HIGH VOLTAGE
SURVEY
Results from Academia and Industry
Joni Klüss, Ph.D.
Visiting Assistant Professor 📞 662-325-3199 ✉ joni@ece.msstate.edu
Mississippi State University • Electrical and Computer Engineering
216 Simrall Hall • 406 Hardy Road • Box 9571 • Mississippi State • MS 39762 • USA
High Voltage Laboratory
Website: http://www.ece.msstate.edu/high-voltage-lab/
Email: hvl@ece.msstate.edu
Responses
Survey sent to 220
member of
academia an
industry
Argentina
Brazil
Canada
Denmark
Finland
Germany
Greece
India
Nepal
Netherlands
33 answers (15 %)
by December 2015
(24 academia, 9 industry)
Norway
South Africa
Sweden
Switzerland
United Kingdom
USA
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
ACADEMIA RESULTS
Netherlands
Impulse 2001 – 3000 kV
AC 751 – 1000 kV
DC 100 – 250 kV
Impulse 2001 – 3000 kV
AC 751 – 1000 kV
DC 1001 – 1500 kV
3 kA cont.
Denmark
Canada
Impulse 501 – 1000 kV
AC 251 – 500 kV
DC 251 – 500 kV
Finland
Impulse 751 – 1000 kV
AC 100 – 250 kV
DC 100 – 250 kV
UK
Impulse 1501 – 2000 kV
AC 751 – 1000 kV
DC 501 – 750 kV
10 kA
Switzerland
Impulse 1501 – 2000 kV
AC 751 – 1000 kV
DC 751 – 1000 kV
3 kA impulse
Germany
USA
Impulse 2001 – 3000kV
AC 751 – 1000 kV
DC 501 – 750 kV
1 MA impulse
1 MW microgrid
Impulse 2001 – 3000 kV
AC 751 – 1000 kV
DC 1001 – 1500 kV
3 kA cont.
Nepal
Greece
Impulse 1501 – 2000 kV
AC 251 – 500 kV
DC 251 – 500 kV
80 kA impulse
Impulse < 100 kV
AC 100 – 250 kV
DC < 100 kV
India
Impulse 1501 – 2000 kV
AC 1001 – 1500 kV
DC 100 – 250 kV
200 kA impulse
Brazil
Impulse 2001 – 3000 kV
AC 751 – 1000 kV
DC > 2000 kV
Argentina
Academic
research
capabilities
Impulse 1001 – 1500 kV
AC 100 – 250 kV
DC 100 – 250 kV
10 kA impulse (1 kA cont.)
South Africa
Impulse 251 – 500 kV
AC 251 – 500 kV
Note: not all capabilities identified for a nation are within a single research center
Academia Results (12/2015)
Focus Areas in Electrical
Engineering
Smart Grid
Renewable Energy
Reliability
TODAY
FUTURE
Condition
Monitoring
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
High Voltage
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Asset Management
Sensors
Energy Storage
Environment
Electric Vehicles
Power Electronics
High Voltage
Condition Monitoring
Cyber Security
Power Systems
Material Science
Power Quality
Renewable Energy
Smart Grid
Material Science
Power Quality
Power Electronics
Other (Photonics,
telecommunication
s, data processing)
Energy and Power
Engineering
Reliability
Power Systems
Communication
Environment
Health
Academia Results (12/2015)
High Voltage Education
Do you offer HV
courses?
Interested in
distance/online
high voltage
courses?
Yes, separate courses
Yes
No
Should high voltage
engineering be
taught at a
university?
Can high voltage
engineering be
taught without a
HV laboratory?
Yes, the university should prepare
individuals for future challenges in
high voltage
Only high voltage engineering
Only power systems
Yes
No
Conditional (depends on educational
program and facilities)
5%
17%
4%
13%
33%
67%
83%
91%
N = 23 (96%)
87%
N = 21 (86%)
N = 23 (96%)
N = 23 (96%)
Academia Results (12/2015)
What is the most important skill (or
knowledge) students should acquire at a
university to prepare them for work in the
electrical industry?
Theoretical Knowledge
Writing
Communication
mathematics
Motivation
Design Skills
power systems and
transmission
Interprative and Analytical Skills
Theoretical Knowledge
Laboratory Experience
electromagnetics
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
high voltage
circuits
measurements
machines
Safety
Self Guidance
EE fundamentals
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
electronics
energy systems
How many provide safety training (certified/uncertified)?
Academia Results (12/2015)
High Voltage Facilities
Do you offer evaluation
(testing) services to
external customers?
Yes
Would you be interested in joint equipment
procurement (e.g. portable modular sources) and the
establishment of a distributed research
infrastructure focusing on HV engineering?
No
Yes
No
19%
50%
50%
81%
N = 21 (86%)
N=18 (75%)
Academia Results (12/2015)
High Voltage Facilities
Renovation of laboratory without financial restrictions
Upgrade (increase capabilities)
Replace and restore (maintain capabilities)
Downgrade (decrease capabilities)
Expand (new services or capabilities)
Adapt (flexibility to customize capabilities)
Other (update control and automation)
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Academia Results (12/2015)
High Voltage Research
Current focus areas in high
voltage research
Interdisciplinary potential
with high voltage
engineering
Interdisciplinary Potential with HVE
UHV Equipment
Gas Insulation
Cables
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Partial Discharge and
Dielectric Breakdown
Materials (composite
and nanomaterials)
Measurement
techniques and
technologies
Asset Management
Circuit Breakers
Condition
Monitoring and
Diagnostics
Modelling
HVDC
Asset management
Protection schemes
(lightning, UHV,…
Environment
Materials
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Measurement
Techniques
EMC and EMI
Smart Grids
Component
Development
Renewable Energy
Microgrids
Electrical Vehicles
Pulsed Power
Plasma Science
Academia Results (12/2015)
INDUSTRY RESULTS
Focus Areas in Electrical
Engineering
FUTURE
TODAY
Electronics
Condition
Monitoring
Materials
HVDC
Asset
Management
Smart Grid
Infrastructure
Renewal
HVDC
UHV Power
Transmission
Materials
Environment
High Voltage
Energy Storage
Smart Grid
Efficiency
Renewable
Generation
Integration
Ageing
Industry Results (12/2015)
High Voltage Education
Universities should prepare individuals for future challenges in high voltage
engineering
Universities should provide some basic knowledge, to be complemented
by industry.
11%
89%
Industry Results (12/2015)
Skills and knowledge fresh graduates should
have acquired from university
Open-minded
Is laboratory experience an
advantage when applying for
work?
Project work
Multi-focused
Analytical
problemsolving skills
Team work
Yes
100%
What is more important?
Hands on
experience
25%
38%
37%
Theoretical
expertise
Both
Practical
Laboratory
Experience
36%
Personal
Skills
18%
High Voltage
Safety
Theoretical
Knowledge
46%
Numerical
Analysis
Circuit
Theory
Materials
Power
Electronics
Machines
Industry Results (12/2015)
What should high voltage education
focus on?
Electrical performance
of materials (including
breakdown)
Existing challenges and
problems
Insulator design
Overvoltage protection
Innovation (future
challenges)
Measurement and
testing techniques
Comprehensive
coverage of all HV
aspects
Industry Results (12/2015)
Testing and Evaluation Services
Do you need
independent third-party
testing services?
Criteria for selecting
testing laboratory
Yes
37%
No
63%
Yes
37%
Reputation
4.3
No
63%
Main Equipment tested:
• Cables
• Insulators
Test types:
• Withstand (AC, DC, impulse)
• Dielectric testing
• Partial Discharge
Is an annual contract for
testing a good idea?
Price
3.2
Reduced price for testing
without evaluation report?
Availability
3.8
Certification
4.1
Location
3.0
Other criteria: knowledge of personnel
Scale:
1 (not important)
5 (very important)
Yes
25%
No
75%
Report format?
37 % Simple display of data and results
63 % Comprehensive analysis
including theoretical background
Industry Results (12/2015)
If you feel that this is not an accurate
representation of the current state of
high voltage engineering and its role in
academia and industry, please
forward the results and invite more
participants to the survey.
Each answer is valuable!
Survey available online (MSU website):
http://www.ece.msstate.edu/high-voltage-lab/highvoltage-survey/
Thank you!