About
department of Electric Drives and TractionResearch and Development
Currently, we focus on the development, design and simulation of control systems for semiconductor power converters, electrical machines and devices, electric drives, electric traction vehicles and other mechatronic systems. The department staff is involved in the analysis, synthesis, optimization and implementation of advanced and modern control algorithms. In particular, STMicroelectronics and Texas Instruments platforms are used for this purpose. Furthermore, the department focuses on fault detection of AC drives, design and control of power systems based on advanced SiC and GaN semiconductor structures and development of communication strategies using modern microcomputer systems. These activities are carried out both at the theoretical level and in practical applications.- mathematical modelling and parameter identification of rotating AC machines
- modern modulation and control strategies of solid-state converters
- modern control methods for AC drives
- application of SiC and GaN conductors in power semiconductor converters
- development and optimization of control algorithms for power systems
- semiconductor power converters with high integrated power density
- control and modelling of mechatronic systems
- design of printed circuit boards for power systems
Projects and industry cooperation
Teaching at the Deparment
Within the EEM - Electrical Engineering, Energy and Management programme, we teach courses focused on electrical machines, devices, drives, power converters and their control. These disciplines are complemented by other courses that expand the basic knowledge. These include the areas of digital control, power generation, distribution and utilization, mechanical components of drives and their modeling, and the use of PLCs and microprocessors in power systems.
Graduates of the Department
Our graduates find employment, for example, as control, research or operations staff in the design, testing and operation of electric drives, power converters and their components. They will also find employment in other areas such as computer technology. Thanks to the expertise acquired during their studies, graduates of the "Electric Drives" specialisation have an open door to companies such as Škoda Auto, Porsche Engineering, Siemens or ABB. Many students are already working in these companies during their studies, as they are also in great demand for trainee positions.
Staff at the Department
Management of department of Electric Drives and Traction
Our laboratories
In our equipped laboratories we provide teaching, final theses of students and we also conduct grant projects and contract research with industrial partners.
From the history of the department
The first beginnings of the department can be traced back to 1884, when the Czech Technical University in Prague started teaching electrical engineering by including recommended lectures Electrical Engineering I and II in the mechanical engineering field. Electrical Engineering II focused on the construction of electrical machines, dimensioning of electrical devices and transformers. In 1901, a new course of Constructive Electrical Engineering was introduced, which was lectured by Prof. Ing. Karel Novák. This subject was later divided into three parts: Construction of Electric Networks, Electrical Equipment and Construction of Electrical Machines. In 1908, a machine room was built in the building on Charles Square No. 13 for measurements on electrical machines. In 1909, the field of electric drives began to develop with the inclusion of the subject Electric Railways.
The emergence of the subject Electrical Machine Building later led to the establishment of the Institute of Electrical Machines, which existed until 1950. In 1949, the Institute of Theory of Electrical Machines was created, which took over some subjects and also equipment, including the machine room, from the Institute of Electrical Machines and the Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Electrical Engineering. In 1950, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering was established within the CTU and its individual departments began to operate according to the new Higher Education Act. In 1950, the Department of Electrical Machines was established by merging the Institute of Electrical Machines and the Institute of Theory of Electrical Machines, which later existed under the name of the Department of Electrical Machines and Instruments until 1969. In the school years 1969/1971 it was temporarily divided into the Department of Electrical Machine Theory and the Department of Electrical Machine Construction.
The development of the field of electric drives led to the establishment of the Institute of Electric Drives and Railways, which later became part of the Department of Electrical Power Engineering and later the Department of Electric Power Utilisation under the name of the Institute of Electric Drives. In 1971, during the reorganization of the departments, the Department of Electrical Machines, Instruments and Drives was created.
From the history of the department
In 1960, the construction of new buildings of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the CTU in Prague-Dejvice was started, where the department began to move in the school year 1963/1964. In 1967, the new laboratories of the Department were put into operation, enabling the modernization of laboratory teaching and research in the field of electrical machine measurement.
In 1960, a computer centre was established at the department - initially analogue, later digital technology was used and a design computer centre was created. Methods of automated measurement and automated design of electrical machines were developed here. At the same time, applications of semiconductor converters in the field of electrical machines and devices were developed at the department in cooperation with industry. Technical didactic devices ranging from overhead projectors to personal computers began to be widely used in the department's teaching activities.
The need to ensure the education of experts in the traction field in the Czech Republic after the division of the federation led in 1994 to the introduction of the necessary lectures and the renaming of the Department of Electric Drives and Traction. The Department has existed under this name until the present day. Since 1994, only modifications have been made to the content of the courses taught. The years 2003, when structured studies were introduced (division into B.Sc. and Eng. programmes), and 2015, when the programmes taught by the Departments of Power Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Economics were merged into the joint programme Electrical Engineering, Power Engineering and Management, can be considered significant milestones.
