The University of Nottingham has created a business unit for the industrialisation of electrical motors and drive systems, claiming that it is the first UK institution to establish an independent business unit for the industrialisation of electrical motors and drive systems.
Nottingham Drive Specialist Services (NDSS) will provide «bespoke development, manufacturing and testing of electrical motors and drives to support the industrialisation of power electronic converters, electrical machines and drives from design through to manufacture and testing», according to the university.
It is based at the recently opened Power Electronics and Machines Centre (PEMC) and has access to more than £20m of equipment. Funding has come from Research England, Getting Building Fund, D2N2, the Wolfson Foundation and the Driving the Electric Revolution Industrialisation Centre. «Over the past 25 years, we have built up a store of intellectual property on this subject area and making this available for companies to benefit from is a key part of what we are doing to support the drive towards electrification and developing the UK supply chain» said NDSS general manager Hitendra Hirani.
The facilities include Test cells: 2MW, 5MW, 500kW altitude environmental, 120,000rpm; propulsion; aircraft generator and actuator test; Characterisation: magnetic materials and insulation; 3MVA PSU and energy storage emulation and Specialist coil winding: Needle (concentrated and distributed stators), Litz, flat conductor, hairpin (continuous and variable cross-section).
