Design, construction, and testing of an electric machine test-bed for use in laboratory and research education

Research and education into various methods of improving energy efficiency for electrical devices has become increasingly important to meet future energy needs. Because of this need, an electrical machine test-bed was designed and built in collaboration with a senior design team for the purpose of furthering research and education in the area of power electronics and motor drives. Both the engineering education and research capabilities aspects of this test-bed have an important role in educating engineers with skills to quickly contribute to the power and energy related industry. This paper will discuss the design, construction, and testing of a research quality electric machine dynamometer and test-bed for use in undergraduate and graduate (UG/Grad) education, as well as for research into power electronics and motor control.