Message from Dr. Mazzola
Greetings from the Energy Production and Infrastructure Center. After eight months on the job as executive director, I can truly say I am very fortunate to lead this great organization. During that eight months of work, the stakeholders of EPIC have helped me fashion EPIC's continuing mission, which was endorsed by the center's External Advisory Board at the Fall 2017 meeting of that body.
To implement the continuing mission, an important update to the management structure of EPIC is underway that will result in a transition to a full-service university research center relevant to the electrical energy production, delivery, and utilization industries.
The founding workforce development mission of EPIC is fully incorporated in the continuing mission as our new leadership team represents the major educational capacity to produce engineers ready for a career in energy that was built up by EPIC during Dr. Johan Enslin's tenure as executive director.
At the top, I wish to thank Dr. David Young for agreeing to continue a long leadership role in EPIC as the Associate Director and serving as the Acting Assistant Director for Structures and Infrastructure. I congratulate the four new Assistant Directors for their appointments covering four of six business areas of EPIC, as announced in the newsletter below. Their enthusiasm has already resulted in multiple new major research initiatives, such as the NSF RAPID grant described below. That grant is part of EPIC's center-wide focus on a resilient electrical grid, which was the theme of the just concluded CAPER Spring Meeting on the campus of UNC Charlotte, also reported below. The NSF RAPID grant will conduct an innovative study of the relative failures and successes of the electric utility infrastructure during the major hurricanes Harvey, Maria, and Irma from last season.
I would like to thank our partners Duke Energy and PREPA (Puerto Rico's public electric utility) for their support of the EPIC engineering teams traveling to both South Florida and Puerto Rico to conduct the forensics portion of the study, and
our university partner
Dr. Augustin Irizarry with the University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez.
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NC Emergency Management Urban Search and Rescue train at EPIC
On January 20, 2018, the North Carolina Emergency Management Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Structures Specialist (StS) team of 15 engineers participated in a full day winter training organized by Dr. Janos Gergely (CEE faculty and StS with NC-TF3). Part of this training involved the construction and full-scale testing of a 16-foot tall emergency vertical shore, performed in
EPIC's High Bay Structures Laboratory. The lab activities were sponsored by NUCOR, EPIC and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. ASCE Student Chapter members were also assisting in the day's events.
This particular test will provide valuable data on the behavior and ultimate capacity of emergency shoring typically used to temporarily stabilize damaged or partially collapsed structures. The results will compliment the testing done mainly in California and Texas, as part of an effort funded by the Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency USAR Program and by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers USAR Program. Data will be shared with the appropriate FEMA/USACE USAR subcommittee members, which could possibly lead to a long-term relationship between the structural emergency responders' community and UNC Charlotte.
EPIC's Dr. Youngjin Park and Mr. Mike Moss assisted in the tests.
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SBE and EPIC Initiate Power Electronic
Collaboration
EPIC and SBE announce the launch of a mutual collaboration effort to improve High Power Electronics success in industry by utilizing EPIC's new state-of-the-art testing, simulation, and design engineering resources with SBE's industry leading DC link technologies for use in Power Conversion.
In 2018, EPIC is adding to the capabilities of its Flexible Power Laboratory with a major expansion to the laboratory equipment. A new 1 million volt-ampere (1 MVA) circulating power test bed will permit inverters, converters, and circuit protection equipment to be evaluated at both 480 V industrial voltage and 4160 V medium voltage. With these new capabilities, customers can validate critical power electronic elements such as grid-tie inverters for renewable energy under full power grid-simulated conditions. EPIC maintains an experienced staff of engineers to support customer projects over short, intermediate, and extended time frames.
SBE's industry known Power Ring Technology allows customers to achieve full power utilization and reach new levels of power conversion efficiency. As new semiconductor technologies are launched, old power electronic architectures are no longer suitable to achieve the desired goals. SBE has developed a range of device approaches and layout topologies which allow the new, next generation systems to reach their expected and full potential.
A customer needs to be able to design these components in as well prove that they are achieving the expected results. This new collaboration between UNC EPIC and SBE makes it possible to hit aggressive timelines and quantify success. This requirement is often a problem for new system development due to lack of capable test lab capacity and test engineering resources. Problem solved!
"I am very pleased that EPIC now has a formal relationship with my longtime colleagues at SBE Electronics," said Dr. Mike Mazzola, Director of EPIC. "With our improved facility, EPIC will be an attractive full-service applied research partner within the ecosystem of suppliers of the next generation of high-frequency power electronic components and products that SBE is assembling."
"SBE is pleased to start this collaboration effort with UNC EPIC. Our customers need a capable and trusted third party location to validate their system critical parameters using SBE leading edge technology" stated Ed Sawyer, SBE President & CEO. "The industry needs additional skilled resources to develop and execute these important tests at a capable world class facility and UNC EPIC brings this to the table".
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EPIC Affiliates news
AREVA NP has changed its name to Framatome, effective Jan. 4, 2018. AREVA launched a global transformation plan in 2015, and the divestiture of AREVA NP to Électricité de France (EDF) is one of the final milestones. The capital of Framatome is owned by the EDF group (75.5%), Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI - 19.5%) and Assystem (5%).
Framatome emerges from the transformation as a financially sound and forward-looking company. Its commitment remains unchanged: to perform and deliver with excellence and serve their customers and their stakeholders.
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DistribuTech and APEC
As EPIC continues to be at the forefront of energy-reated applied research it's important we share our capabilites with those outside our region. EPIC once again was part of the action at DistribuTech, a 15-track conference on power generation that brings more than 11,000 industry thought leaders together from all over the world. UNC Charlotte students Pankaj Bhowmik, Namwon Kim, and Tumininu Lawanson each presented a poster and their work was well received.
In March, EPIC attended APEC (Applied Power Electronics Conference) where Dr. Babak Parkhideh's graduate students Shahriar Jalal Nibir, Namwon Kim, and Mehrdad Biglarbegian, presented papers and demonstrated their latest research including the ultrafast, contactless Current Sensor DS10.1. The contactless design allows for measurement without altering the current trace which can introduce inductance and other parasitic effects harming circuit performance at high switching frequencies.
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CAPER holds IAB Spring Meeting
The
Center for Advanced Power Engineering Research (CAPER) is a membership driven consortium among UNC Charlotte, Clemson University, NC State University, and industry partners in the Southeast region of the US. On March 12-13, 2018, CAPER held their Spring Meeting at UNC Charlotte, where discussions on Grid Resiliency took place and final presentations were given on Senior Design Projects. Companies also had an opportunity to network with students at the CAPER & EPIC Affiliates Career Fair. For more information about CAPER click
here.
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EPIC receives NSF grant
EPIC recently received a NSF - RAPID grant (NSF 1807813) to study the aftermath from 2017 hurricanes, specifically, Irma and Maria. To date damages from the two category 5 hurricanes
total
$155 billion. The effects of Hurricanes Irma and Maria are consistent with projected increases in natural disasters due to climate change and the NSF grant sponsors the study to investigate the aftermaths of the hurricanes and reconstructs the grid failure history through forensic analytics. The intent is to identify critical elements in the design of a resilient system.
By collecting perishable evidences from these extreme events, the project team provides valuable information to help improve the resilience of electrical power grids through a strategic process.
This research is a joint effort between multiple universities (UNC Charlotte and University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez), Duke Energy and Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA). Faculties from UNC Charlotte include Drs. Madhav Manjrekar, Yamilka Baez-Rivera, Miguel Pando, Shen-en Chen and Wenwu Tang. The research team will collect perishable damaged structure data in Puerto Rico and south Florida. The Center of Applied GIS (CAGIS) will host a GIS project website to share the storm event data and investigation outcomes.
The critical question raised by a concerned public is if such storms are examples of future extreme events? And how can the power delivery systems be more resilient? The collected data and forensic analysis will help coastal utilities evaluate the viability of building a resilient grid system that resists extreme weather. This study can be invaluable in designing future grid modernization investments not only in Puerto Rico but also around the world.
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EPIC partners with Southern Research on Energy Storage
EPIC was pleased to work with Southern Research as they explore the viability of an energy storage testing facility in the southern United States. Julia Stuart and Mike Mazzola provided guidance in producing a Market Study to better understand current energy storage testing capabilities and to determine future needs in order to support the development, adoption, and implementation of energy storage in the United States. The Study used information gathered from a thorough survey of potential stakeholders including utilities, universities, national labs, energy storage technology vendors, and integrators. Included in this report are details on how the new Energy Storage Research Center will address gaps in existing test service offerings including the implementation of standards and available testing protocols for energy storage systems. For more information about the facility please contact Bert Taube (
btaube@southernresearch.org
).
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Grid-Tie Energy Storage Report issued
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EPIC staffing updates
EPIC is pleased to announce the following staff changes at EPIC.
- Michele Neely joined our staff as Executive Assistant to Dr. Mazzola.
- Assistant Directors named to focus on specific areas within EPIC:
- Strategic Development & Faculty Liaison - Dr. Badrul Chowdhury
- Energy Systems Management - Dr. Rob Cox
- Energy and Power Conditioning - Dr. Madhav Manjrekar
- Precision Manufacturing - Dr. John Ziegert
- Dr. David Young has served in the role of Interim Associate Director for EPIC and will continue as Associate Director and Acting Assistant Director for Structures and Infrastructure.
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EPIC out and about
EPIC will have a presence at the following conferences in the upcoming months. These conference will focus on areas ranging from energy storage to power electronics. Stop by and say hello!
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Upcoming Events
EPIC Energy Seminar: CATS Hybrid Streetcar Vehicle Technology
With the completion of the Blue Line light rail track, CATS (Charlotte Area Transit System) is in the process of upgrading and updating several regions in the Charlotte area.
This presentation will focus on the vehicle technologies employed for CATS Gold Line transport system.
SPEAKERS:
David McDonald, Transit Planning Manager,CATS
Andy Windenhouse, Senior Project Manager, City of Charlotte
Tony Charma, Systems Engineering Coordinator, AECOM
Chris Walker, Rail Vehicle Engineer, LTK Engineering Services
DATE:
March 20, 2018
TIME:
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
LOCATION:
EPIC G287
MORE: For more information and to register to attend
here.
EPIC Energy Panel Discussion: Energy Efficiency
This final EPIC Energy Seminar for the the academic year will focus on energy efficiency with topics including:
- Can "big data" drive innovation and efficiency
- Driving to net-zero
- The role of occupant and how technologies improve occupant well-being
Panelists will include energy efficiency experts from the American Council for Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE), EPRI, and Burns&McDonnell
DATE: April 24, 2018
TIME: 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
LOCATION: Siemens Energy Lecture Hall (EPIC G256)
MORE: For more information and to register to attend
here.
PEDG 2018
Hosted by
EPIC, the 9th International Symposium on Power Electronics for Distributed Generation Systems, sponsored by IEEE Power Electronics Society and organized by the PELS Technical Committee on Sustainable Energy Systems will provide a venue for power electronics experts to present the results of their cutting-edge research and learn what is in store for the future of the electric power grid. PEDG 2018 will feature keynote speeches, tutorials, and regular technical sessions on theory, analysis, design and development, testing, deployment and impact of power electronics for distributed generation, energy storage, and sustainable energy resources.
DATE: June 25-28, 32018
LOCATION: Charlotte, NC
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EPIC generates the interest of industries, organizations, and educational institutions from the across the US and countries around the world. Look with whom we visited this bast quarter.
| African Investment Corporation |
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Association of Climate Change Off
icials
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| Atkins |
| Duke Energy |
| Idaho National Lab |
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NC Defense Business Association
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| Parker Hannifin |
| Power Engineers |
| SAS |
| Siemens |
| SOS Intl. |
| Southern Research |
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Southern States Energy Board (SSEB)
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About EPIC: The Energy Production and Infrastructure Center (EPIC) at UNC Charlotte, serves as a state-of- the-art research center that provides
education
and applied research opportunities to students with energy related interests. Our industry-education partnerships unite students, faculty and industrial partners to collaborate on interdisciplinary research and learning.
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