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ECE330

ECE330 (Power Circuits and Electromechanics) is a 3-credit-hour course that satisfies the 3-of-5 advanced core electives for EEs and satisfies the 1-of-6 Electrical Engineering Foundations Course requirement for CEs. It is offered in the fall, spring, and summer.

Content Covered

  • Real, reactive, and complex power
  • Three phase circuits
  • Magnetic circuits
  • Ideal transformers
  • Electromechanical systems
  • State space model, linearization, stability, Euler's method
  • Synchronous machines, induction machines

ECE330 begins with a review of concepts from ECE210, including basic circuit analysis, RMS values, complex numbers, and phasors. The concepts of real, reactive, and complex power are then introduced in the context of single phase power circuits. The course then moves onto three phase power circuit analysis, introducing wye and delta connections and relations between line and phase voltages for balanced loads. Magnetic circuit analysis, coupled coils, and mutual inductance are then introduced, which provides a strong basis for understanding transformers. Towards the middle of the course, electromechanical systems are taught, including translational and rotational systems, which allows students to understand the concepts behind rotating electric machines. The course concludes with electromechanical system stability and an introduction to synchronous and induction machines.

Prerequisites

ECE210 is the only official prerequisite to this course. Do not attempt to take this course without having taken ECE210 beforehand, as you are assumed to be familiar with complex numbers and circuit analysis using phasors at the beginning of the course.

A basic understanding of electromagnetics concepts and Maxwell's equations is useful to understanding the theory behind magnetic circuits, transformers, and rotating machines. Because of this, taking ECE329 - Fields and Waves I before or concurrently with this course can be helpful, but it is not essential to do well in the class. Linear algebra concepts, such as determining eigenvalues, from either MATH257 or MATH416 are important for understanding linearization and electromechanical system stability, and it is recommended to take one of these courses either before or concurrently with ECE330.

When to Take it

Take this course to satisfy the 3 out of 5 criteria, or if you have an interest in power systems, electric machines, or electromechanical energy conversion. For students interested in the power and energy field, it is recommended to take this course as soon as possible, directly after taking ECE210. However, it is completely fine to take this course later, as relevant concepts from ECE210 are reviewed during the first week. If you want to take this course as soon as possible, take ECE210 as soon as possible.

Course Structure

This course has a relatively light workload. Weekly homeworks are assigned on PrairieLearn, which can take about a few hours. The homework is not required, but is highly recommended in order to do well on the quizzes. There are weekly quizzes that are similar to the homework problems. These quizzes are short and should be manageable if you have completed the homework and understand the concepts behind the problems.

This course has two midterm exams and one final exam. For the midterms, students can go through past exams and solutions. Past exams since Fall 1999 are uploaded on the course website. These are a great help when preparing for both quizzes as well as midterms. For the final, it is highly recommended to go through every existing past exam deliberately.

This course is graded on an absolute scale, meaning students are graded based on a performance standard, not their performance relative to other students, so doing well on the quizzes and exams is vital to doing well in the class.

Instructors

Professors Jonathon Schuh, Olga Mironenko, and Richard Zhang have taught the course recently. The professors all have strong backgrounds in the power field and are easy to ask questions to. Going to their office hours is recommended.

Course Tips

Though it is not required, doing the homework is very important for doing well on the quizzes and exams. Going to office hours and reading the textbook are helpful for completing the homework and studying for exams. Many past exams are posted on the course website, and it is recommended for students to go through these exams and their homework problems to study for exams.

Life After

ECE330 opens the door to the power and energy field. You should take this course if you are interested in power generation, electric motors, generators, and drives, transformer design, power electronics, or renewable energy.

ECE431 - Electric Machinery and ECE476 - Power System Analysis both have ECE330 as a prerequisite. ECE431 follows on directly from ECE330 and focuses on transformers and rotating electric machines. ECE431 also has a lab component where students perform tests on electric machines to determine circuit parameters and performance characteristics. ECE476 is a course on power systems, covering topics such as transmission line modeling, power flow, transient stability, and short circuit analysis. Students who are interested in power systems should also consider taking ECE464 - Power Electronics (prerequisite: ECE342 - Electronic Circuits) and ECE469 - Power Electronics Laboratory (prerequisite: ECE343 - Electronic Circuits Laboratory), which cover power electronic switching devices and power converters. ECE431 is only offered during the spring semester, while ECE464, ECE469, and ECE476 are only offered during the fall semester.

ECE333 - Green Electric Energy is another great course that is offered every semester. If you are interested in renewable energy, including wind turbines and photovoltaic cells, you should consider ECE333. Finally, if you wish to specialize in controls, you should take ECE486 - Control Systems; this course will help you in power electronic design and lead the way to advanced grid system control.

Infamous Topics

  • State space modeling, linearization, and stability: This is taught later in the course and is the most math-heavy topic of ECE330, requiring a good understanding of differential equations and linear algebra. For this reason, many students consider this to be the most challenging part of the course.

Resources