Profile:
A part of the Chair of Mechatronics and Electrical Drive Systems at the Rhineland-Palatinate Technical University of Kaiserslautern-Landau is dedicated to the research and development of electrical drives as well as the hardware and software development of power electronics for a wide range of applications. These include battery systems, electrical power grids and drives.
Key Areas of Expertise:
Intelligent and Modular Energy Storage and Converter Systems:
A central research focus of the Chair of Electric Drive Systems and Mechatronics is the design of modular battery storage systems based on modular multilevel converter (MMC) technology. These systems offer high flexibility and efficiency when integrated into various applications such as solar power plants and electric vehicles. Through the close integration of software and hardware developments, innovative approaches to the control, monitoring and optimisation of energy storage and converter technology are being researched in order to create sustainable and efficient energy systems.
Electrical Drive Systems:
There are currently around 8 billion electric drives in use in the European Union, accounting for almost half of electricity consumption. The electric drive industry is very diverse and covers a wide range of technologies, applications and sizes, from small cooling fans for computers to large drives for heavy industry. The Chair of Mechatronics and Electric Drive Systems has a strong research group and experts working on improving the performance of electric drives in various applications such as electric vehicles, industrial automation, renewable energy integration and household and consumer appliances. This goal can be achieved by reducing power losses, minimising drive noise that can cause discomfort in residential areas, including lifts and electric vehicles, and improving motor efficiency and performance.
Enhancing Energy Resilience for Future 6G Networks:
In light of recent natural disasters and cyber security breaches, it has become clear that energy infrastructure, particularly on the supply side, remains highly vulnerable to disruption. The advent of 6G technology will be no exception to these vulnerabilities. The Chair of Mechatronics and Electrical Drive Systems at RPTU is committed to strengthening the resilience of our energy supply system with its extensive and long-standing experience in the development and operation of power electronic devices. This includes strengthening power electronic components against cyber-attacks and ensuring their robustness against natural disasters.
To achieve this goal, the department has outlined a number of sub-projects that are being actively pursued under its leadership. These sub-projects include the following initiatives:
1. Improving battery monitoring methods:
Improve battery monitoring methods, including parameter assessment and age estimation as well as fault diagnosis, to improve the monitoring and management of power supply within the 6G network.
2. Cloud-based monitoring and optimal control of reconfigurable energy storage in base stations:
Implementation of cloud-based monitoring systems for efficient and optimal control of reconfigurable energy storage systems in base stations to ensure an agile and responsive energy infrastructure.
3. Protecting the 6G infrastructure from cyber threats:
Conduct extensive research on potential cyber threats targeting energy management systems and power electronics devices within the future 6G supply chain. Develop robust and resilient solutions to ensure their uninterrupted operation.
High-Current Connections for Power Electronics:
The chair not only has expertise in the design and development of printed circuit boards for power electronics, but also in the mechanical connections required to achieve this power supply. Our expertise lies in the complete design and development of printed circuit boards for power electronics through to the simulation and testing of the assembled mechanical connection. The chair has access to simulation software such as Ansys Workbench as well as other packages such as Maxwell, Fluent and Motor CAD. For testing, the laboratory is equipped with power supply units that can deliver up to 1200 A of current.