High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) Power Transmission along Rail Corridors

Institution: University of Manchester

Dept/School/Faculty: EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Power Networks

PhD Supervisor: Prof M Barnes

Application Deadline: Applications accepted all year round

Funding Availability: Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)

Student background required: 
Interested students should have either electrical/electronic engineering or physics degrees with good mathematics skills. 

Benefit to / Impact on Industry: 
As we decarbonise our electrical generation and as our population becomes more concentrated into large cities, the location and size of electricity generators and consumers is changing. To link future generators to consumers we need to significantly change our electrical transmission system but the options we have for the installation of new high voltage transmission lines are limited by planning restrictions etc. Rail corridors are a possible future route to transmit power into large load centres but can only be used if we ensure compatibility of the high voltage power transmission and rail systems. 

What novelty will the student base their PhD on? 
There are no current standards or published guidelines regarding the potential use of rail corridors for power transmission. Safety of the rail system is of the utmost importance and the project will analyse the emissions, susceptibility and coupling of the rail and power transmission systems and create reference data and recommendations that can be used to determine if this proposed use of rail corridors is practical, potentially opening up a radical new way of transmitting power. 

Project overview: 
This project is a great opportunity to work with representatives from two distinct industries, extracting information from both and creating a model of a combined transport and power transmission system that has never been created before. Site visits to see both systems are expected. 
It will require the practical installation of both systems to be considered bringing real world experience and issues into the analysis and providing the student with valuable knowledge for their future career. 
If it can be shown that this proposed use of rail corridors to transmit power is practical and reliable then the student will be in an excellent position to participate in future commercial projects. 

Outline of Proposed Project Plan: 
Year 1:

Taught courses and preparatory study 
Year 2: 
Identify the standard installations and important attributes of both HVDC power and rail systems. 
Identify emission and susceptibility limits through discussions with equipment suppliers and current guidelines/standards 
Create models of the individual systems and validate these models. 
Year 3: 
Determine the potential practical installation configurations of a HVDC power system along a rail corridor. 
Set up models of the combined system in the various installation configurations and indentify the effects of cross coupling. 
Check the cross coupling against the operating requirements of both systems’ equipment. 
Year 4: 
Investigate mitigation measures to solve any issues that are found from the combined system modelling. 
Review mitigation measures with both system suppliers to ensure they are practical. 
Create a proposal an installation that is both practical to install and ensures the safety of both systems.

Funding Notes:

This project is funded by EPSRC, the University of Manchester and our Industry partners. Funding is available to UK candidates. EU candidates are also eligible if they have been studying or working continuously in the UK for three or more years (prior to the start date of the programme). The successful candidates will have their fees paid in full and will receive an enhanced maintenance stipend. 

See here for information on how to apply and entry requirements: www.power-networks-cdt.manchester.ac.uk/study/projects-apply