Engineering Research Centres link with Industry

BY: .

UKZN’s Vibration Research and Testing Centre (VRTC) and High Voltage Direct Current Centre (HVDC), which form part of the Eskom Centre of Excellence in HVDC Engineering on the Westville campus, recently linked up for visits to Pfisterer, Aberdare and Preformed Line Products (PLP), all situated in Pietermaritzburg. 

The aim of the industry tours was to expose students to the engineering environment and to search for new partnerships with local industry.   

All the companies visited are suppliers of mechanical components for overhead transmission lines which is a major area of research activity at the VRTC and HVDC Research Laboratories.      

The tour group was accompanied by UKZN senior staff member and Director of the Eskom Centre of Excellence in HVDC Engineering, Dr Innocent Davidson, as well as Mr Pravesh Moodley of  VRTC.  

UKZN students included three undergraduate Mechanical Engineering final year students who are working on design projects at the VRTC engineering laboratory; two postgraduate students from the VRTC, and four postgraduate students from the HVDC engineering laboratory.    

The students said that they found the exposure to industry very rewarding. 

* Background on the Eskom Centre of Excellence in HVDC Engineering

 

The Eskom Centre of Excellence (CoE) at UKZN, which also serves as the Eskom Power Plant Engineering Institute (EPPEI) Specialisation Centre in High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) Engineering, is a multi-disciplinary research centre which focuses on research in technology relating to HVDC, power systems (including lines) and power electronics relating to AC systems.

The Centre engages in applied scientific research and technology development in support of the National Development Plan (NDP) of the South African Government, to improve the living standards of people in the South African society and to contribute towards nation building. The purpose of the Centre is to contribute to South Africa’s engineering and scientific expertise through its own fundamental and applied research, and through collaborative work with others. The multidisciplinary nature of the Centre is reflected in its current and future research activities with industry and community-based development projects. The Centre engages in inter-disciplinary approaches to the resolution of real-world engineering problems facing the electric power industry.  

This CoE at UKZN has the following four operational research laboratories:  

•   HVDC Laboratory which focuses on High Voltage Direct Current (DC)

•   HVAC Laboratory which focuses on High Voltage Alternating Current (AC) 

•   SMART Grid Research Laboratory which is a state-of-the-art modern facility, the first of its kind in Africa for training and research development (modelling,

•   Vibration Research and Testing Centre (VRTC) which focuses on overhead transmission lines, mechanics of conductors, insulators, line supports and vibration analysis

Dr Innocent Davidson