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The research is conducted in a dedi-
cated laboratory for advanced electric
drive and power electronic converter
testing. Control system development
normally utilises either a dSpace plat-
form or is based on Texas Instruments
DSPs. The laboratory is equipped with
unique pieces of equipment that enable
a wide range of experimental investi-
gations in the multiphase drive area:
• A range of multiphase machines:
five-phase induction and synchronous
reluctance machines, asymmetrical
and symmetrical six-phase and nine-
phase induction machines, and sym-
metrical nine-phase permanent mag-
net machines (with both near-sinusoidal
and highly non-sinusoidal back emf).
• A range of multiphase power elec-
tronic converters: a multitude of two-
level inverters with up to nine phases,
two three-level neutral point clamped
six-phase inverters, and a three-phase
to nine-phase matrix converters.
• Advanced laboratory program-
mable ac and dc sources, e.g. a grid
emulator Spitzenberger & Spies
PAS2500 system, and Sorensen
SG1600 high-power dc supplies.
Research in the area of electric machines
and drives commenced at the Liverpool
John Moores University in 1992. Located
in the Faculty of Engineering and Tech-
nology, the Institute is situated in a
vibrant and historic port city of Liverpool
and operates under the auspices of the
Research Centre for Electrical and
Electronic Engineering. The research is
conducted by three full-time academics,
and, typically, five to ten PhD students
and post-doctoral research associates.
Visiting scholars from predominantly
EU Universities are regularly hosted
(on average, three per calendar year).
The main areas of activities are related
to electric machine modelling, develop-
ment of advanced control algorithms
for variable-speed ac drives, and pulse-
width modulation algorithms for mul-
tiphase and multilevel power electronic
converters. Target application areas
include (but are not limited to) general
high-power industrial applications, loco-
motive traction, electric and hybrid elec-
tric vehicles, renewable energy genera-
tion (with emphasis on remote offshore
wind generation using fully-rated power
electronic converters), and microgrids.
Since the beginning of the 21st century
the majority of research efforts has been
directed toward electric machines and
variable-speed drive systems of multi-
phase type (i.e., ac systems with more
than three phases). A significant level of
expertise has been acquired over the years
in this area and most of the completed
and current research projects (funded
predominantly by the UK’s Engineering
and Physical Sciences Research Council,
Qatar National Research Fund, and
industry) has been/is related to this topic.
A significant part of the research activi-
ties is carried out in cooperation with
industrial partners and current collabo-
rators include Ingeteam (Spain), BMW
(Germany) and Infineon (Germany).
LIVERPOOL JOHN MOORES UNIVERSITY
EV’s battery charging with unity power factor at the
three-phase grid side.
An integrated on-board battery charger for EVs based
on nine-phase power electronics and propulsion motor.
Testing of a five-phase machine in open-end
winding configuration with dual inverter supply.
