generation and var

control issues have all been subject

of various investigations during these

decades. Presently WEMPEC faculty are

leading a graduate level curriculum

development program awarded by the

Department of Energy, under which five

different courses are being developed

in the area by several faculty across the

campus. Notable among these is a small

wind-turbine-design study course that

leads to student design, construction

and installation of a 500W wind turbineamong campus facilities.

Energy Storage and Transfer

Reflecting the growing needs for

advanced electrical energy storage that

is attributable to intermittent renewable

energy sources and electric vehicles,

WEMPEC research efforts addressing this

increasingly important technology need

have expanded in scope and magnitude.

For example, high-efficiency bidirectional

power converters have been devel-

oped for vehicle-to-grid (V2G) concept

demonstrations, making it possible for

plug-in hybrid/electric vehicles to deliver

battery energy back to the grid under

some operating conditions for grid

auxiliary services and power smoothing.

Advanced wireless power transfer tech-

niques have also been demonstrated for

efficiently transmitting electric power

across >10 centimeters of air, offering

promising approaches for eliminatingthe physical plugs from plug-in vehicles.

Several battery management issues

are also receiving increasing attention,

including the development of more

accurate state-of-charge (SOC) and

state-of-health (SOH) monitors, as well

as improved techniques for equalizing

the charge among long series strings of

batteries. Research on these topics and

others is expected to grow during the

coming years with the multiple objec-

tives of improving the performance,

cost-effectiveness, and reliability of new

generations of energy storage devices in

future energy systems.

Self-sensing DriveTechnology

WEMPEC has continued to be a leader

in methods to use the motor itself as

the motion sensor needed not only for

controlling torque but also for control-

ling motion. In the area of high-stiffness

self-sensing torque and motion control,

WEMPEC has developed and demon-

strated methods that achieve high

stiffness for zero and very-low speed as

well as high speed operation, and helpedWave energy generator.

Measuring strain in an electrically active

power semiconductor.


24/42

to establish the criteria for performance

of such methods. WEMPEC has also

made considerable progress in a critical

area for the future of self-sensingin

other words, practical methods to design

induction as well as surface and interior

PM synchronous machines, so that self-

sensing performance can be achieved

even at high load conditions. Self-sensing

drives with these attributes have not

been widely reported and WEMPEC has

demonstrated leadership in this area.

WEMPEC research has investigated therole of magnet properties in self-sensing

and engaged colleagues worldwide in a

long-term collaborative effort. This area

will continue to be critical in the future as

PM machines become more dominant. A

parallel focus on machines not requiring

PM materials has also been maintained so

that the critical foundation will exist for a

full set of self-sensing alternatives.

Estimation and Sensor

Integration in PowerModules, Converters,and Drives

WEMPEC has developed multi-physics

methods at several levels for integrating

appropriate sensors with state and

disturbance observers to add substantial

value to power modules, converters,

and dr

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