Electrical Engineering

 by Dr. Kaushik Rajashekara

Rolls-Royce Corporation 

When: Friday, March 21, 2008

Time: 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Location: A265 Bourns Hall 

Abstract:  

Traditionally, electric generators driven by an aircraft’s main propulsion engines or a gas turbine Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) have supplied the electrical needs of commercial aircraft.  In flight, the marginal efficiency of electric power generated by the main engines and their generators is at most 30 – 40%.  While on the ground with the engines shut off, the average fuel efficiency of the turbine powered APU is typically less than 20% and also has undesirable noise and gaseous emissions.  As environmental concerns mount, aircraft manufacturers and others are challenged to reduce fuel consumption while simultaneously reducing emissions.  Hence, there is a strong interest in developing alternative on-board power generation strategies in commercial aircraft.  In this presentation, two different technologies are examined; one based on high efficiency permanent magnet generator and the other using solid oxide fuel cell in combination with gas turbine as a hybrid APU system.  The simulation and experimental results, challenges in implementing these technologies, summary of the findings, and the future strategies will be discussed.

About the Speaker:  

Kaushik Rajashekara (“RAJA”) received his B.Eng., M.Eng, and Ph.D. degrees from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India in 1974, 1977, and 1983, respectively.  From 1977 to 1985, he worked as an Asst. Professor in Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.  In 1978 and 1984-85, he worked at Asea Brown Boveri, Switzerland, on power electronics systems for electric traction.  In 1982, he was a visiting scientist at the Technical University of Dresden, Germany.  In July 1989, he joined Delphi Corporation, which was a division of General Motors.  In Delphi, he held various lead technical positions, and has been the Technical Fellow and Chief Scientist for Propulsion, Fuel Cell & Advanced Energy Systems.  In May 2006, he joined Rolls-Royce Corporation, Indianapolis and presently he is the Chief Technologist for Propulsion and Power Systems Engineering.

• a keynote speaker in several IEEE sponsored and other international conferences. 
• awarded 2006 IEEE Industry Applications Society Gerald Kliman Award for contributions to power conversion in Electric, Hybrid, and Fuel Cell vehicle systems.
• elected to the Fellow of IEEE for contributions to the advancement of propulsion systems for electric and hybrid vehicles (1999)
• elected to Fellow of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) for contributions to the advancement of propulsion systems for electric, hybrid, and fuel cell vehicles, and for Solid Oxide Fuel Cell based hybrid power system (2006)
• inducted into the Delphi Innovation Hall of Fame in 1999 and received President’s Award
• recognized as short term Scholar under UNDP China program and China International Center for Economic and Technical Exchange, 2004.
• selected as IEEE Distinguished Lecturer for the years 2006 and 2007.
• Past Chairman of the IEEE IAS Power Devices and Components Committee
• Organizer and Technical Program Chairman of the IEEE Workshop on Power Electronics in Transportation in 1996, 1998, and 2000.

• Dr. Rajashekara has published more than 80 papers in the areas of Power Electronics, Renewable Energy, Energy Conversion, Electric, Hybrid, and Fuel cell vehicles, Distributed Power Generation Systems. He has 22 patents and 10 more are pending.  He has written six monographs, co-authored one IEEE Press book, and contributed individual chapters to five books.