The main focus of his practical research lies in the following areas:

• Drives and generators for renewable energy, currently with a particular focus on small wind turbines
• Modern control methods for electric drives: sensorless methods, energy-efficient control, automatic identification
• Condition monitoring and fault tolerance of converter-fed drives
• Optimisation of power electronic systems, in particular for hybrid drive systems and electrical energy storage devices

The IAR laboratory has a range of drive technology test benches, some of which can be operated with highly dynamic control. Machine sets with different power ratings are available for these test benches:

• Asynchronous, synchronous and DC machines in the rated power range up to 7.5 kW
• Asynchronous and permanent magnet synchronous machines in the rated power range from 20 kW

The highly dynamic control of the electric machines makes it possible to test a wide variety of load and operating situations on the test bench in the specified power ranges. This allows electrical and mechanical compensation processes as well as the steady-state behaviour of a controlled drive or generator system to be checked and optimised if necessary. This applies to the control characteristics as well as the mechanical and thermal design of the system components and their electromagnetic compatibility. The following measurement technology is available for the tests:

• Voltage and current sensors for real-time data acquisition
• Calibrated power measurement technology
• Torque and speed measurements with cut-off frequencies up to 33 kHz

The laboratory has an EMC test station for testing and optimising the electromagnetic compatibility of power electronic components.

• Model-based monitoring of speed-controlled traction asynchronous machines
• Verification of simulation models of a hybrid drive train
• Development of a battery model for dynamic simulation of electric and hybrid drives
• Development and testing of models for the dynamic behaviour of pneumatic valves
• Project planning and development of a machine test bench
• Integration of the power electronics of a traction drive with cooling circuit fan drive

Depending on the content and scope of the tasks and issues, there are various forms of cooperation with interested companies. Enquiries from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are particularly welcome. Cooperation is possible within the framework of

• Theses: Students work on a practical assignment for three to six months.
• Individual projects commissioned by companies to HAW Hamburg
• Third-party funded projects: Joint application for funding from institutional sponsors (e.g. federal or state ministries, research clusters, European Union) by the professorship and the participating company

Further information about Prof. Rudolph can be found on the HAW Homepage.