Research Aims To Keep Electricity Flowing Smoothly

Researchers in Purdue's School of Nuclear Engineering and Department of Computer Science have received a three-year, $1.5 million grant from the Electric Power Research Institute and the Department of Defense to investigate ways to ensure the smooth operation of the U.S. infrastructure, particularly the electric power grid.

The grant will fund the multidisciplinary Consortium for the Intelligent Management of the Electric Power Grid, or CIMEG. Purdue is the lead institution in the new consortium, which also includes the University of Tennessee, Fisk University, Tennessee Valley Authority and Commonwealth Edison.

The aim of the consortium is to develop methods and computer models to ensure that complex interactive infrastructures remain operational under ever-changing demands.

"Our goal is to develop anticipatory models that will keep small failures small enough to ensure the survival of the entire grid," said Lefteri Tsoukalas, associate professor of nuclear engineering and chair of the consortium's steering committee. "Anticipatory models will tell what the entire grid will be like in the future and will guide management responses at the local level."

Part of the work will focus on developing computer tools to make short- and long-term predictions and to aid decision-making. Researchers also will develop software to model loads and electricity generation, as well as sophisticated computer simulations and visualizations.

Arden Bement, the Turner Distinguished Professor of Engineering and head of Purdue's School of Nuclear Engineering, is the director of the consortium.