PhD studentship in electric power engineering – transient stability

There is a large ongoing transformation of the power system as a result of the electrification of both the vehicle fleet and industry and the corresponding increase in generation. Within 15-20 years the consumption and production of electric energy is expected to be doubled which also requires an extensive development of the grid. The research group within electric power engineering at University West is active in the ongoing transition and in the work to maintain a robust and stable power system considering the challenges in the future grid. I addition to handling the challenges of varying power flow, an important factor is that the stability margins in the power system are strongly affected by the future changes. The large changes in dynamic behavior for generation and load in the power system, such as when synchronous generation is replaced with asynchronous generation like wind and solar power, have a major impact on the operation of the system in case of a fault. As an example, the power system should maintain in stable operation in case of a short circuit in the grid, considering both the short initial disturbance as well as the following recovery, without disconnecting a large share of the generation, i.e. the system should have enough transient stability and robustness. To investigate how the transient stability and robustness in the power system is affected by the ongoing energy transition, University West will conduct this project in cooperation with Svenska kraftnät, owners of distribution grids and producers.

The scientific part of the project
The Ph. D. project focuses on studies of transient stability, especially power systems with similarities with the Swedish power system. The work starts with knowledge building including a review of the present research status, and the operation of the power system in case of different faults in the system is investigated. With the starting point of a system with mainly synchronous production, it is studied how changes in generation and production affect the transient stability and the risk for synchronous power generating modules to lose synchronism. Special focus is given to how converter controlled components in the grid, such as wind power, solar power, energy storage, STATCOM and HVDC, can contribute to an increased robustness during faults by providing a fault current injection. Different aspects of the fault current injection are studied by varying the amplitude as well as the active/reactive power and the positive/negative sequence. Further, it is studied how the transient stability in the grid is affected by different future scenarios with varying power flow, larger share converter connected generation and additional components as energy storage, STATCOM and HVDC.

Doctoral degree program: Electrical engineering

Research center:
Doctoral students become members of the research group within electrical engineering. The group collaborates with industry such as producers and grid companies.

The doctoral student will be a part of the PhD-school at Chalmers university of Technology and will be examined at Chalmers.

Job description:
The research program includes, in addition to participation in third-cycle courses and other activities, the implementation of independent thesis work. Doctoral students shall primarily devote themselves to their own education. A doctoral student may, however, be engaged to a limited extent in education, research, and administration, mainly within electrical engineering. Such duties, before a doctorate has been conferred, may not occupy more than 20 percent of full-time working hours. (Higher Education Ordinance (SFS 1993:100) Chapter 5 section 2).

Qualification requirements:

To qualify for appointment as a PhD, two eligibility requirements must be met: 1) basic eligibility and 2) special eligibility.

The basic eligibility requirements for doctoral programs as set out in the Higher Education Ordinance are as follows: a degree at master’s level, completed courses totaling at least 240 university credits of which a minimum of 60 at master’s level
or, substantially equivalent knowledge gained in some other way whether in Sweden or abroad.

To fulfil the special eligibility requirements for a doctoral degree in electrical engineering, a student must hold a degree at master’s level in a subject relevant to the doctoral degree subject with a thesis project corresponding to at least 15 hp. The eligibility requirements may be fulfilled by studies in Sweden or abroad.

Additional Qualifications:

Mandatory:

• Ability to communicate orally and in written English

Other relevant but not mandatory qualifications:

• Experience in power system analysis
• Documented experience of research work and scientific writing (prior publications in the subject is regarded as a merit)
• Ability to communicate in Swedish is regarded as a merit

Selection:
The basic factor for selection among qualified applicants is the ability to profit from such a program. Please see the study plan for Electrical Engineering (chalmers.se) for more information about qualifications and selection.

Duration and terms of employment:
Employment as a doctoral student shall be on an open-ended basis but not for longer than to a specific point in time and never for a period extending more than one year after receiving the doctoral degree. The initial appointment must not be for more than one year. The appointment may be renewed for no more than two years at a time. A person may be employed as a research student for a total of not more than eight years. The total period of employment, however, may not exceed the equivalent of four years of full-time study at the third level of higher education. (Higher Education Ordinance (SFS 1993:100) Chapter 5 section 7). If 20% of the working hours are dedicated to education and administration, this normally means an employment of 5 years.

Application
Applications are to be submitted electronically through the University West web-based recruitment tool, Varbi.

The application must include:

• CV/Personal qualifications
• Personal letter containing
  • Interest in the research topic.
  • Previous experience regarding the proposed research topic and its research methods and scientific theories.
  • Motive to pursue doctoral studies
• Degree project of second level of higher education
• Degree certificate of first and second level of higher education in the original language and in translation
• Diploma Supplement in original language and in translation
• Course list/transcript of all semesters for bachelor's and master's degrees in original language and in translation
• Other documents which the applicant wishes to invoke

If your degree is from a university outside of Sweden, make sure that you attach a diploma and full transcripts that makes assessing your degree easier. If your degree has not been verified by a Swedish authority you need to provide contact details to the issuing university, registrar or similar, that can verify the degree at our request.

Approved written languages regarding papers, diplomas, grades and other relevant documents are the Scandinavian languages and English, or translations into those languages. Attach the original when submitting translated documents.

Documents that cannot be sent digitally, should be marked with ref.no R 2023/355 and sent to:

University West
HR
461 86 Trollhättan
Sweden

The application should reach University West no later than 2024-01-23. Mark the application with ref.no: R 2023/355.

The Department of engineering sciences strives for equality and diversity in all professions. We welcome applicants with different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. For us, it is natural with an inclusive working environment and that our employees can combine work with active parenthood.

Welcome with your application!

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