Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

This proposal brings together two diverse areas, electric vehicles and micro-grids for remote communities, under one research umbrella, joined together in the size range and types of electric machines needed for both, in the range of 150 hp. This is the machine size for many passenger electric vehicles (EVs) and is also the size range of renewable energy generators installed or being considered for remote communities. While the research work done by the PI has been in this size range, the ability to test full scale in this range has not been available, hence the purpose of this proposal. The PI has developed novel electric machine design concepts for EVs and renewable energy generators for remote communities. However, due to the equipment limitations in the laboratory, only proof-of-concept prototypes have been manufactured and tested in the range of 5-10 hp. These ratings are much lower than the power ratings of electric motors utilized in commercial passenger EVs or in remote wind turbine or hydrokinetic generators. Several industrial partners are already collaborating with the PI in this area including Hydro-Qubec who support the remote generator work as part of an Industrial Research Chair and OPAL-RT, Infolytica, Hydro-Qubec, Innov and NSERC who support the EV work through an Innov/NSERC CRD research grant. The proposed 150 hp test-bed facility will make it possible to cover the whole spectrum starting from design, modeling, fabrication and prototyping, testing, parameter estimation, drive and control design, efficiency estimation and measurements and design of real-time simulation models and emulation of the machine. This will bring direct benefits to our industrial partners, as the models in Infolytica software can be validated through extensive measurements of machines with ratings up to 150 hp. Full testing of EV drive systems up to 150 hp will provide valuable data on the performance of the design tools and accuracy of the mathematical models used by Infolytica and OPAL-RT. Extending our testing capability will also allow us to tackle some of the research topics of interest to Hydro-Qubec, such as cross saturation effects in medium power electric machines. Of particular interest is that the system can be configured as a micro-grid with full scale testing capability being available. This will result in a massive step increase in the value of the research work being done in validating results at full scale. In addition, the connection of smaller generators, motors or power electronic loads or generators and their performance when connected to a micro-grid can also be tested at full power with this facility. This is of particular interest to remote communities but also to urban communities in times of massive power outages. Both the Province of Qubec and Canada are seriously interested in supporting the remote communities in terms of sustainable power production as well as EV research.