Faculty of Engineering: Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering: Research: Control and Power
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About the Group

Control Engineering which, in the past, focused mainly on techniques of compensator design for single input, single output linear dynamical systems, has undergone a sea change in recent years. This is in response to a new generation of design problems, beyond the reach of traditional design methods, in which constraints on controlled and manipulated variables, interaction between control loops, non-linearity and plant uncertainty are dominant features.

Major forces are at work, too, challenging traditional electrical power engineering and requiring a re-think of many long accepted practices. A system built around transformers and fixed 50Hz AC no longer meets all our needs. Customers now require power in more versatile forms; free from distortion and disturbance and readily converted to the voltage, current and frequency of choice.

Control and Power are natural partners in modern day research. A new generation of control design and state estimation techniques is emerging to take account of non-linearities in mechanical systems, of which electrical machines are prime examples. Robust multivariable control is destined to have a major role in the design of networks incorporating Flexible AC transmission systems (FACTS) devices, a key new area in the Power Systems field.

The research programme of the Control and Power Group rests on two main planks. One is fundamental research on modelling, estimation and controller design. The other is advanced applications work in control and power systems, which makes use of, and in many cases inspires, new theory.

Major goals of the Group in the area of fundamental research are as follows. To integrate model building and 'robust' compensator design. To find practical methods of nonlinear control which take account of constraints and exploit dissipativity, Hamiltonian structure and other plant characteristics. To realize the potential of optimisation based controller design techniques. To develop new finite element based methods for power loss estimation.

On the applications side, the Control and Power Group is engaged in process control research, though the affiliation of many of its members with the Centre for Process Systems Engineering at Imperial College. The Group is a national leader in research into the control of Tokamac nuclear fusion reactors. Other areas of applied research include model building, structure design and control of two wheeled vehicles, control of underwater vehicles, mathematical finance and process control. Research into the integrated design of electrical machines, power converters and controllers, and also into the effective use of FACTS devices in power system design, exploits to the full the broad expertise of the Group across the fields of Power Systems and Control Engineering.

The Control and Power Research Group has an excellent track record in publications (Publications). It has also been highly successful in obtaining support from research councils and industry (Grants and Contracts).

We have long established links with other groups engaged in control and power research, including groups at

  • Australian National University,
  • University of New Castle, Australia,
  • Milan Politecnico, Italy,
  • University of Lund, Sweden,
  • SUPELEC, Paris,
  • Ecole de Mines, Paris.
The exchange of students with these and other institutions is encouraged.

Academic staff holds editorships with the following nine journals:

  • Systems and Control Letters,
  • Automatica,
  • Mathematics of Control, Signals and Systems,
  • European J. of Control,
  • International J. of Control,
  • J. of Optimization Theory and Applications,
  • The International J. of Robust and Nonlinear Control,
  • IMA J. Mathematical Control and Signals,
  • J. of Set Valued Analysis and the
  • J. of Applied Mathematics and Optimization.


The Group runs an MSc course in Control Systems in the Electrical and Electronic Department. The Group also participates in an MSc course in Process Systems Engineering, offered in the Centre for Process Systems.


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