Spring 2009 — Vol. 62, No. 2

by Liz Newall

Clemson researchers and students are doing one-of-a-kind research to improve electric power grids.

There should be a way to reduce power usage (and power bills!), help the environment and become more energy independent — without giving up comfort and convenience.

Clemson researchers believe there is.

Mathematical sciences professors Taufiquar Khan and Irina Viktorova have gathered a team of Clemson students for a project to make smarter electric power networks for the nation’s need to boost the economy and ecology.

They’re working with the support of industry partner Itron Inc., a leading technology provider and critical source of knowledge to the global energy and water industries. Itron’s OpenWay platform combines the best available solutions from the smart metering and advanced metering infrastructure technologies.

“With the ability to monitor the entire power grid in real time,” says Viktorova, “the utility can ensure uninterrupted service, improve distribution efficiency, save energy and reduce operating costs.”

The method of operation? Fundamental math — through mathematical models.

Laws of human nature

“The basis of math for technology is often forgotten,” says Khan. “For example, common medical X-rays are based on inversion of mathematical models of the distribution of X-ray particles or photons passing through the body. This modeling is based on laws of nature.

“The variables we’re dealing with in electric power networks, however, are human-made. The network is vast, complex, time-variant and nonlinear.”

Millions of light bulbs, computers, televisions, appliances, heaters and electrical motors are constantly going on and off. They contribute to the disorderly pattern of variations of voltage, current and impedance of the alternating current network.

By creating mathematical models of complex power-distribution networks, the Clemson team is searching for new information that may help to improve the electrical distribution system.

Solving problems — a team effort

The team includes undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate students as well as faculty. In addition, it has a Creative Inquiry component.

Itron is providing $285,000 of financial backing, advanced measurement tools, access to cutting-edge technology and general technical support.

Mathematical sciences graduate student Jack Cooper is performing sparse signal representation in electrical power system signal. His mission is twofold: to use the latest mathematical techniques to model the power system waveforms, and to do so with the smallest amount of stored information.

Statistics graduate student Chendi Jiang is performing noise modeling in electric power system signal. Physics graduate student Jason Puls is working with fast real-time measurements of electric voltage and current.

Electrical and computer engineering graduate student Zhenhua Wang is building a physical model of the power systems waveforms. Xiaoxiao Huang, another electrical and computer engineering graduate student, provides engineering feedback on vector signal analyzer measurements.

Computer science graduate student Dhruba Kulkarni is working with large data sets that need to be analyzed and classified. He also provides IT help to other team members.

Undergraduate student Josh McGinnis is the Creative Inquiry project leader. The Creative Inquiry work has three teams of undergraduate students in a variety of majors. One team measures data from the vector signal analyzer. Another team analyzes the data. A third team provides in-depth information to solve the formulated problem (provided by professors Khan and Viktorova).

Greater $avings — fewer blackouts

”Our overall research goal is to model the smart electric power grid network on a micro scale, starting with a single node, to the macro scale of the entire grid,” says Khan.

The modeling will help optimize the efficiency of the power grid as well as prevent system failure such as blackouts.

The short term research is one year. The expected outcome is smart meters that can efficiently record usage over 15-minute intervals resulting in consumer savings on their electricity bill.

The long term research of modeling the entire power grid and developing information theory for the entire network will require at least five years. The possible outcome is a computationally efficient mathematical model of a smart electrical distribution network that can lead to new sensing and control technologies for the smart grid.

“Mathematical modeling has proven its feasibility as an efficient tool of optimization,” says Vladimir Borisov, Clemson’s technical liaison and senior principal engineer with Itron. “The Clemson project promises to be instrumental to our continual effort to improve performance and reliability of Itron’s products.”

Web Extra: Itron Energy

Best job in America today — mathematician! In the recent “The 10 Best Jobs in America Today,” JobsRated.com picks mathematician as No. 1. In fact, five of the top 10 are mathematical related. (See www.careercast.com/jobs/content/JobsRated_10BestJobs.) Doing the math at Clemson Clemson’s mathematical sciences department is doing its part to prepare students for these top jobs. In the process, it provides major contributions to the overall instructional and research mission of the University. Enrollments average 5,000 to 6,000 students per semester in more than 300 sections of math sciences courses, ranging from beginning freshman courses to cutting-edge research courses at the graduate level. Prominent research activities include more than 100 publications a year, national and international professional involvement, and funded research of more than $1 million. Clemson has 250 smart classrooms interspersed around campus that enable the sharing of work to solve problems and foster collaboration. They also facilitate online quizzes — either in or out of class — and accommodate mathematical modeling. Degree programs are organized by discipline into five areas in the mathematical sciences: algebra and discrete mathematics, applied analysis, computational mathematics, operations research, and probability and statistics. For more information, go to www.clemson.edu/math or contact R.L. Taylor, department chair, at rtaylo2 @clemson.edu.