Power Electronics Research Group (PERG)

Research Group Summary

The Power Electronics Lab is a graduate research laboratory specialising in the fast growing field of Power Electronics. This field is very wide, ranging from small power supplies (50W) to high voltage static convertors (1.2GW).

Most of the research in this lab is in the use of switching Power Electronics, some members of the Power Systems Group study large static convertors used in HVDC (high voltage DC) systems.

Power Electronics is more Electronics than it is Power. We still use transistors, diodes, resistors and capacitors, along with more specialised devices such as IGBTs (insulated gate bipolar transistors). The emphasis in this lab is to build working 'things' and the use of these to solve a problem.

Examples of past and present research include:

Electric Car Projects
15kW electroplating DC power supplies
Inverter for an electric car drive
Active power filter (power-line conditioning)
Cryogenic power electronics and device characterising
High power lead-acid battery charger
Variable speed AC motor drives
Most research involves the use of switching power electronics. Switching power supplies and amplifiers are far more efficient than their linear counterparts. This becomes very important when the power levels are large, if the power supply is limited (as in a battery powered device), or both (as in an electric car).

Key Contact

• Paul T Gaynor: Researcher; Electrical and Computer Engineering

Members - UC Staff

• Paul T Gaynor: Researcher; Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Bill Heffernan: Research Engineer; Electric Power Engineering Centre
• Kenneth Smart: Technician; Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Neville Robert Watson: Member; Electrical and Computer Engineering

• Engineering and Technology: Electrical Engineering; Power Systems & Power Electronics

• PERG website