Engineers at Novosibirsk State Technical University (NSTU) have developed a unique laboratory facility, the MUK-EP, that allows for basic laboratory work on the course "Electrical Machines and the Basics of Electric Drive".
This is one of the basic courses of electrical engineering specialties, which includes laboratory work on such topics as the study of the operating modes of a single-phase transformer, DC motors and generators (with independent and parallel excitation), as well as an asynchronous motor with a closed rotor when connecting the Star and Triangle windings.
"Modern equipment that is manufactured by several companies in Russia and Belarus is mainly bench-mounted. There are installations with both manual control and computer control. It is important for undergraduates to instill the ability to work with equipment, which means that it is preferable for them to use manually operated equipment. Automation of the experiment is important in senior courses, where processing of large amounts of data is required," explains Arseniy Morozov, head of the Research Laboratory of Experimental Technology (RL ET) at NSTU-NETI.
The RL ET has developed a modular educational complex MUC-EP, which allows to implement the above laboratory work. The equipment is designed in the form of separate modules with manual control (motor power supplies, an electric machine unit MA1-AP containing a DC motor and an asynchronous motor with a closed-loop rotor, a power supply unit for the transformer BPT1).
All the equipment is compact and can be placed on a desktop. Each module contains operating mode controls and measured value indicators. The motor windings and measuring circuits are switched automatically inside the modules, depending on the selected mode.
According to Arseniy Morozov, the development of the training complex is, in fact, a deep modernization of the previously produced one. All the shortcomings identified during the operation of the equipment have been eliminated here, and new measurable parameters have been added. For example, the measurement of torque has been added using an optical sensor specially designed for this purpose. This parameter is important when measuring and calculating energy characteristics. "It is not available in other manufacturers' installations and is calculated indirectly, which greatly affects the accuracy of the calculations," the scientist emphasizes.
Several sets of the complex have already been manufactured at the RL ET pilot plant and sent to the Department of Electrotechnical Complexes and Systems at Kazan Power Engineering University.
The development of equipment and the release of an experimental batch was carried out with the involvement of students of the Faculty of Mechatronics and Automation, who are studying at the training and production center at the RL ET. This allowed them to acquire practical skills in the field of design, production, configuration and operation of measuring equipment. Students' participation in real-world developments contributes to the training of qualified personnel for the domestic electronics industry.
This and other developments of the NSTU-NETI Research Institute can be found on the website https://ipc.nstu.ru /