The University of Nottingham

A new research centre will develop the next generation of electrical machines for transportation, energy and industry.

The Cummins Innovation Centre in Electrical Machines is a new centre of excellence to develop world-leading research that will help with renewable energy generation, electric vehicles and a wide range of other technologies.

The University’s Faculty of Engineering has a long history of working with Cummins Generator Technologies, the largest electrical machines manufacturer in the UK, on projects including electromagnetic and thermal modelling of generators, high speed machines for turbochargers and other high-performance applications.

As a result of this successful collaboration, Cummins have decided to establish an Innovation Centre at the University with projected funding of around £2m over the next five years. The centre is also being supported through a prestigious Royal Academy of Engineering senior research fellowship.

Dr Neil Brown, Chief Engineer, Research and Technology, Cummins Generator Technologies, said: “Product innovation will be a central part of meeting the changing needs of our customers and our success as a business, and building effective collaborative relationships is a key element in the innovation process.

“Cummins has been involved with The University of Nottingham since 1997, during which time we have seen the Machines and Drives Research Group grow to become one of the largest in the world. In particular the energy conversion and aerospace activities are of significant merit and world-leading in the field.

“The academic staff at Nottingham are long serving and of high standing and the quality of students outstanding. These factors, combined with excellent facilities, a broad spectrum of disciplines, strong relationships and close proximity to our factory made The University of Nottingham the logical choice for our innovation centre.”

Research into electrical machines has seen a rapid development in recent years, driven by interest in more-electric transportation, renewable energy generation and high efficiency targets aimed at reducing carbon emissions in domestic and industrial applications.

Dr Chris Gerada, Research Director of the Cummins Innovation Centre, said: “This partnership with Cummins will strengthen the electrical machines research base at Nottingham and will form a true multidisciplinary team, which can effectively and holistically look at electrical machine systems and their integration within high-performance applications.”

The Cummins Innovation Centre pulls together academic staff and researchers from disciplines across the Faculty of Engineering, including leading experts in electrical machine and drive technology specialising in electromagnetics, energy systems, power electronics, health monitoring, heat transfer and mechanical dynamics.