0832538 University of Arkansas (lead institution); Homer Mantooth 0832467 University of South Carolina; Roger Dougal
The University of Arkansas and University of South Carolina propose a planning grant for a collaborative center "Center for Grid-Connected Advanced Power Electronic Systems (GRAPES)." Advanced grid control is a critical issue facing the US power grid today, especially with the increase in renewable power generation. The main objectives of the proposed center are the following: to develop new advanced power electronic systems, to develop the analysis tools for predicting and controlling the system behavior, and to educate and train the qualified manpower who understand the system benefits derived from the emerging technologies. The University of Arkansas has recently developed a major test facility, which will be critical to a number of the proposed projects.
The proposed center will develop leading-edge industry relevant research that will provide the basis for effective development of the 21st century Future Grid. Continuing education of working power and utility engineers will be an important part of the GRAPES plan. The center will address the shortage of power engineers that is forecasted to emerge by 2010 by educating graduates for power management industries. Preliminary plans to add other universities to the proposed center, including universities in other countries, will be finalized during the planning period. Both the University of Arkansas and University of South Carolina have important initiatives that will serve to broaden representation of all people groups in this field. The center research theme will inherently have a major impact on society.
In 2008, the National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a planning grant to the University of Arkansas (UA) and the University of South Carolina (USC) to explore the possibility of forming an I/UCRC focused on grid-connected power electronics. The planning grant allowed the researchers, led by Dr. Alan Mantooth of UA and Dr. Roger Dougal of USC, to recruit interested companies, conduct a planning meeting in October 2008, and to ultimately apply for and win an I/UCRC in 2009. The I/UCRC formed from this planning grant is the NSF Center on GRid-connected Advanced Power Electronics (GRAPES) (grapes.uark.edu). Their inagural meeting was held in November 2009 and was attended by GRAPES researchers and Industrial Advisory Board (IAB) members representing our 14 charter members Arkansas Electric Power, the Arkansas Electric Cooperatives, Arkansas Power Electronic International, Baldor, Central Electric Power Cooperatives, Inc., ConEd, Eaton, Electric Power Research Institute, Entergy, Lockheed-Martin, Northrop Grumman, Savannah River National Labs, Southern Company and Southwest Power Pool. In total, GRAPES has had 24 members, also including General Electric, Hubbell Power Systems, ITRI, Koontz Electric, North Little Rock Electric, Oak Ridge National Labs, Rohm, Schlumberger and Sensor Electric Technology, Inc. The mission of this center is to accelerate the adoption and insertion of power electronics into the electric grid in order to improve system stability, flexibility, robustness, and economy. We expect to accomplish that mission by focusing on the following main objectives To develop new technologies for advanced power electronic systems in the areas supporting grid connected distributed energy resources, power steering and routing devices, and intelligent load-side devices To develop the software and tools for controlling embedded- and grid-connected power electronics to benefit the grid as well as controlled loads To educate engineers who understand the power electronic technologies important to the member companies The center has adopted a materials to the grid approach to our work, allowing us to build novel technologies from the materials and devices level all the way to system integration. This, combined with our diverse IAB membership gives us a global view of grid-connected technologies and allows us to solve problems in a way that incorporates all levels of industry associated with the power industry. Equipment manufacturers have the benefit of knowing that their products are interesting and relevant to utility providers, for example. GRAPES researchers also have access to several very unique facilities in which to complete their work. For example, the National Center for Reliable Electric Power Transmission (NCREPT) (ncrept.uark.edu) and the High Density Electronic Center (HiDEC) (hidec.uark.edu) are directed by GRAPES faculty on the UA campus. Their ability to leverage these facilities gives GRAPES researchers additional capabilities not available to most academic researchers, and gives students hands-on experience with equipment and processes that prepare them for work in industrial research labs after they graduate. NCREPT is a national-caliber, $5 million power electronics test facility with three 2 MVA distribution-level circuits. It is equipped with state-of-the-art regeneration capability so that only power losses will be drawn from the power grid. The 7000 sq. test facility has dedicated service rated at 12.47 kV (voltage level servicing the UA campus) and 3000 A. The facility is comprised of four test cells that can be used for power electronics test and evaluation ranging from 480 V to 13.8 kV. Special instrumentation is available for device, package and circuit evaluation over extreme environmental temperatures (-271 °C to 1100 °C) to easily cover any temperature range that devices or circuits might be subjected to either in cryogenic cooling scenarios or under extreme heat. HiDEC is one of only a few working laboratories of its kind in the United States located on a university campus. It's facilities include an Assembly Lab for electronic packaging/integration processes, including wafer dicing, wire bonding, and device/module attachment; Low-temperature Co-fired Ceramics Lab with available processes including punching, screen printing, laminating, and firing; the Thin-film Clean Room for chemical and physical vapor deposition, electroplating, reactive ion etching, solid source diffusion, and submicronlithography; the Synthesis Lab for nanomaterial growth capabilities including the sol-gel technique, solution growth and spray coating; and the Characterization Labs where researchers can perform analyses including scanning acoustic microscopy, cross section preparation and analysis, reliability testing, electrical measurement and characterization. Currently, GRAPES is in it's fourth year of life. We have successfully completed a number of research projects, including several that are being explored for commercialization at this time. We have graduated more than 15 students, the majority of which have been hired by GRAPES IAB members. With many conference and journal publications and two patent disclosures in process, our researchers are showing their productivity and dedication to this work. We are currently preparing to apply for phase two of our I/UCRC and look forward to another 5 years of success.
