Velkommen,

Ok, so I have coauthored several of the previous posts on this blog but thought it was about time to take the reins into my own hands. This is my first installment related to the work that I am doing this summer here at NTNU. I wish I could say that I was getting paid to be a tourist, but, that is not the case and I do need to get some real work done.

Although I have been in town for a few days now and even on campus several times, today was the day that the real ‘fun’ began.  When I first arrived on the Gløshaugen campus today I had to resolve several issues with my key and swipe card access that I was not able to get done last Friday due to the key guy being on vacation. He was in his office today and was basically what I expected from the stories I had heard from the folks in my research group. A plump middle aged fellow that does not have much to say which results in a lot of pointing at the words on the paper and also one word sentences like “sign” or “here” but never as complex as “sign here”. I also noticed that his office was very messy and his favorite choice of decoration was top notch Scotch and Irish whiskey bottles and boxes. Most of which seemed to be empty. I also noticed several beer bottles and beer boxes that featured busty women sans clothes. Now, this type of stuff would never fly in the U.S. especially as an employee that interfaces with the student body at a public university so it leads me to wonder if they have a different view on such things here…???

After I got my keys and swipe access it was time to head out on a tour of the laboratory facilities. These labs were impressive to say the least. First I got to see where I will be working. This facility included such equipment as 2 distribution transformers (500 and 800 kVA @ 11 kV), a 3 MVA transformer for short circuit impulse testing, and a set of configurable resistances and reactances to change as needed for testing. The resistances and reactances can be configured and changed as needed to simulate different system conditions. Another interesting point is that the 11 kV voltage is a direct connection to the utility grid that enters the university. This is something that we do not have at MTU and provides for some excellent testing opportunites but also requires added safety measures. To illustrate, 11 kV = 11,000 volts while the outlet in your living room in the U.S. is 120 volts. This is not a complete listing of what I will be working with this summer but just a brief overview of a few highlights of that one lab.
Other power system testing facilities that I was able to see today include 2 different high voltage impulse generators. My tour guide was not sure on their exact specifications, but, stated that the larger impulse generator should be able to generate AC voltages some where over 1 MV and perhaps as high as 3 MV. 1 MV = 1,000,000 volts! This chamber also has a DC impulse generator which he thought might be able to get into the high KV range so perhaps about 500 kV DC.

In another area they have a large lab facility for testing insulated power cables. These can be cables that run along the ocean floot to power an off shore oil rig or perhaps run underground to bring power to your house as is done in many new housing developments and subdivisions.

The last of the main lab facilities that I toured today was the electric machinery and motor drives lab. This is where they are testing new designs and concepts for permanent magnet alternating current (PMAC) motors for uses such as in wind turbines and future versions of hybrid or electric vehicles.

After being shown the lab facilities I spent most of the afternoon in my office catching up on things and getting squared away on a few other minor details. I also met with the others that are here from MTU to discuss our plans for work this summer. Right now it looks like I will be working both on Single Pole Tripping and Reclosing (SPTR) as well as voltage distortion during factory no load transformer testing. SPTR is a method of operating the power system during fault conditions. Basically, when there is a fault on the transmission system you only trip the faulted phase out of service to clear that fault. Because 2 of the 3 phases remain intact this can increase the reliability and stability of the power system helping to prevent blackouts such as what happened in the summer of 2003 to much of the NE USA and into parts of MI. Although SPTR may sound simple I can assure you that it is actually very difficult to implement and is much harder to do that the 3 phase tripping that is currently used in the USA. That is why people like me are getting paid to research it and figure out how to use it

The voltage distortion during factory transformer no load testing is basically to develop a better understanding of how the transformer actually operates in the field when it is energized but not loaded. Currently the factory method of testing does not completely and accurately measure this due to the voltage distortion that is experienced. We are working to try and figure out how much this screws up the measurements, we think it is alot, and then will perhaps work on a solution or proposed new method of testing. This project is still in the early phases and we are still taking preliminary measurements and working to quantify the problem.

It also looks like I will be coauthoring up to two technical journal papers that will be published in a related scientific/engineering journal. The first will be based on work already done by a previous MTU masters student, and a project team that I was on this spring semester for my EE5220 course. The second paper will potentially be based on the work that is performed in Norway this summer if the progress and results allow.

In reality there is a ton of work to be done this summer and the time will fly by for sure. I hope (and think) that this work will not only teach me a considerable amount but that I will also have fun doing it and still find a big chunk of time to explore Norway, Scandinavia, and parts of continental Europe. I’m still here to have fun too ya know

I will try and get some pictures of the labs to better illustrate what I have written about here. I also have some ideas for other blog entries that are technical in nature so you might find those interesting as well. The bottom line is make sure and stay tuned to all of our blog entries for more news and updates on this Norwegian adventure.

Please feel free to leave comments on any or all blog entries if you would like. Click on those little letters that say “comment” and let us know what you are thinking. If you’d prefer an email or phone call is always nice to get too.

Si farvel til nå!