Access profile

Any student who has completed a master’s degree in engineering (or the 60 corresponding ECTS) has sufficient capacity to undertake a doctoral degree in our programme. However, preference will be given to students whose knowledge is directly related to electrical engineering. Students from other master’s degrees will be considered if they can demonstrate basic knowledge of fundamental electrical subjects such as electrotechnics and electrical machinery. In general, the programme committee and the future tutor will decide whether these students need to take any bridging courses to study on the doctoral programme.

Output profile

Doctoral candidates who complete a doctoral degree will have acquired the following competencies, which are needed to carry out quality research (Royal Decree 99/2011, of 28 January, which regulates official doctoral studies):

a) A systematic understanding of the field of study and a mastery of the research skills and methods related to the field.
b) An ability to conceive, design or create, put into practice and adopt a substantial process of research or creation.
c) An ability to contribute to pushing back the frontiers of knowledge through original research.
d) A capacity for critical analysis and an ability to assess and summarise new and complex ideas.
e) An ability to communicate with the academic and scientific community and with society in general as regards their fields of knowledge in the manner and languages that are typical of the international scientific community to which they belong.
f) An ability to foster scientific, technological, social, artistic and cultural progress in academic and professional contexts within a knowledge-based society.

The award of a doctoral degree must equip the graduate for work in a variety of settings, especially those requiring creativity and innovation. Doctoral graduates must have at least acquired the personal skills needed to:

a) Develop in contexts in which there is little specific information.
b) Find the key questions that must be answered to solve a complex problem.
c) Design, create, develop and undertake original, innovative projects in their field.
d) Work as part of a team and independently in an international or multidisciplinary context.
e) Integrate knowledge, deal with complexity and make judgements with limited information.
f) Offer criticism on and intellectually defend solutions.

Finally, with respect to competencies, doctoral students must:
a) have acquired advanced knowledge at the frontier of their discipline and demonstrated, in the context of internationally recognised scientific research, a deep, detailed and well-grounded understanding of theoretical and practical issues and scientific methodology in one or more research fields;
b) have made an original and significant contribution to scientific research in their field of expertise that has been recognised as such by the international scientific community;
c) have demonstrated that they are capable of designing a research project that serves as a framework for carrying out a critical analysis and assessment of imprecise situations, in which they are able to apply their contributions, expertise and working method to synthesise new and complex ideas that yield a deeper knowledge of the research context in which they work;
d) have developed sufficient autonomy to set up, manage and lead innovative research teams and projects and scientific collaborations (both national and international) within their subject area, in multidisciplinary contexts and, where appropriate, with a substantial element of knowledge transfer;
e) have demonstrated that they are able to carry out their research activity in a socially responsible manner and with scientific integrity;
f) have demonstrated, within their specific scientific context, that they are able to make cultural, social or technological advances and promote innovation in all areas within a knowledge-based society;
g) have demonstrated that they are able to participate in scientific discussions at the international level in their field of expertise and disseminate the results of their research activity to audiences of all kinds.

Number of places

30

Duration of studies and dedication regime

Duration
The maximum period of study for full-time doctoral studies is three years, counted from the date of admission to the programme to the date of submission of the doctoral thesis. The academic committee of the doctoral programme may authorise a doctoral candidate to pursue doctoral studies on a part-time basis. In this case, the maximum period of study is five years, counting from the date of admission to the programme to the date of submission of the doctoral thesis. For calculating these periods, the date of admission is considered to be the date of the first enrolment for tutorials, and the date of submission the moment in which the Doctoral School officially deposits the doctoral thesis.

For full-time doctoral candidates, the minimum period of study is two years, counted from the date of an applicant's admission to the programme until the date on which the doctoral thesis is deposited; for part-time doctoral candidates it is four years. When there are justified grounds for doing so, and the thesis supervisor and academic tutor have given their authorisation, doctoral candidates may request that the academic committee of their doctoral programme exempt them from the minimum period of study requirement.

The calculation of periods of study will not include periods of absence due to illness, pregnancy or any other reason provided for in the regulations in force. Students who find themselves in any of these circumstances must notify the academic committee of the doctoral programme, which, where appropriate, must inform the Doctoral School. Doctoral candidates may also temporarily withdraw from the programme for up to one year, and this period may be extended for an additional year. Doctoral candidates who wish to interrupt their studies must submit a justified request to the academic committee of the doctoral programme, which will decide whether or not to approve the request. Each programme will establish conditions for readmission to doctoral studies.

Extension
If full-time doctoral candidates have not applied to deposit their thesis by the end of the three-year period of study, the academic committee of the programme may authorise an extension of up to one year. In exceptional circumstances, a further one-year extension may be granted, subject to the conditions established by the corresponding doctoral programme. In the case of part-time doctoral candidates, an extension of two years may be authorised. In both cases, in exceptional circumstances a further one-year extension may be granted by the Doctoral School's Standing Committee, upon the submission of a reasoned application by the academic committee of the doctoral programme.

Dismissal from the doctoral programme
A doctoral candidate may be dismissed from a doctoral programme for the following reasons:

• The doctoral candidate submitting a justified application to withdraw from the programme.
• The maximum period of study and of extensions thereof ending.
• The doctoral candidate not having enrolled every academic year (unless he or she has been authorised to temporarily withdraw).
• The doctoral candidate failing two consecutive assessments.
• The doctoral candidate having disciplinary proceedings filed against him or her that rule that he or she must be dismissed from the UPC.

Dismissal from the programme implies that doctoral candidates cannot continue studying at the UPC and the closing of their academic record. This notwithstanding, they may apply to the academic committee of the programme for readmission and the committee must reevaluate them in accordance with the criteria established in the regulations.

Organization

• Villafafila Robles, Roberto

• Galceran Arellano, Samuel
• Gomis Bellmunt, Oriol
• Montaña Puig, Joan
• Montesinos Miracle, Daniel
• Villafafila Robles, Roberto

• Department of Electrical Engineering (PROMOTORA)

Doctoral Area, UTGAEIB-ETSEIB. Pavelló I (South Campus)
Tel.: (+34) 934 016 586
E-mail: doctoratb.utgaeib@upc.edu

Agreements with other institutions

The doctoral programme has strong ties with lecturers in electrical engineering at the University of Girona. As the University of Girona does not offer a doctoral programme in Electrical Engineering, the UPC is the closest university at which to take this doctoral degree. This has happened in some cases. There is no specific agreement between the universities.
The doctoral programme also has strong ties with lecturers in electrical engineering at the Rovira i Virgili University (Tarragona). Likewise, as there is no doctoral programme in Electrical Engineering at this university, the UPC is the closest university at which to take the doctoral degree. This has happened in some cases. There is no specific agreement between the universities.
There is collaboration on research projects and teaching activities with Cardiff University, Imperial College London and Leuven University (KUL).
The Centre for Technological Innovation in Static Converters and Drives (CITCEA) research group is in close contact with the Energy Research Institute of Catalonia (IREC).
For many years, the UPC Lightning Research Group has had ties with Horacio Torres’s group at the National University of Colombia, and reciprocal research visits take place.

Access profile

Any student who has completed a master’s degree in engineering (or the 60 corresponding ECTS) has sufficient capacity to undertake a doctoral degree in our programme. However, preference will be given to students whose knowledge is directly related to electrical engineering. Students from other master’s degrees will be considered if they can demonstrate basic knowledge of fundamental electrical subjects such as electrotechnics and electrical machinery. In general, the programme committee and the future tutor will decide whether these students need to take any bridging courses to study on the doctoral programme.

Access requirements

Applicants must hold a Spanish bachelor’s degree or equivalent and a Spanish master’s degree or equivalent, provided they have completed a minimum of 300 ECTS credits on the two degrees (Royal Decree 43/2015, of 2 February)

In addition, the following may apply:

• Holders of an official degree awarded by a university in Spain or any other country in the European Higher Education Area, pursuant to the provisions of Article 16 of Royal Decree 1393/2007, of 29 October, which establishes official university course regulations, who have completed a minimum of 300 ECTS credits on official university degrees, of which at least 60 must be at the master's degree level.
• Holders of an official Spanish bachelor’s degree comprising at least 300 credits, as provided for by EU regulations. Holder of degrees of this kind must complete bridging courses unless the curriculum of the bachelor’s degree in question included research training credits equivalent in value to those which would be earned on a master's degree.
• Holders of an official university qualification who, having passed the entrance examination for specialised medical training, have completed at least two years of a training course leading to an official degree in a health-sciences specialisation.
• Holders of a degree issued under a foreign education system. In these cases, homologation is not required, but the UPC must verify that the degree certifies a level of training equivalent to an official Spanish master's degree and qualifies the holder for admission to doctoral studies in the country where it was issued. Admission on this basis does not imply homologation of the foreign degree or its recognition for any purpose other than admission to doctoral studies.
• Holders of a Spanish doctoral qualification issued under previous university regulations.

Note 1: Doctoral studies entrance regulations for holders of an undergraduate degree awarded before the introduction of the EHEA (CG 47/02 2014)

Note 2: Governing Council Decision 64/2014, which approves the procedure and criteria for assessing the fulfilment of academic admission requirements for doctoral studies by holders of non-homologated foreign degrees (CG 25/03 2014)

Admission criteria and merits assessment

1.a) Students who have taken a master’s degree in engineering that is directly related to the electrical field will have direct access to the programme.
2.a) Students who have taken a master’s degree in engineering that is not related to the electrical field must take bridging courses in subjects in this field. The bridging courses will be defined by the programme committee and the tutors, depending on the student’s previous knowledge and the research area in which they will prepare their thesis.

The following aspects will be considered for admission, as well as the selection criteria and weighting of applicants to prioritise those who meet the access and admission requirements:
• Studies relating to electrical engineering (75%).
• Academic record (20%).
• Research experience and/or language knowledge (5%).

Training complements

Students who have taken a master’s degree in engineering that is not related to the electrical field must take bridging courses in subjects in this field. These will be selected by the academic committee of the doctoral programme and the tutors, depending on the students’ previous knowledge and the research area in which they wish to complete the thesis.

The bridging courses are basic (electrotechnics, electrical machines, etc.) or more specific (advanced electrotechnics; operation and management of electric power systems; the design, simulation and control of electrical machines; calculation, supervision and control of electrical systems; quality of electricity supply, etc.) depending on the applicant’s CV. For these bridging courses, the reference studies will be those of the master’s degree in Energy Engineering (specialisation in Electrical Engineering) at the UPC.

Enrolment period for new doctoral students

The enrolment period for new doctoral students will be in September.

More information at the registration section for new doctoral students

Enrolment period

After the first year, the enrolment period for doctoral students will run from September to mid-October.

More information at the general registration section

Procedure for the preparation and defense of the research plan

Doctoral candidates must submit a research plan, which will be included in their doctoral student activity report, before the end of the first year. The plan may be improved over the course of the doctoral degree. It must be endorsed by the tutor and the supervisor, and it must include the method that is to be followed and the aims of the research.

At least one of these annual assessments will include a public presentation and defence of the research plan and work done before a committee composed of three doctoral degree holders, which will be conducted in the manner determined by each academic committee. The examination committee awards a Pass or Fail mark. A Pass mark is a prerequisite for continuing on the doctoral programme. Doctoral candidates awarded a Fail mark must submit a new research plan for assessment by the academic committee of the doctoral programme within six months.

The committee assesses the research plan every year, in addition to all of the other activities in the doctoral student activity report. Doctoral candidates who are awarded two consecutive Fail marks for the research plan will be obliged to definitely withdraw from the programme.

If they change the subject of their thesis, they must submit a new research plan.

Formation activities

• Activity: Tutorial.
- Hours: 288.
- Type: compulsory.

• Activity: Courses, seminars and workshops.
- Hours: 6.
- Type: optional.

• Activity: Mobility.
- Hours: 480.
- Type: optional.

• Activity: Training in information skills.
- Hours: 1.5.
- Type: optional.

• Activity: Research methodology.
- Hours: 12.
- Type: optional.

• Activity: Innovation and creativity.
- Hours: 8.
- Type: optional.

- Activity: Language and communication skills.
- Hours: 18.
- Type: optional.

• Activity: Assessment based on doctoral student activity report (DAD) and research plan.
- Hours: 4.
- Type: compulsory.

Procedure for assignment of tutor and thesis director

The academic committee of the doctoral programme assigns a thesis supervisor to each doctoral candidate when they are admitted or enrol for the first time, taking account of the thesis supervision commitment referred to in the admission decision.

The thesis supervisor will ensure that training activities carried out by the doctoral candidate are coherent and suitable, and that the topic of the candidate’s doctoral thesis will have an impact and make a novel contribution to knowledge in the relevant field. The thesis supervisor will also guide the doctoral candidate in planning the thesis and, if necessary, tailoring it to any other projects or activities undertaken. The thesis supervisor will generally be a UPC professor or researcher who holds a doctoral degree and has documented research experience. This includes PhD-holding staff at associated schools (as determined by the Governing Council) and UPC-affiliated research institutes (in accordance with corresponding collaboration and affiliation agreements). When thesis supervisors are UPC staff members, they also act as the doctoral candidate’s tutor.

PhD holders who do not meet these criteria (as a result of their contractual relationship or the nature of the institution to which they are attached) must be approved by the UPC Doctoral School's Standing Committee in order to participate in a doctoral programme as researchers with documented research experience.

The academic committee of the doctoral programme may approve the appointment of a PhD-holding expert who is not a UPC staff member as a candidate’s thesis supervisor. In such cases, the prior authorisation of the UPC Doctoral School's Standing Committee is required. A UPC staff member who holds a doctoral degree and has documented research experience must also be proposed to act as a co-supervisor, or as the doctoral candidate’s tutor if one has not been assigned.

A thesis supervisor may step down from this role if there are justified reasons (recognised as valid by the committee) for doing so. If this occurs, the academic committee of the doctoral programme will assign the doctoral candidate a new thesis supervisor.

Provided there are justified reasons for doing so, and after hearing any relevant input from the doctoral candidate, the academic committee of the doctoral programme may assign a new thesis supervisor at any time during the period of doctoral study.

If there are academic reasons for doing so (an interdisciplinary topic, joint or international programmes, etc.) and the academic committee of the programme gives its approval, an additional thesis supervisor may be assigned. Supervisors and co-supervisors have the same responsibilities and academic recognition.

The maximum number of supervisors of a doctoral thesis is two: a supervisor and a co-supervisor.

For theses carried out under a cotutelle agreement or as part of an Industrial Doctorate, if necessary and if the agreement foresees it this maximum number of supervisors may not apply. This notwithstanding, the maximum number of supervisors belonging to the UPC is two.

More information at the PhD theses section

Permanence

The academic committee of the programme may authorise an extension of up to one year for full-time doctoral candidates who have not applied to deposit their thesis by the end of the three-year period of study, in the terms outlined in the Academic Regulations for Doctoral Studies of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. In the case of part-time candidates, an extension of two years may be authorised. In both cases, in exceptional circumstances a further one-year extension may be granted by the Doctoral School's Standing Committee, upon the submission of a reasoned application by the academic committee of the doctoral programme.

A doctoral candidate may be dismissed from a doctoral programme for the following reasons:

• The doctoral candidate submitting a justified application to withdraw from the programme.
• The maximum period of study and of extensions thereof ending.
• The doctoral candidate not having enrolled every academic year (unless he or she has been authorised to temporarily withdraw).
• The doctoral candidate failing two consecutive assessments.
• The doctoral candidate having disciplinary proceedings filed against him or her that rule that he or she must be dismissed from the UPC.

Dismissal from the programme implies that doctoral candidates cannot continue studying at the UPC and the closing of their academic record. This notwithstanding, they may apply to the academic committee of the programme for readmission and the committee must reevaluate them in accordance with the criteria established in the regulations.

International Mention

The doctoral degree certificate may include International Doctorate mention. In this case, the doctoral candidate must meet the following requirements:

a) During the period of study leading to the award of the doctoral degree, the doctoral candidate must have spent at least three months at a respected higher education institution or research centre outside Spain to complete courses or do research work. The stays and activities carried out must be endorsed by the thesis supervisor and authorised by the academic committee of the programme. The candidate must provide a certifying document issued by the person responsible for the research group of the body or bodies where the stay or activity was completed. This information will be added to the doctoral student’s activity report.
b) Part of the thesis (at least the summary and conclusions) must be written and presented in one of the languages commonly used for science communication in the relevant field of knowledge, which must not be an official language of Spain. This rule does not apply to stays and reports in Spanish or to experts from Spanish-speaking countries.
c) At least two PhD-holding experts belonging to a higher education institution or research centre outside Spain must have issued officially certified reports on the thesis.
d) The thesis examination committee must have included at least one PhD-holding expert from a higher education or research institution outside Spain who was not responsible for the candidate’s stay abroad (point a) above).
e) The thesis defence must have taken place on UPC premises or, in the case of joint programmes, at the location specified in the collaboration agreement.

List of authorized thesis for defense

• BAKKAR, MOSTAFA AHMED AHMED MAHMOUD AHMED: Sag effects on protection system in distributed generation grids
  
  Author: BAKKAR, MOSTAFA AHMED AHMED MAHMOUD AHMED
  Thesis file: (contact the Doctoral School to confirm you have a valid doctoral degree and to get the link to the thesis)
  Programme: DOCTORAL DEGREE IN ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
  Department: (DEE)
  Mode: Normal
  Deposit date: 21/12/2021
  Reading date: 07/02/2022
  Reading time: 09:30
  Reading place: ESEIAAT- UPC, aula 3.6, Edifici TR5, Campus de Terrassa. https://meet.google.com/dim-uebu-hrd
  Thesis director: BOGARRA RODRIGUEZ, SANTIAGO | CORCOLES LOPEZ, FELIPE
  Committee:
       PRESIDENT: GUERRERO ZAPATA, JOSEP MARIA
       SECRETARI: SAINZ SAPERA, LUIS
       VOCAL: BOLZONI, ALBERTO
  Thesis abstract: Distributed Generators (DGs) are sensible to voltage sags, so the protection devices must trip fast to disconnect the faulted part of the grid. The DG disconnection will not be desirable in the near future with a large penetration, so it will be necessary to lay down new requirements that should be based on avoiding unnecessary disconnections. Therefore, to prevent unnecessary tripping when inverter-based DGs are connected to the Medium Voltage (MV) grid, reliable and effective protection strategies need to be developed, considering the limited short-circuit current contribution of DG.The initial goal of this study is to employ different possible control strategies for a grid-connected inverter according to the Spanish grid code and to analyze the output voltage behavior during symmetrical and unsymmetrical voltage sags. The analytical development of the proposed strategies shows the impacts of the sag on currents, voltages, active and reactive powers.Another goal of this research is to propose a protection strategy based on Artificial Intelligence for a radial or ring distribution system with high DG penetration. The protection strategy is based on three different algorithms to develop a more secure, redundant, and reliable protection system to ensure supply continuity during disturbances in ring and radial grids without compromising system stability. In order to classify, locate and distinguish between permanent or transient faults, new protection algorithms based on artificial intelligence are proposed in this research, allowing network availability improvement disconnecting only the faulted part of the system. This research introduces the innovative use of directional relay based on a communication system and Artificial Neural Network (ANN). The first algorithm, Centralize algorithm (CE), collects the data from all the PDs in the grid in the centralized controller. This algorithm detects the power flow direction and calculates the positive-sequence current of all the PDs in the grid. Significant benefits of this system are that it consolidates the entire systems security into a single device, which can facilitate system security control. However, the CE will not pinpoint the exact location of the fault if there is any loss of information due to poor communication. Therefore, the systems redundancy can be improved by cooperating with a second algorithm, the Zone algorithm (ZO). ZO algorithm is based on zone control using peer-to-peer connectivity in the same line. The faulty line in that zone may be identified by combining the two PDs data on the same line. The most relevant advantage of this algorithm is its flexibility to adapt to any grid modification or disturbance, even if they are just temporary, unlike the CE, which is fixed to the existing grid configuration. The third protection algorithm, Local algorithm (LO), has been proposed without depending on the communication between the PDs; then, the protection system can work properly in case of a total loss of communication. Each PD should be able to detect if the fault is located in the protected line or another line by using only the local information of the PD. According to the type of fault and based on local measurements at each PD of abc voltages and currents, different algorithms will be applied depending on the calculation of the sequence components. The main advantage of this algorithm is the separate decision of each PD, and avoiding communication problems.In case of radial grids, both mechanical breakers and Solid State Relays (SSRs) are used to verify the protection strategies, and in the case of ring grids, mechanical breakers are used, due to the limitations in required voltage difference of SSR.The proposed protection algorithms are compared with conventional protections (Overcurrent and Differential) protections to validate the contribution of the proposed algorithms, especially in reconfigurable smart grids.
  

Last update: 21/01/2022 05:45:25.

List of lodged theses

Last update: 21/01/2022 05:30:21.

List of defended theses by year

No hi ha registres per mostrar.

Last update: 21/01/2022 06:00:17.

Research groups

• CITCEA-Centre of Technological Innovation in Power Electronics and Drives
• GAECE-Electronically Commutated Motor Drives Group
• LRG-Lightning Research Group
• QSE-Power Quality

Teachers

• Andrada Gascon, Pere
• Aragüés Peñalba, Mónica
• Bargallo Perpiña, Ramon
• Bergas Jane, Joan Gabriel
• Blanque Molina, Balduino
• Bogarra Rodriguez, Santiago
• Boix Aragones, Oriol
• Bosch Tous, Ricard
• Casals Torrens, Pau
• Corcoles Lopez, Felipe
• de la Hoz Casas, Jordi
• Diaz Gonzalez, Francisco
• Doria Cerezo, Arnau
• Galceran Arellano, Samuel
• Garcia Espinosa, Antoni
• Gomis Bellmunt, Oriol
• Martin Cañadas, Maria Elena
• Matas Alcala, Jose
• Mesas Garcia, Juan Jose
• Montaña Puig, Joan
• Montesinos Miracle, Daniel
• Mujal Rosas, Ramon Maria
• Pedra Duran, Joaquin
• Riba Ruiz, Jordi
• Rull Duran, Joan
• Sainz Sapera, Luis
• Sudria Andreu, Antoni
• Sumper, Andreas
• Torrent Burgues, Marcel
• Villafafila Robles, Roberto