Energy researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison are excited about the upcoming installation of three high-performance motor dynamometers in the high-bay lab of the Wisconsin Energy Institute (WEI) and in UW’s Engineering Hall. Dynamometers, or “dynos”, are devices used to measure the torque, speed, and power produced by rotating electric machines.
A gift from General Motors (GM), the dynos were partially disassembled in Torrance, Cal., tightly packed into a 53-foot moving truck, and delivered to Madison mid-May. Installation of the WEI dyno is currently ongoing.
“Although there are other dynos on the UW–Madison campus, none of them have anything close to the power, speed, and dynamic response of these donated by GM,” says Bruce Beihoff, WEI’s Technical Director of Industry Relations. “These new dynos are truly the Swiss Army Knife of research equipment in this field.”
The remarkable capabilities of the new dynos will allow for more sophisticated testing and model building of electric machines and power conversion systems. Able to operate as both generators and motors, the dynos will measure speed, torque, power, and efficiency during electric machine testing, often in combination with electronic power converters.
Especially valuable to researchers studying integrated energy systems, the dynos can also be used to emulate the electrical characteristics of rotating electric power sources such as wind turbine generators and combustion engine-powered generator sets. Researchers studying microgrids and electric vehicles will also benefit.
GM’s gift to UW–Madison is the result of GM’s longstanding relationship with the Wisconsin Electric Machines and Power Electronics Consortium (WEMPEC), one of UW–Madison’s oldest and largest research consortiums.
WEMPEC is an internationally renowned research group including more than 80 corporate sponsors who work collaboratively with professors, graduate students, and international scholars with a mission to “research and develop the newest technologies and techniques in electric machines, power electronics, actuators, sensors, drives, motion control, and drive applications.”
Beihoff credits Tom Jahns, WEMPEC Co-Director and Grainger Professor of Power Electronics and Electrical Machines in UW–Madison’s College of Engineering, with laying the groundwork for GM’s donation.
“This gift is the result of decades of dialogue and collaboration,” Beihoff says. “Tom Jahns has been a principal investigator on numerous UW projects partnering with GM in the area of power conversion for electric vehicles. So when GM puts a dyno in our hands they know it will be put to good use by highly capable researchers.”
Jahns is delighted to have the dynos on campus and asserts that GM’s generous donation uniquely positions UW–Madison’s energy researchers to conduct research in new areas of transportation and renewable energy technologies.
“This donation is a powerful example of the good things that come from strong partnerships between universities and industry,” Jahns says. “And what we see here, in terms of collaboration and the potential for ground-breaking research, is truly the Wisconsin Idea at work."
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