Power and Machines Laboratory

What is the Power and Machines Laboratory? / What is its Purpose?

Üsküdar University Power and Machines Laboratory is an advanced research and application center where systems that enable the conversion of electrical energy into mechanical energy or mechanical energy into electrical energy, as well as electromechanical structures controlling these processes, are examined.

• Main Purpose: To enable students and researchers to experimentally verify the operating principles, characteristic curves, and efficiency parameters of electric machines, rotating motors, generators, and transformers on industrial-standard test systems.
• Academic Contribution: The laboratory materializes the counterparts in the physical world of abstract mathematical equations regarding electromagnetic field theory, electrical machinery architecture, and power systems analysis. It academically supports students' competencies in calculating losses in energy conversion processes, performing stability analysis, and optimizing motor drive systems.

Devices and Technical Equipment Available in the Laboratory

The laboratory infrastructure houses units capable of measuring loaded and unloaded operating scenarios of different motor and generator types, grid synchronizations, and electrical/mechanical parameters with high precision. Under Prominent Features, the technical equipment located in the laboratory includes:

• Asynchronous (Induction) Motor Test Modules: Experimental units where the starting, torque, speed, and efficiency characteristics of single-phase and three-phase asynchronous motors widely used in industry are examined.
• Synchronous Machines and Generator Sets: Systems that test grid connection conditions and voltage regulations under load of synchronous generators, which are the basis of alternating current (AC) generation systems.
• Direct Current (DC) Shunt, Series, and Compound Motors: Motor groups where speed control methods, torque characteristics, and braking mechanisms of direct current machines are analyzed.
• Single-Phase and Three-Phase Transformers: Modules where transformation ratios, open-circuit and short-circuit operating tests, and winding resistances of transformers, which play a critical role in the transmission and distribution of electrical energy, are measured.
• Magnetic Powder Brakes and Dynamometers: Loading units used to apply controlled mechanical load to rotating electric machines, and to measure the torque (moment) and revolutions per minute (RPM) on the shaft in real time.
• Industrial Motor Drives (Drive / Inverter Kits): Power electronics-based speed control devices that optimize the speed and direction of motors through frequency and voltage control.
• Power Analyzers and Digital Measurement Panels: Industrial analyzers that record active, reactive, and apparent powers drawn by systems, the power factor (cosine phi), and harmonics in current/voltage waveforms with high accuracy.

Research Areas and Application Areas

Applied course curricula, graduation projects, and academic studies carried out in the laboratory cover the most strategic layers of electromechanical energy conversion:

• Characteristic Analyses of Electric Machines: Experimental derivation and graphical modeling of the relationships between load current, terminal voltage, rotational speed, and torque of motors and generators.
• Speed and Torque Control Methods: Optimization of starting, stopping, and speed profiles of electric motors via drive circuits and industrial controller interfaces.
• Transformer Efficiency and Loss Tests: Calculation of copper and iron losses in transformers, derivation of equivalent circuit parameters, and voltage drop analyses.
• Renewable Energy Integration and Generators: Examination of stable electrical energy generation scenarios from generators with the aid of drive motors simulating systems such as wind or hydroelectricity.

Contributions to Students and the Industry

The Power and Machines Laboratory develops students' reflex to work with high voltage and heavy rotating equipment, preparing them for industrial production and the energy sector.

• Compliance with Sectoral Standards: Students gain field experience by personally using large-scale electric machines, switchgear and control elements, and safety relays that have direct counterparts in industrial facilities and power plants.
• Qualified Workforce: Graduates who effectively use the hardware infrastructure and measurement methods in this laboratory are rapidly employed as "Electrical Engineer", "Power Systems Specialist", or "R&D Engineer" in the electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing industry, automation and factory maintenance departments, energy generation/distribution companies, and industrial motor/drive R&D centers.

Which departments use this laboratory?

This laboratory is actively used primarily by students and researchers of the Electrical-Electronics Engineering program within the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences as part of course curricula and graduation projects. In addition, other engineering students conducting interdisciplinary projects focused on electromechanical and automation can also benefit from the laboratory.

What tests and analyses are performed in the laboratory?

The laboratory performs load and speed-torque characteristic tests of electric motors, open-circuit and short-circuit equivalent parameter analyses of transformers, voltage regulation tests of synchronous generators, power quality/harmonic analyses, and efficiency measurements of motor drive systems.

What safety precautions are taken when working under high voltage in the laboratory?

All experimental desks in the laboratory are equipped with central and local emergency stop buttons (emergency stop), overcurrent protection relays, and residual current devices. Students are required to work in areas with insulated flooring, and all physical connections are inspected and approved by the laboratory assistant or faculty member before energy is supplied to the systems.

Is the laboratory open to external sectoral collaborations?

Yes, the laboratory has an infrastructure open to collaborations within the scope of device performance tests, prototype efficiency analyses, and method development projects to be carried out jointly with industrial organizations, motor and transformer manufacturers, and R&D firms developing drive technology.

Can students use the laboratory for their projects outside of class hours?

Yes, students can benefit from the test infrastructure in the laboratory outside of class hours within the scope of undergraduate graduation projects, national/international technology competitions (e.g., Teknofest electric vehicle/robotics categories), or academic researches, subject to the approval, work schedule, and direct supervision of laboratory managers and project advisors.