Dr Arijit Banerjee of Department of Electrical and Computere Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Abstract:

Converting electricity to and from mechanical motion is a foundation of modern civilization. Consuming about 45% of global electrical power, electromechanical energy conversion systems are rapidly evolving with new demands. For example, next generation air-conditioners not only make the rooms comfortable in a smart building, but also interact with other appliances to offer seamless interfaces that support the electric grid. Emerging applications in robotic actuators, renewable energy harvesters, and electrification of ships, aircraft, cars, and bicycles are posing new challenges in making electromechanical systems power-dense and efficient over a wide range of loading and speed patterns. Generic approaches to using machines that were intended for operating loads of the 20th century can only result in a bottleneck in our future energy development.This talk will illustrate multi-port approaches for energy conversion as a challenge combining electromechanics, electromagnetics, power electronics, circuit design, and control. Solutions demonstrated in this talk lead to the creation of systems uniquely tailored for specific applications. These solutions are essential to meet the demands of a resource constrained future, providing conversion systems that are physically small,efficient, reliable, inexpensive, and electric-grid friendly. There are unlimited intellectual opportunities for leveraging the flexibility that electromagnetics, power electronics with new semiconductor device technology, and control have to offer to develop system- specific sustainable solutions. As examples, I will be using two distinct applications: Drive electrification of multi-megawatt ships and future electric aircraft.

Biography:

Dr Arijit Banerjee is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His research interests include analysis, design, control, and diagnostics of electromechanical energy conversion systems. He teaches power electronics, electromechanics, and motor drives at UIUC and has been among the teachers ranked excellent since joining. He received his B.E. degree from Bengal Engineering and Science University, M.Tech. degree from Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, and Ph.D. degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Prior to joining MIT, he was with the Power Conversion Systems Group, General Electric (GE) Global Research Centre, Bangalore, where he was working on monitoring and diagnostics of electromechanical systems using electrical signatures. He also visited the Institute for Power Electronics and Control of Drives, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Germany, under German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Fellowship. He holds fifteen issued patents.

Email:

Address:Department of Electrical and Computere Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States