History of Institute of Electrical Power Engineering at the Lodz University of Technology

1945 - 2013

 

The history of Institute of Electrical Power Engineering   has begun in June 1945, when the Department of Electrical Power Engineering was founded. It was one of the first organizational unit at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering. The Faculty has laid the foundations of the Lodz University of Technology (earlier Technical University of Lodz), together with Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. At the beginning the Department was located in the main building of the university (Fig. 1). The head office of Department was moved in 1969 to the currently occupied building next to 18/22 Stefanowskiego Street (previously 176 Gdanska Street).

(Fig.1)Main building of Lodz University of Technology, 1949 – before II World War the building was a part of so called “cotton imperium” owned by the industrialist Rosenblatt. The building is still a property of the university and successfully refers to the industrial history of Lodz.

The first Department Director was then Dean of the Electrical Engineering Faculty – prof. Stanislaw Konczykowski – prominent scientist and expert in electrical power engineering. He moved to the Warsaw University of Technology in 1948 and prof. Karol Przanowski was appointed as the director of the Electrical Power Engineering Department.

 

Prof. Karol Przanowski (1908 – 1997)

 

At the beginning of 50’s, the Department of Electrical Power Engineering was successfully developed. It played significant role in the education of new generation of electricians and specialized staff for challenges brought by rapid growth of energy sector. The Department was involved in the first-of-a-kind projects and innovations implemented in the national power system. The team led by prof. Przanowski designed between 1958-1965 national structure of 220kV and 400kV power system and proposed innovative methods of low , medium and high voltage grids development.

Those time department achievements consist of:

  • New methods of analysing industrial power systems and network reliability improvement
  • New methods of losses definitions caused by power supply outages
  • Studies over power quality – current and voltage harmonics in power systems
  • New methods of transients and steady states calculation
  • New methods of short circuit current analysis and measures for SC current limitation
  • Forecasts of power and energy demand in power system

One of the main objective next to the scientific development in Department led by prof. Przanowski, was to develop technical laboratories. His activity resulted in one of the first Electrical Lighting Laboratory in Poland (1970).

Laboratorium oświetleniowe zostało wyposażone w unikatowe stanowiska badawcze takie jak: lumenomierz kulisty oraz ława fotometryczna.

In the first phase of the history of Electrical Power Engineering Department, shortly described above, the Department consisted of three Divisions: Electrical Power Engineering, Electrical Apparatus and High Voltage Division. However significant and rapid development of the energy sector dated to after war period caused foundation of three new units: Electrical Network, Power Plant and Electrical Heating Divisions.

In 1956, three Divisions (Electrical Apparatus, Power Plants and Electrical Heating) was separated from the Department of Electrical Power Engineering and established new Departments.

In 1966, another Division was split off the Department – High Voltage Division and became a separated organizational unit. Due to the large staff turnover, though the decades, the structure of the organizational units was changing many times. Currently, all mentioned departments and divisions operates under single Institute. The first fusion into such structure was performed in 1970, when Departments of Electrical Power Engineering, Electrical Heating, Power Plants and Electrical Railways was merged together but they still possessed own unique character. Since then they have operated as divisions.

The Thermal Power Plant Division has conducted researches and industrial projects connected with optimization of self-demand systems and equipment. The Division played significant role in designing of currently the biggest power plant in Poland – Belchatow. Then, the power plant was equipped with 360 MW power generators and activity of the divisions was mostly connected with improvements of these units.

The Electrical Railway Division intentionally was not founded as a part of Electrical Power Engineering Department. It operated under Department of Electrical Engineering. The range of academic work of the division was concentrated on electrification of the railway transport in Poland, improvements and implementation of electrical traction systems and development of the polish electric rolling stock. Previously railway in Poland was diesel engines based.

Prof. Przanowski died in 1976 and as director of Institute of Electrical Power Engineering, prof. Zbigniew Kowalski, DSC, Ph.D., EEng. was awarded. Prof. Kowalski, DSC, Ph.D., EEng. founded in 1988 two new divisions: Power Plants and Electrical Networks and Power Systems (leader: Maciej Pawlik, DSC, Ph.D., EEng.) and Industrial Power Engineering and Electrical Lightning (leader: Zbigniew Kowalski, DSC, Ph.D., EEng.). Since 1992 the director of the Institute of Electrical Power Engineering was prof. Maciej Pawlik, DSC, Ph.D., EEng.

In 1999 the fusion between Institute of Electrical Power Engineering and Department of High Voltage was established and the Department became a division again. As the leader, prof. Franiszek Mosiński was awarded. The researches filed of this department (earlier) and division afterwards has always included high voltage transformers. The scientists was involved in designing of the first polish transformer (420 kV), when the leader was prof. Zygmunt Hasterman, DSC, Ph.D., EEng. Next leader – prof. Zdzisław Szczepański, DSC, Ph.D., EEng. introduced two new scientific fields – transformer insulation and partial discharges and second – issue of design of high voltage test equipment.

In 2008, Division of Industrial Power Engineering and Electrical Lightning was renamed to Division of Electrical Networks and as the leader associate professor – Irena Wasiak, DSC, Ph.D., EEng. was appointed. In the same year associate professor – Jan Anuszczyk, DSC, Ph.D., EEng. was awarded to a leader of Transport and Energy Processing Division. In 2009 the Institute of Electrical Power Engineering was extended by division of Instrument Transformer and EMC, which earlier operated as separate department. Prof. Elżbieta Leśniewska – Komęza, DSC, Ph.D., EEng. is a leader.

In 2010, after 18 years of activity, associate professor – Andrzej Kanicki, DSC, Ph.D., EEng. replaced prof. Maciej Pawlik, DSC, Ph.D., EEng. at the position of director of the Institute and held it for 3 years.

Currently the Institute of Electrical Power Engineering consists of 5 divisions: Power Plant Division, Electrical Networks Division, Instrument Transformer and EMC Division, Transport and Energy Processing Division and High Voltage Division. The institute is a workplace for 5 full professors, 2 associate professors, over 30 Ph.D. and several Ph.D. students. The director of the Institute of Electrial Powe Engineering since 2013 is associate professor – Irena Wasiak, DSC, Ph.D., EEng. The operation of the Institute is supported by Vice-Director for administration affairs (Dr Ryszard Pawełek, Ph.D, EEng.), Vice-Director for educational affairs (Dr Józef Wiśniewski, Ph.D, EEng.) and Vice-Director for science affairs (Prof. Władysław Mielczarski, DSC, Ph.D., EEng.).