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Center for Novel High Voltage/Temperature Materials and Structures (HVT)

Center Overview

The Center for Novel High Voltage/Temperature Materials and Structures (HVT) evaluates, designs, models, and develops novel high-voltage and high-temperature materials and structures for energy transfer, aerospace, automotive, nuclear, deep sea, and other extreme applications. HVT provides support to electric utility, military, environmental, health, and other industries interested in the application of novel HVT materials in their design practices.

HVT's mission is to design, create, and study new advanced materials and evaluate existing materials and structures for a range of engineering applications. HVT uses state-of-the-art experimental and computational tools to conduct the multiscale characterization and modeling of such materials to obtain reliable predictive models.

HVT is studying various novel high-voltage and high-temperature materials and structures for high-energy transmission and other related applications with superior resistance to in-service conditions, with the ultimate goal of providing outstanding research service to industries using novel materials and structures subjected to extreme HVT loading conditions.

Universities

University of Connecticut
University of Denver
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

View Center Website

Center Personnel

Martin Ostoja-Starzewski
Professor
+1 217 265 0900
martinos@illinois.edu

Joe Hoffman
Research Assistant Professor
+1 303 871 7534
joe.hoffman@du.edu

Yang Cao
Professor
+1 860 486 0915
yand.cao@uconn.edu

Monika Bleszynski
Research Scientist and Program Manager
+1 303 871 2107
Monika.Bleszynski@du.edu

Maciej Kumosa
John Evans Professor and Center Director
+1 303 503 1289
mkumosa@du.edu

Greg Odegard
Professor
+1 906 487 2329

Iwona Jasiuk
Professor
+1 217 333 9259
ijasiuk@illinois.edu

Research Focus

HVT focuses on developing innovative materials and structures engineered for applications where they are subject to extreme conditions such as high voltage and/or high temperature, high stress and/or high strain, or high pressure and/or high compaction.

Awards

1650544

Phase I I/UCRC University of Connecticut Site: Center for Novel High Voltage/Temperature Materials and Structures (HVT)

The ever increasing demand for electric power calls for new high voltage and temperature solutions to enhance the capacity and power flow control capabilities of the electrical power infrastructure. To address these needs, this grant will create a site at the University of Connecticut within the NSF IUCRC Center on High Voltage/Temperature currently led by the University of Denver, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and the Michigan Technological University. UConn will complement the Center?s excellence by bring in unique expertise in high voltage engineering and power system asset management to address these pressing concerns. To that end, UConn will create and study next generation high voltage materials to improve the efficiency and reliability of power infrastructure. The UConn site has brought together an interdisciplinary group of university researchers working jointly with companies and other research organizations to create new, advanced high voltage materials and structures. The goals of the Center include the creation of new, more efficient power materials, the creation of materials simulation capabilities and the development of monitor and repair methods for those materials. These advances are applied to the electrical grid and other industries, such as the aerospace industry. The UConn site will enhance these objectives by focusing on high voltage materials and how best to integrate them into future power grids. This UConn site will advance the Center?s vision of using the most advanced aerospace technologies to design novel materials and structures for the next generation electrical grid. To that end, Uconn will employ techniques such as pulsed electroacoustic and laser induced pulse pressure methods with ab initio quantum computation to better understand how high voltage materials age and how to improve their lifecycle and performance. In turn, nanostructured dielectric materials will be engineered for high voltage components and systems with game-changing characteristics for efficient energy conversion, transmission and distribution, power flow control, harsh environmental electrification and renewable integration with enormous potential economic impacts. We will conduct cooperative research on high voltage system asset management for the protection, health monitoring, diagnosis and prognosis of critical assets. The site will also develop full life-cycle, reliability centric predictive asset management strategies, statistics, data management techniques, economics and IT integration. The advancements made possible by this site will improve the reliability and efficiency of future power grids and the integration of renewable energy sources with significant potential benefits for the United States and the world. Read More >

1362135

I/UCRC: Phase I: Novel High Voltage/Temperature Materials and Structures (HVT)

The I/UCRC for Novel High-Voltage/Temperature Materials and Structures plans to work jointly with electric utility, aerospace, nuclear, military, environmental, automotive, health, and other industries with needs of novel HV/T materials and structures. The objectives of the Center are: (1) Design of novel and evaluation of existing HV/T energy transmission/transfer multifunctional materials for next generation composite conductors, insulators, underground cables, towers, and other electric power transmission structures; (2) Design and development of novel advanced high energy transfer materials for aerospace, oil/gas, automotive, and other industrial applications; (3) Failure prediction and prevention of HV/T materials and structures under in-service conditions through state-of-the-art multi-scale modeling and material performance evaluations; (4) Development of new failure monitoring techniques and material repair methods in HV/T materials under laboratory conditions and their subsequent transfer to in-service inspection and repair. The proposed I/UCRC will seek to create a diverse and interdisciplinary educational, research and business environment for (1) undergraduate and graduate students, including those from underrepresented groups, funded by the research projects of the Center; (2) faculty members from a variety of disciplines, including junior faculty starting their academic careers; (3) utility, aerospace and national lab engineers and designers developing various types of HV/T materials and structures; and (4) utility managers supervising HV transmission lines across the country. The Center intends to enhance the reputation of the U.S. HV/T manufacturing around the world and, in particular, improve the level of confidence among the potential users of novel HV/T structures. The center targets long-term benefit to infrastructure, manufacturing, energy transport and efficiency of the electric grid, and the durability of other HV/T and high energy transfer structures. Read More >

Member Organizations

IUCRC affiliated member organizations are displayed as submitted by the Center. Non-federal organizations are not selected, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the U.S. National Science Foundation.

ABB
CTC Global
Eversource
G&W Electric
Marmon Engineered Wire & Cable
New York Power Authority
Tri-State Generation and Transmission
US Department of Energy

The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the Center author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. National Science Foundation.