• Professor Len A. Dissado
• Professor John C. Fothergill
• Dr Ming-Li Fu
• Dr Severine Le Roy
• Antonios Tzimas
• Andy Willby
• Chen Zou

DTA Studentship

• Dr Elizabeth Cooper
• Ahmed El-Saify
• Dr Kien Ling Khoo
• Dr Kai Wu

Resources available includes:

• Consultancy in HV insulation systems
• High voltage testing facilities (<400kVDC, 100kVAC) for dielectric strength, leakage current, volume and surface resistivity, charge/discharge etc…
• Dielectric spectroscopy (0.1mHz to 10MHz) using solartron equipment over 20-250°C
• Pulsed electroacoustic (PEA) space charge measurement (<60kVDC/peak, 20-100°C, DC-<100Hz, simultaneous current measurement)
• Specimen preparation facilities including temperature controlled press, vacuum evaporation equipment
• Modelling facilities and expertise for electromagnetic and dielectric response/degradation
• Expertise in dielectrics, HV insulation and HV power supplies
• Electrostatic and magnetostatic modelling facilities

• The Development of Nanocomposite Dielectric Structures (2004 - 2007)
  This project stems from the encouraging results obtained during the first half of 2002 when Prof. Nelson from Rensselaer (USA) was working in the Leicester University laboratories (UK) under the auspices of an EPSRC contract designed to provide some project support to nurture a program to investigate the possibilities of using nano-materials as dielectrics.
• Benefits of HVDC Links in the European Power Electrical System and Improved HVDC Technology (2003 - 2006)
  A methodology and associated software and hardware tools will be produced to assess the potential technical, economic and environmental benefits and impacts of high-voltage DC (HVDC) transmission in the largely HVAC electrical power transmission and distribution systems of the European transmission network.
• Formulation of a Computational Model for Electrical Tree Initiation (2003 - 2004)
  All systems that carry a high voltage are isolated from their environment by a layer of non-conducting material called an insulator. Failure of the insulation can have major consequences, such as power outage (power cables), loss of transmission (fibre optic telecommunications), fire and explosion (power generation systems). Stick-like structures called electrical trees are a common cause of insulation failure.
• Nanocomposite Materials for Dielectric Structures (Jan 2002 - July 2002)
  The engineering of new materials based on nanotechnology has primarily been focussed on improving mechanical properties. At Rensselaer (USA), a Centre for Nanomaterials has recently been formed
• Electrical Stimulation Optimisation Using Feedback (2001 - 2004)
  This project is based around the development of a foot drop stimulator featuring more novel stimulation sequences and utilising feedback sensors to monitor gait events and to prolong the use of the simulator by minimising muscle fatigue.
• The effect of H.V. Fields on Epoxy Laminates (2000 - 2003)
  This project is aimed at gaining a fundamental understanding of the electrical ageing mechanisms of the insulating epoxy materials and their electrical performance as wire encapsulation.
• Computer Modelling of ionic transport in Hollandite materials (2000 - 2003)
  This project aims to develop a more fundamental understanding, using atomistic calculations, of frequency dependent electrical conductivity in which there is a fractal description of the charge transport routes.
• Ageing and Reliability, TEsting and Monitoring of power cables, diagnosis for Insulation Systems (ARTEMIS) (1999 - 2003)
  ARTEMIS is a 40-month research program to develop a diagnostic methodology to assess the susceptibility of polymeric cable insulation to electrical aging and the state of the insulation at any time. The ARTEMIS partners include cable manufacturers, material suppliers, electricity distributors, and a number of universities throughout Europe.
• The Fundamental Materials Interactions Associated With Polymeric Insulations Operating Under DC Stress (2000 -2002)
  EPSRC Industrial Case Studentship with BICCGeneral investigating some of the technological challenges that need to be addressed for any DC insulation
• Electrical Failure Mechanisms in DC Power Capacitors (1999 - 2002)
  There is considerable international commercial pressure to increase the maximum energy density of DC power capacitors towards 250 MJ per cubic metre in order to achieve reductions in size, weight and costs. The objectives of the programme are to: investigate flashover and fusing between electrode segments and develop improved designs; understand better the electrical ageing and breakdown mechanisms within the dielectric; artificially age different capacitors and evaluate their failure mechanisms.
• Space Charge and Electrical Ageing in Epoxy Resin under High Electric Fields (2000 - 2001)
  The programme aims to identify some of the electrical ageing mechanisms in epoxy resins and how these may be characterised.
• Experimental Determination of Space Charge Dynamics in Insulators under High Voltage AC Excitation (1998 - 2000)
  When a high voltage is applied to an electrical insulator, space charge is injected which may slowly move. These programmes developed equipment for measuring space charge under both AC and DC conditions.
• A Study of the Physical Processes Controlling the Shape of Electrical Trees (1996 - 1999)
  Electrical trees are the principal ageing process in solid high-voltage insulation that leads directly to breakdown . This work was to improve understanding in this area through computer modelling.
• A Controllable, Variable Waveform, High Voltage Power Supply for Electrostatic Precipitators (1995 - 1998)
  Following research into the specification and design aspects of the supply, a novel precipitator DC power supply using high-frequency inverter technology coupled to a ferrite core high voltage transformer was designed and built. It is capable of delivering, in a controlled and responsive way, 60 kW at 60 kV into a load that may suffer from arcs and sparks.
• Experimental Determination of the Dynamics of Space Charge Develpment in Insulators (1994 - 1997)
  We have built a PEA system that is the fastest in the world, for investigating space charge build up in insulators,which can lead to premature ageing.
• Improving the Design of Electrodes for Electrostatic Precipitators (1993 -1996)
  Electrostatic precipitators are used for removing dust particles from industrial gas flows such as flue gas from coal-fired power stations. New designs of corona discharge electrodes may be retro-fitted to enhance efficiency cost-effectively. A quasi-electrostatic computer model has been developed following a review and extension of the understanding of the effects of electrode geometries.