Access profile

Applicants who meet the admission requirements to enter the doctoral programme in Electronic Engineering and can be accepted without the need for bridging courses must meet three conditions:

• Specific research training in the area of electronic technology.
• Oral and written communication skills in English.
• Have contacted a lecturer associated with the programme who considers that the applicant has the ability and motivation to start a doctoral thesis in one of the subject areas.

The first condition is met if the applicant has gained at least 60 ECTS credits for an EHEA master’s degree with a research focus, or a qualification that proves an equivalent level of training and leads to a doctoral programme in the country of issue, and that these master’s degree credits correspond to training in the area of electronic technology or one of the four subject areas covered by the programme. The list of main entrance qualifications shows which degrees meet this condition. Holders of these qualifications can be admitted without having to take bridging courses. Other qualifications can be identified that could meet the admission requirements, depending on the specialisation and the academic pathway followed by students.

The second condition in the admission requirements is met if the applicant’s native language is English or he/she holds an official, internationally recognised English language certificate (First Certificate, TOEFL, certificates from official language academies) or through a personal interview.

The third condition in the admission requirements is met when, after a meeting with the applicant, the lecturer gives a positive evaluation to the programme coordinator.

Main entrance qualifications
Some of the official Spanish qualifications that meet the first condition in the admission requirements. Candidates who hold these qualifications could be admitted without having to take bridging courses. These qualifications are:
• master's degree in Electronic Engineering
• master’s degree in Automatic Systems Engineering and Industrial Electronics
• master’s degree in Electronic Engineering and Automatic Control
• master's degree in Telecommunications Engineering, specialisation in Electronics
• master’s degree in Network Engineering and Communications, specialisation in Electronics
• master’s degree in Engineering and Management of Telecommunications, specialisation in Research
• master’s degree in Micro- and Nanotechnology Engineering
• master’s degree in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, specialisation in Physical Sciences and Technologies, Information Technologies, Energy and Environment
• master’s degree in Energy and Power Electronics

Other qualifications have some specialisations or academic pathways that could meet the first condition in the admission requirements. These include:
• master's degree in Industrial Engineering
• master's degree in Energy Engineering
• master's degree in Biomedical Engineering
• master’s degree in Information Technologies and Communications
• master’s degree in Physics
• master’s degree in Photonics

In these cases, students may be admitted, but the academic committee of the doctoral programme will examine the candidate’s academic record and determine whether they have obtained specific research training in the field of electronic technology or need to take bridging courses.

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

20

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

• Moll Echeto, Francesc

• del Rio Fernandez, Joaquin
• Martinez Garcia, Herminio
• Moll Echeto, Francesc
• Puigdollers Gonzalez, Joaquim
• Rodriguez Montañes, Rosa

University of the Balearic Islands (UIB)

• Department of Electronic Engineering (PROMOTORA)

doctorat.eel@upc.edu

Access profile

Applicants who meet the admission requirements to enter the doctoral programme in Electronic Engineering and can be accepted without the need for bridging courses must meet three conditions:

• Specific research training in the area of electronic technology.
• Oral and written communication skills in English.
• Have contacted a lecturer associated with the programme who considers that the applicant has the ability and motivation to start a doctoral thesis in one of the subject areas.

The first condition is met if the applicant has gained at least 60 ECTS credits for an EHEA master’s degree with a research focus, or a qualification that proves an equivalent level of training and leads to a doctoral programme in the country of issue, and that these master’s degree credits correspond to training in the area of electronic technology or one of the four subject areas covered by the programme. The list of main entrance qualifications shows which degrees meet this condition. Holders of these qualifications can be admitted without having to take bridging courses. Other qualifications can be identified that could meet the admission requirements, depending on the specialisation and the academic pathway followed by students.

The second condition in the admission requirements is met if the applicant’s native language is English or he/she holds an official, internationally recognised English language certificate (First Certificate, TOEFL, certificates from official language academies) or through a personal interview.

The third condition in the admission requirements is met when, after a meeting with the applicant, the lecturer gives a positive evaluation to the programme coordinator.

Main entrance qualifications
Some of the official Spanish qualifications that meet the first condition in the admission requirements. Candidates who hold these qualifications could be admitted without having to take bridging courses. These qualifications are:
• master's degree in Electronic Engineering
• master’s degree in Automatic Systems Engineering and Industrial Electronics
• master’s degree in Electronic Engineering and Automatic Control
• master's degree in Telecommunications Engineering, specialisation in Electronics
• master’s degree in Network Engineering and Communications, specialisation in Electronics
• master’s degree in Engineering and Management of Telecommunications, specialisation in Research
• master’s degree in Micro- and Nanotechnology Engineering
• master’s degree in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, specialisation in Physical Sciences and Technologies, Information Technologies, Energy and Environment
• master’s degree in Energy and Power Electronics

Other qualifications have some specialisations or academic pathways that could meet the first condition in the admission requirements. These include:
• master's degree in Industrial Engineering
• master's degree in Energy Engineering
• master's degree in Biomedical Engineering
• master’s degree in Information Technologies and Communications
• master’s degree in Physics
• master’s degree in Photonics

In these cases, students may be admitted, but the academic committee of the doctoral programme will examine the candidate’s academic record and determine whether they have obtained specific research training in the field of electronic technology or need to take bridging courses.

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

The academic committee checks compliance with the admission requirements according to current legislation. It makes the decision on admission and whether bridging courses are required. The decision is based on the documents that have been submitted, and the principles of merit and equal opportunities are upheld.

The following aspects are assessed for each applicant and points are given for each one:

• Suitability of the competencies gained by students in their entrance qualification (up to 3 points).
• Academic record (up to 3 points).
• Knowledge of the English language (up to 1 point).
• Assessment by the research group and integration into projects (up to 3 points).

The points for each aspect will be added to give each applicant’s entrance score. In general, candidates who meet the conditions in the admission requirement and obtain an entrance score of at least 6 points will be admitted. If the demand is greater than the offer of places, applicants will be ranked according to the score obtained. Applicants who gained the highest scores will be admitted first.

Criteria for establishing bridging courses

For the following three admission cases:

1. Applicants who have a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) and master’s degree issued in Spain.
2. Applicants who have a university qualification issued in Spain or another country within the European Higher Education Area that qualifies them to access master’s degree studies and who have gained at least 300 ECTS credits in all their university courses, of which at least 60 credits must have been awarded for master’s degree studies.
3. Applicants who have a qualification obtained in a foreign education system that does not require homologation, once the UPC has checked that the qualification demonstrates a level of training equivalent to the Spanish master’s degree and qualifies the holder to access doctoral studies in the country of issue.

• If the applicant demonstrates that they meet all three admission requirements, they are accepted on the programme without having to take bridging courses and are assigned a tutor.
  
• If, after an examination of the academic record for the master’s degree, the applicants have not demonstrated sufficient specific research training in the electronic technology field but they have the approval of a research group to prepare their doctoral thesis, they will be admitted on the condition that they take certain bridging courses, after consultation with the proposed tutor.

4. In the case of applicants who hold a Spanish bachelor’s degree whose duration was at least 300 ECTS credits, in accordance with European community regulations:

• If applicants meet the three specific admission requirements because the bachelor’s degree curriculum includes research credits that are equivalent in terms of training value to research credits from master’s degree courses, they are accepted on the programme without having to take bridging courses and are assigned a tutor.
• If the bachelor’s degree curriculum does not include research credits that are equivalent in terms of training value to research credits from master’s degree studies, but the applicants have the approval of a research group to prepare the doctoral thesis, they are accepted with the requirement of taking bridging courses, after consultation with the proposed tutor.

Training complements

The academic committee for the programme may require that doctoral students pass specific bridging courses. In this case, it will monitor the bridging courses that are taken and establish suitable criteria to limit their duration.

The bridging courses will be on research training, but doctoral students will never be required to enrol for a number of credits equal to or above 60 ECTS. The academic regulations of doctoral studies state that bridging courses may also be cross-disciplinary. However, this point is likely to be amended so that bridging courses are only associated with research credits, particularly when an applicant enters the doctoral programme with a bachelor’s degree worth 300 ECTS.

Considering the doctoral student activity report (DAD), the academic committee of the programme could propose additional measures to those established in the regulations that lead to the withdrawal of doctoral students who do not meet the established criteria.

As described in the admission requirements, bridging courses are only required of students who are admitted and do not have evidence of specific research training in the area of electronic technology. Students who hold one of the main entrance qualifications specified in the admission requirements will not be assigned any bridging courses.

The bridging courses that are required will always consist of ECTS credits associated with research subjects from the master's degree in Electronic Engineering at the UPC or the UIB, or other related master’s degrees, that are proposed by the thesis tutor.

For students described in cases 1, 2 or 3 in the section on admission requirements, the number of credits will be between 5 and 30, and will be established depending on the applicant's academic record and after consultation with the proposed tutor.

For students described in case 4 in the section on admission requirements, the number of credits will be between 15 and 50, and will be established depending on the applicant’s academic record and after consultation with the proposed tutor.

Bridging courses should be passed within a year from the first enrolment, and the academic committee of the programme will be responsible for verifying this at the time of the annual tutorial assessment. Students will be considered to have passed the bridging courses if they have passed the assessments established in the master’s degree subjects for which they have enrolled.

Enrolment period for new doctoral students

Students enrolling in the doctoral programme for the first time must do so by the deadline specified in the admission decision.

Unless otherwise expressly indicated, enrolments corresponding to admission decisions issued from the second half of April on must be completed within the ordinary enrolment period for the current academic year.

More information at the registration section for new doctoral students

Enrolment period

Ordinary period for second and successive enrolments: first half of October in the current academic year.

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.
Description:
Advice, assistance, monitoring and assessment of doctoral students so that they gain the competencies they are expected to have by the end of the programme.
Tutorials are held periodically during the entire programme.

Activity: Writing research reports as part of funded research projects.
Hours: 20.
Type: optional.
Description: Participation in funded research projects and the preparation of progress reports and final reports, as training in carrying out research with teams from the same and other institutions, and with a contractual structure.

Activity: Attendance of conferences.
Hours: 24.
Type: optional.
Description: Attendance of scientific conferences relating to the research area that are preferably international and of proven relevance, to find out the latest advances in the doctoral student’s research area and to make contact, present and discuss the progress of the research with other researchers working in the same area.

Activity: Publications.
Hours: 30.
Type: compulsory.
Description: Publication of the thesis results in indexed journals, preferably high impact journals (JCR index), patents accepted, or publications at international conferences of proven relevance (notable conference, according to UPC classification).
Type: compulsory. Estimate of time in hours to write a four-page article = 30 hours.
Doctoral students are expected to carry out this activity between the second and third years of the thesis.
In the annual tutorial assessment of the second year, doctoral students must describe a paper they have published.
Before the thesis submission is authorised, doctoral students must also describe a paper they have published. In all cases, the doctoral student should be the first author.

Activity: Doctoral-company meetings.
Hours: 8.
Type: optional.
Description: Participation in doctoral meetings, to disseminate the research work within the university community and in the surrounding social and business environment, with a view to joining the job market.

Activity: Mobility.
Hours: 480.
Type: optional.
Description: Research visit to centres abroad to complete part of the thesis, in order to participate in different teams/work systems, establish collaborations and benefit from the experience and resources of other work teams.
Research visits: Calculation of 40 hours a week for 12 weeks approximately.

Activity: Assessment based on doctoral student activity report (DAD) and research plan.
Hours: 4.
Type: compulsory.
Description: Validation of the academic progress of doctoral students and of the objectives and methodology that they are following in the research work.

Activity: Courses and conferences.
Hours: 10.
Type: optional.
Description: Enhancement of knowledge in the area related to the doctoral thesis research, by attending courses and talks given by lecturers who are not involved in the programme. Previous example: http://eel.postgrau.upc.edu/informacion-academica/cursos-y-seminarios.

Activity: Participation in specific seminars of research groups within the university.
Hours: 10.
Type: optional.
Description: Participation in seminars organised by research groups within the university, as an internal forum for presentation and discussion of individual and joint research progress.

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

• ARELLANO ESPITIA, FRANCISCO: Deep Learning Based Methodologies applied to Industrial Electromechanical Systems Monitoring
  
  Author: ARELLANO ESPITIA, FRANCISCO
  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 ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING
  Department: Department of Electronic Engineering (EEL)
  Mode: Normal
  Deposit date: 26/07/2023
  Reading date: 10/10/2023
  Reading time: 09:30
  Reading place: Aula TR14, ESEIAAT, Campus Terrassa.
  Thesis director: DELGADO PRIETO, MIGUEL | OSORNIO RIOS, ROQUE ALFREDO
  Committee:
       PRESIDENT: MORIÑIGO SOTELO, DANIEL
       SECRETARI: ROMERAL MARTINEZ, JOSE LUIS
       VOCAL: BUSTILLO IGLESIAS, ANDRÉS
  Thesis abstract: In recent years, there has been significant attention from both the academic and industry sectors towards condition-based maintenance of rotating systems. This attention stems from the high relevance of these systems in the industrial sector, particularly in production plants and manufacturing processes. To ensure their high efficiency, safety, and proper performance, it is crucial to have monitoring systems, schemes, and methodologies capable of diagnosing and detecting malfunctions in the various components that comprise the electromechanical rotating system, including electrical motors, bearings, gearboxes, and shafts among others.However, monitoring schemes face considerable challenges in dealing with the complexity inherent in these systems. This complexity arises from the diverse operational conditions, configurations with multiple components, and the presence of faults of different natures (i.e. mechanical, electrical and/or electromagnetic), occurring in isolated or combined scenarios. In recent times, techniques based on artificial intelligence, particularly artificial neural networks, have gained significant popularity in monitoring schemes. These techniques offer great potential in terms of system characterization and feature extraction, leading to the exploration of methodologies based on them. Furthermore, the advent of deep neural networks, which are multi-layered architectures, represents a significant advancement in the field of pattern recognition.Nevertheless, the implementation of these schemes in industrial environments continues to present ongoing challenges due to the demanding requirements, such as high reliability, robustness, and scalability, particularly within the context of the new Industry 4.0 paradigm.In this context, this thesis focuses on the investigation and proposal of a series of complementary methodologies based on deep learning, aiming to enable the implementation of predictive maintenance schemes for the industrial sector. Initially, a data-driven monitoring methodology based on deep learning is proposed for fault diagnosis in complex electromechanical system environments. Subsequently, a methodological process for anomaly identification, comprising deep learning strategies and machine learning tools, is presented. Finally, an intelligent diagnostic model utilizing domain adaptation techniques is proposed, resulting in the creation of a scalable model with the ability to generalize to fault scenarios under different operating conditions and address the issue of performance degradation.The proposed methodologies are studied and validated using experimental databases of electromechanical systems laboratory based. Quantifiable performance metrics and qualitative validation procedures are employed for rigorous evaluation and validation purposes.
  
• EL GHARBI, MARIAM: Design and Characterization of Wearable Antenna Sensors for Healthcare Applications
  
  Author: EL GHARBI, MARIAM
  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 ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING
  Department: Department of Electronic Engineering (EEL)
  Mode: Article-based thesis
  Deposit date: 24/07/2023
  Reading date: 06/10/2023
  Reading time: 11:00
  Reading place: Sala de Conferències TR1-ESEIAAT (Terrassa)
  Thesis director: GIL GALI, IGNACIO | FERNANDEZ GARCIA, RAUL
  Committee:
       PRESIDENT: BONACHE ALBACETE, JORDI
       SECRETARI: AMANTE GARCIA, BEATRIZ
       VOCAL: GIL BARBA, MARTA
  Thesis abstract: Wearable antenna sensors are a promising technology for developing new applications in the healthcare field since textiles are widely used by everyone due to the maturity of textile manufacturing. According to the last decade's market behavior, it is expected that consumers will claim smaller and more intelligent communications systems which will improve their quality of life. In this respect, wearable antenna sensor technology is one of the key implementations of the future smart clothes field and they may find their place in our daily life. Currently, the researches on wearable antenna sensors are receiving increasing interest while wearable antenna sensors on textile have less research, thus it is a novelty and motivation of this thesis. This thesis deals with challenges regarding wearable antenna sensor design, characterization, and measurements on textile. Based on the analysis of the current state of the art, there are several new research that merits to be explored, thus generating the specific objectives of this thesis. The first objective is to develop new textile antenna sensors with high performance including low profile, high sensitivity, low cost, and high durability; the second objective is to explore wearable antenna-based sensors that can be used for body signal/healthcare monitoring and communication purposes; the third objective is to test the performance of the antenna sensor in real-world scenarios, such as breathing monitoring, and the fourth objective is to develop antenna sensors that can be integrated into clothing for breathing monitoring combined with other commercial electronic components, such as Bluetooth/WIFI transmitter.For achieving the first objective, an embroidered fully textile antenna-based sensor is proposed to detect various concentrations of salt and sugar using microwave signals. Different concentrations of salt and sugar are identified through variations in frequency shifts and magnitude levels observed in reflection coefficient measurements. In addition, the rinsing reliability validation measurements are performed. The proposed sensor offers high sensitivity and compact size. To achieve the second objective, a textile antenna sensor for in vitro diagnostics of diabetes for monitoring blood glucose levels is proposed. The experiments are performed to detect different diabetic conditions including hypoglycemia, normoglycemia, and hyperglycemia. To attain the third objective, a new embroidered meander dipole antenna-based sensor for real-time breath detection using the technique based on chest well movement analysis is proposed. For the fourth objective, an embroidered antenna-based sensor is integrated into the T-shirt to demonstrate the sensing mechanism based on the detection of different breathing patterns through the resonance shift frequency and the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) using a Bluetooth transmitter. The results show a good sensing performance and its ability to detect and monitor different breathing patterns.This thesis has been developed at RFLEX (Radio Frequency Identification and Flexible Electronics) group, which is part of the Electronic Engineering Department at UPC partially supported by projects: TEC2016-79465-R, TED2021-131209B-I0, and PID2021-124288OB-I0. This Ph.D. thesis has been written as a Compendium of articles, five articles indexed in the Journal Citation Report are already published and one additional is under submission, which are included as an annex in this thesis.Keywords ¿ Antenna-based sensors, embroidered textile, frequency shift, microwave sensing, breathing patterns, wearable system, e-textile, breathing monitoring.
  
• GONZALEZ MARIÑO, ANGELA: Contributions to the Design, Development and Evaluation of Network
  
  Author: GONZALEZ MARIÑO, ANGELA
  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 ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING
  Department: Department of Electronic Engineering (EEL)
  Mode: Normal
  Deposit date: 26/07/2023
  Reading date: 27/10/2023
  Reading time: 11:30
  Reading place: Aula de graus (edifici C4-porta 002), ETSETB, campus nord
  Thesis director: MORENO AROSTEGUI, JUAN MANUEL | FONS LLUÍS, FRANCISCO
  Committee:
       PRESIDENT: MATA BURGAROLAS, M. NURIA
       SECRETARI: MADRENAS BOADAS, JORDI
       VOCAL NO PRESENCIAL: HÜBNER, MICHAEL
  Thesis abstract: This PhD dissertation analyzes the evolution of vehicular networks and focuses on the main network processing platform integrated in them: the Gateway (GW). First, a thorough analysis of state of the art technologies involved in vehicular networks is performed, leading to the definition of the requirements of future network processing platforms. Then, the available options in thestate of the art for network processing, both in industry and academia, are analyzed. This analysis shows a gap in this area: there is currently no architecture fulfilling all the requirements of future automotive GW controllers. Moreover, Hardware (HW) accelerators and custom processor design are identified as a key differentiation factor which boosts the performance of the devices. Linking the result of this analysis with the current trend towards application specific processors, this thesis proposes the novel Elastic Gateway (eGW) System on Chip (SoC) architecture as a high performance network processor for future zonal GW controllers. The proposed architecture aims at fulfilling the identified gap, advancing towards future GW SoC solutions. Elastic Gateway SoC concept aims at synthesizing a scalable and future-proof architecture embracing all new and already established functions and features demanded in a zonal gateway controller for the new era of mobility. The challenge now is not only to design the right processor that can meet the requirements available today, but also to make this design suitable for the future. For this reason, the modularity, flexibility, scalability and configurability of these future processors take, more than ever, a starring role in the early design stages. This thesis is also providing a complete lifecycle methodology for the design and validation of different network processing products based on the proposed eGW SoC architecture.Throughout this work the architecture is evaluated from a functional perspective, proving how the differefnt technologies required in future vehicular networks are integrated in eGW and how the previously defined requirements are met. Then, a proof of concept is implemented showing the viability of the proposed concept and methodology, providing details of the experimental results. The architecture is also evaluated from a scalability point of view, looking at HW cost and power consumption, proving that eGW is able to provide a high level of performance at a reasonable cost.Together, the eGW SoC concept and methodology become an alternative that can contribute to overcome the existing challenges, advancing over state of the art solutions.
  
• PALMA CARMONA, KENNETH: Exploration of FDSOI Back-Biasing Techniques to Hinder Cryptographic Attacks Based on Leakage Current
  
  Author: PALMA CARMONA, KENNETH
  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 ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING
  Department: Department of Electronic Engineering (EEL)
  Mode: Normal
  Deposit date: 24/07/2023
  Reading date: 18/10/2023
  Reading time: 11:00
  Reading place: Aula de ¿Teleensenyament¿, edificio B3 (ETSETB) del Campus Nord de la UPC.
  Thesis director: MOLL ECHETO, FRANCESC DE BORJA
  Committee:
       PRESIDENT: ACOSTA JIMÉNEZ, ANTONIO JOSÉ
       SECRETARI: RUBIO SOLA, JOSE ANTONIO
       VOCAL: SERRA GRAELLS, FRANCESC
  Thesis abstract: Cryptography is the science that studies how to achieve secure communication between multiple parties. Under the assumption that any message transmitted is to be ultimately intercepted, the endeavors of cryptography attempt to render transmitted messages uninterpretable by a nefarious eavesdropper. To do so, cryptography has traditionally relied on mathematical functions that define non-linear mappings. As such, during its formal conceptualization during the 20th century, the security of cryptographic algorithms has heavily relied on their provable mathematical soundness that would ensure that, without the secret key used during the encryption process, the original message could not be retrieved. However, physical implementations of cryptographic devices, be them mechanical, analog, or digital, are constrained by the laws of physical nature, beyond their mathematical representation. As such, these implementations can produce mechanical vibrations, dissipate heat, produce electromagnetic emanations, or consume power in a manner that speaks of their internal state. These physical magnitudes, referred to as side-channels, can leak information about the workings of the cryptosystem. As such, Side-Channels are an important exploitable weakness of cryptographic circuits. In particular, the measurement of power consumption of a digital cryptosystem can be enough to disclose the secret key at the heart of the circuit. These so-called Power Analysis Attacks (PAA) have traditionally relied on the measurement of dynamic power consumed during execution. However, with ever shrinking technological nodes, static or leakage power consumption has become prominent enough to pose a vulnerability (Leakage Power Analysis Attacks - LPAA). As such, countermeasures, circuits that attempt to impede the effectiveness of PAA continue to be developed and studied. At the same time, new transistor technologies continue to be explored and developed. Among those produced, Fully Depleted Silicon-on-Insulator (FDSOI) transistors have proven to be highly effective at reducing the impact of short-channel effects, such as leakage current. Given their structure, FDSOI transistor can also see their body bias dynamically modified. As such, this thesis explores the feasibility of developing countermeasures against LPAA taking advantage of the properties of FDSOI transistors. FDSOI transistors, given their structure, accept a wider range of body bias values through their 4th terminal. Given that body bias modifies the threshold voltage of transistors, it is possible to indirectly affect the leakage current profile of digital circuit elements implementing a cryptosystem. With these considerations in mind, this thesis, exploring how body bias affects the leakage consumption of FDSOI sequential logic, analyzes and designs body biasing schemes that serve as countermeasures. The effectiveness of the developed countermeasures is thoroughly analyzed through modelling with technological parameters and mathematical simulations of power analysis attacks. The thesis presents a proof-of-concept countermeasure circuit that highly hinders the performance of LPAA by reducing the disparities between power consumption dependent on data stored. The circuit, implementing a Current Balancing body bias seeking algorithm, is functional for a wide range of temperatures, even in the presence of process and mismatch variability.
  

Last update: 23/09/2023 04:45:29.

List of lodged theses

Last update: 23/09/2023 04:30:25.

List of defended theses by year

• ACOSTA CAMBRANIS, FERNANDO GEOVANY: Design and multiparameter optimization of a multiphase SiC converter with operation under faults applied to an electric traction system
  
  Author: ACOSTA CAMBRANIS, FERNANDO GEOVANY
  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 ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING
  Department: Department of Electronic Engineering (EEL)
  Mode: Normal
  Reading date: 11/07/2023
  Thesis director: ROMERAL MARTINEZ, JOSE LUIS | ZARAGOZA BERTOMEU, JORDI
  

  Committee:
       PRESIDENT: POU FELIX, JOSEP
       SECRETARI: LAMICH AROCAS, MANUEL
       VOCAL: CEBALLOS RECIO, SALVADOR
  Thesis abstract: Greater interest in multiphase electrical systems has led to their increased use in electric traction, renewable energy generation, energy transmission, and various industrial applications. This thesis addresses the design and operation of a five-phase two-level voltage source inverter (VSI) based on wide-bandgap semiconductors. Wide-bandgap semiconductors allow improving VSI power density and efficiency when designing converters. The main objective of this thesis is to develop new modulation techniques that work with wide-bandgap semiconductors operating at high frequencies. The proposed modulation techniques take into account diverse performances, such as the semiconductor converter's power losses, the output voltage waveform quality, the common-mode voltage waveform, and the generation of conducted electromagnetic interferences. Furthermore, the VSI will rely on an additional leg for fault tolerance applications.First, this thesis proposes two new sigma-delta modulation techniques for a five-phase two-level VSI (5PS¿-1 and 5PS¿-2). The 5PS¿-1 modulation technique applies the same voltage vectors as the conventional five-phase SVM techniques, while the 5PS¿-2 technique uses all the available voltage vectors. The converter's performance under these modulation techniques is studied, evaluated, and compared with those obtained using conventional five-phase modulation techniques. This comparison considers the output voltage harmonic distortion, converter efficiency, generated electromagnetic interferences, and common-mode voltage (CMV). Second, this thesis presents a group of five-phase sigma-delta modulation techniques designed to mitigate CMV effects: the five-phase sigma-delta common-mode voltage reduction (5PS¿-CMVR) modulations. These modulation techniques utilize a set of voltage vectors that reduce the CMV peak-to-peak amplitude by 80%. Furthermore, the number of CMV level transitions during a switching frequency period is decreased, thereby improving the electromagnetic compatibility. The performances of these modulation techniques are compared with those obtained by other modulation techniques that achieved the same CMV peak-to-peak amplitude reduction.Third, this thesis proposes a group of five-phase sigma-delta modulation techniques specially designed to generate a constant CMV: the five-phase sigma-delta constant common-mode voltage (5PS¿-CCMV) modulations. These modulation techniques implement a set of voltage vectors that produce the same CMV value, thus eliminating the CMV level transitions and improving the converter's electromagnetic performance.Finally, this thesis proposes a five-phase six-leg modulation techniques for CMV reduction and fault tolerance based on sigma-delta modulators (3D5PS¿). Leg six of the converter is connected to the load neutral point, if accessible, or through LC filters connected to the rest of the VSI phases. This proposed modulation technique allows a decrease of the CMV amplitude (3D5PS¿-RCMV) or makes it zero (3D5PS¿-ZCMV). Also, this proposed modulation strategy can be used as a fault tolerance strategy for one open-phase fault. With this strategy, the current phasors return to their original position.
  

• ALMACHE HERNANDEZ, ROSA ESTEFANIA: Contactos Selectivos De Portadores Basados En Óxidos Metálicos De Transición Para Células Solares De Kesterita
  
  Author: ALMACHE HERNANDEZ, ROSA ESTEFANIA
  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 ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING
  Department: Department of Electronic Engineering (EEL)
  Mode: Normal
  Reading date: 29/06/2023
  Thesis director: ORTEGA VILLASCLARAS, PABLO RAFAEL | PUIGDOLLERS GONZALEZ, JOAQUIN
  

  Committee:
       PRESIDENT: ASENSI LÓPEZ, JOSÉ MIGUEL
       SECRETARI: VOZ SANCHEZ, CRISTOBAL
       VOCAL: VIDAL FUENTES, PEDRO
  Thesis abstract: In recent years, there has been an increasing need to find an environmentally friendly and low-pollution alternative for electricity production through solar energy absorption. Since 1950, photovoltaic researchers have been working to find a low-cost photovoltaic technology to allow access for more people around the world. Although silicon cells dominate the photovoltaic market, the search for new materials that allow the production of solar cells with new functionalities continues to be very active. Among these new functionalities, we can highlight the manufacture of flexible, semi-transparent or with controllable energy gap solar cells. These new functionalities would allow the manufacture of solar cells compatible with building facades or compatible with the production oftandem cells.Thin-film solar cells, such as kesterite, emerge as an alternative to traditional silicon technologies, in order to reduce manufacturing and material costs, and to allow compatibility with emerging technologies such as tandem and bifacial solar cells, as well as their application or integration into building facades. In addition, kesterite solar cells have a theoretical limit of 33%, which is higher thanthat calculated for silicon solar cells. The main advantage of this PV technology is that it uses abundant materials on the earth's surface. However, the convectional way to implement the electron selective contact is uses cadmium sulfide layers, whose main compound (cadmium) is recognized as toxic and carcinogenic.The objective of this thesis is to implement charge-selective layers (electrons and holes) using transition metal oxides for kesterite solar cells. The experience of the MNT-UPC group in the application of these materials in charge selective layers in silicon technologies and the experience of IREC in the growth and manufacturing of kesterite solar cells are allies for the development of this research. The possibility of including V2Ox films deposited by ALD technique as a hole transport layers are studied. This material opens the door to the production of semi-transparent solar cells, reaching a solar cell with photovoltaic efficiency about 4%.Regarding electron selective contacts, multiple Cd-free alternatives are presented in this work. Concretely, ALD stacks of Al2O3/TiO2 and ZnO(i)/AZO has been studied as potential ETLs. The application of polymer-based dipoles (PEI/Glycine) is also explored. These dipoles allow to improve the selectivity of the aforementioned ETLs increasing the efficiency of the manufacturedsolar cells. As a result of this research work, CZTSe bifacial and cadmium free solar cells have been fabricated using transparent contacts based on ZnO as an electron transport layer (ETL) and V2Ox as a hole transport layer (HTL). The efficiency achieved for these solar cells is approximately 3.5%.
  

• MARTÍNEZ ESTRADA, MARC: Development of textile capacitive sensor
  
  Author: MARTÍNEZ ESTRADA, MARC
  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 ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING
  Department: Department of Electronic Engineering (EEL)
  Mode: Article-based thesis
  Reading date: 10/03/2023
  Thesis director: FERNANDEZ GARCIA, RAUL | GIL GALI, IGNACIO
  

  Committee:
       PRESIDENT: ABADAL, GABRIEL
       SECRETARI: ARUMI DELGADO, DANIEL
       VOCAL: YILMAZAR, NURI
  Thesis abstract: Nowadays, the textile clothing industry is searching for new ways to add value to their products. Developments in textile sensorsstart to demonstrate their usability and possibilities when they are integrated on fabrics. The Internet of Things context pushes thecompanies to find new ways to obtain information from our surroundings to be able to actively react, in real-time, to the situation weare living in. For many years, the integration of sensors in textile has been regarded as inconvenient. The users do not feelcomfortable to use it since the textile properties are modified.In recent years, advancement in technology and integration of conductive materials into textile materials have provided that theresearchers new opportunities to integrate sensors on fabrics. Conductive yarns produced following the textile processes results ina family of yarns which are soft, flexible and conductive. The conductive material is unnoticeable by sight which is very important forthe final user feeling. These conductive yarns are being used to develop conductive fabrics or patterns that do not give the feeling ofbeing a sensor or electrically conductive.The sensors play an important role to make our daily life more comfortable and easy. But due to their certain features, conventionalsensors may not be a good fit for the applications in some fields. Textile sensors rise as a new alternative tool to address theshortcomings of the conventional sensors.Textile capacitive sensors could provide a new tool to introduce sensors in fields where it could not be done previously. Theadvantages of the textile capacitive sensors are flexibility, long area coverage and proximity to the measured stimulus.The thesis is focused on the textile capacitive sensor development. The conductive materials, the effect of the materials on thesensor behaviour and the textile integration methods are covered over the course of the thesis. The textile capacitive sensor isbased on the permittivity change detection, which could be either the substrate permittivity or the surroundings environment. Textilecapacitive sensors are relevant because their flexibility is suitable for many daily tasks monitoring, some of them related to patientsor dependent people.The results obtained in this thesis extend the state of the art for the textile capacitive sensors. The produced textile sensors andapplications developed support the viability of the suggested technology.
  

• SALEHI, NAVID: Energy Management in Collaborative Power Electronics-Based Microgrid Integrated With Renewable Energies
  
  Author: SALEHI, NAVID
  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 ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING
  Department: Department of Electronic Engineering (EEL)
  Mode: Article-based thesis
  Reading date: 08/02/2023
  Thesis director: MARTINEZ GARCIA, HERMINIO | VELASCO QUESADA, GUILLERMO
  

  Committee:
       PRESIDENT: GUINJOAN GISPERT, FRANCISCO JUAN
       SECRETARI: EL AROUDI, ABDELALI
       VOCAL: ZUMEL VAQUERO, PABLO
  Thesis abstract: This thesis is introduced the research performed on microgrid applications, especially in cooperative operating mode. The research is conducted considering two main challenging aspects of microgrid operation over the last years. The reliable and optimum operation of microgrids is surveyed by focusing on: energy management systems, specifically in collaborative microgridoperation and robust power electronics interfaces.This thesis presents a comprehensive review of optimization methods for individual and community microgrids. In addition, different control strategies applied in microgrid systems are studied. The potential pros and cons of various control strategies are analyzed, and the background studies bring brilliant and smart solutions for optimal control in a networked microgrid.A supervised and unsupervised learning clustering is developed in order to control a networked microgrid consisting of industrial, commercial, and residential microgrids. The clustering algorithms are performed based on the maximum load demand and operating reserve of the microgrid. Furthermore, a component size procedure for dispatchable units in a networked microgrid ispresented. The proposed algorithm evaluates the component size considering the operating reserve of microgrids. To diminish the adverse effect of component size reduction on microgrids¿ reliability, the proposed reduced factor is modified by the peak load and correlation of load profile.Optimal operation, new topology, and new control methods for various power electronics interfaces for microgrid applications are presented in the following. The optimal operation of the LLC resonant converter is investigated considering the load variation and switching frequency. Then, a modified cascaded high step-up Z-source DC-DC converter with high voltage gain and low voltagestress is proposed. Eventually, a novel control method for a single-phase Z-source inverter is presented. A feed-forward neural network predicts the forced response of the generalized predictive control to enhance the transient performance of the inverter.
  

• SELSELEH JONBAN, MANSOUR: Intelligent secondary control for energy management in a micro-grid by using multi-agent system
  
  Author: SELSELEH JONBAN, MANSOUR
  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 ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING
  Department: Department of Electronic Engineering (EEL)
  Mode: Normal
  Reading date: 09/06/2023
  Thesis director: ROMERAL MARTINEZ, JOSE LUIS
  

  Committee:
       PRESIDENT: SHAHPARASTI, MAHDI
       SECRETARI: DELGADO PRIETO, MIGUEL
       VOCAL: ABDOLLAHI, MOSTAFA
  Thesis abstract: Nowadays, distributed energy resources are widely used to supply demand in micro grids especially in green buildings. These resources are usually connected by using power electronic converters, which act as actuators, to the system and make it possible to inject desired active and reactive power, as determined by smart controllers. The overall performance of a converter in such system depends on the stability and robustness of the control techniques. This thesis presents two bottom­up smart control approaches to manage energy in DC microgrids (MG) that split the demand among several generators. Firstly, an energy management system (EMS) based on multi-agent system (MAS) controllers is developed to manage energy, control the '.<lltage and create balance between supply and demand in the system with the aim of supporting the reliability charactenstic. In the proposed approach, a reconfigured hierarchical algorithm is implemented to control interaction of agents, where a CAN bus is used to provide communication among them. This framework has the ability to control system, even if a failure appears into decision unit The second research approach presents an energy management system based on multi-agent system under the supervision of a smart contract with a bottom-up approach for a grid connected DC micro-grid that is equipped with solar photovoltaic panels (PV), wind turbine (WT) and micro-turbine (MT) and energy storage (BES). In the presented approach, each unit controls and manages through a distributed decision structure. The BES agent is managed by an intelligent structure based on a reinforcement learning model. Since charging and discharging the battery is a stepwise process, in this research, a Markov decision process is trained by using a Q-learning algorithm. The rest of the agents are controlled and managed by heuristic algorithms. To create interaction and coordination among agents, a tendering process is used wherein each agent under its supervised control structure presents its offer to the tendered item at each time period The tendering organization allocates the requested power through first price sealed-bid algorithm between bidders to optimize energy cost in the MG. The two proposed approaches present online intelligent systems that can guarantee fault-tolerance, stability and reliability in the MG especially in green houses and smart cities, respectively. Various scientific papers have been published or are currently under review that can validate the achieved objectives and guarantee the quality of the thesis.
  

• URBANO GONZÁLEZ, EVA MARÍA: Modelling and optimization of Industrial Prosumers with Renewable Energy Sources
  
  Author: URBANO GONZÁLEZ, EVA MARÍA
  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 ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING
  Department: Department of Electronic Engineering (EEL)
  Mode: Article-based thesis
  Reading date: 01/06/2023
  Thesis director: ROMERAL MARTINEZ, JOSE LUIS | KAMPOUROPOULOS, KONSTANTINOS
  

  Committee:
       PRESIDENT: TARANTOLA, STEFANO
       SECRETARI: MORENO EGUILAZ, JUAN MANUEL
       VOCAL: DOMÍNGUEZ GARCÍA, JOSÉ LUIS
  Thesis abstract: The current energy transition fosters the insertion of renewable energies and system decentralisation intending to achieve a more secure, sustainable and efficient energy market. The industry can play a key role in this transition due to the digitalizationresulting from the industrial revolution 4.0 and the current revolution 5.0, which encourages its renewal through resilient andhuman-centred solutions. Of all industrial entities, SMEs are particularly interesting as they consume more than 13% of global energy and find it more difficult than large companies to adopt new energy management strategies. Intending to favour energytransition and improve industrial competitiveness, this thesis addresses the energy situation of industrial SMEs to transform their consumer infrastructures into prosumer infrastructures capable of exchanging green energy with the utility grid, boosting also market decentralisation.To do so, the present thesis proposes a complete framework for the optimization of the investment in energy equipment to be made by industrial SMEs, aiming to improve their performance by adopting a prosumer role in the electricity market. Thisframework is based on the development of a methodology that includes the modelling of the energy infrastructure of the industrialplant, the modelling of quantitative and qualitative factors together with their uncertainties, and the solving of a two-stage optimization problem. This two-stage optimization problem analyses the costs and benefits of the investments, as well as theprosumer operation of the infrastructure over its expected lifetime. Uncertainties in both quantitative and qualitative parameters are also introduced into the problem and the risks faced by the industrial SME in upgrading its energy system are assessed and minimised.The proposed methodology has been applied to several case studies, the results of which show the benefits of transforming an industrial SME from a consumer to a prosumer. The optimization of the investment, considering quantitative and qualitativefactors, risks, and the prosumer operation of the system throughout its lifetime, results in technically and financially robust solutions. Therefore, it has been possible to verify the usefulness of the proposed methodological framework to be applied to industrial SMEs, promoting their transformation into active entities in the energy markets and increasing their competitiveness.
  

Last update: 23/09/2023 05:01:38.

Research groups

• DISEN-Distributed Sensor Networks
• e-CAT-Electronic Circuits and Transducers
• EPIC-Energy Processing and Integrated Circuits
• GREP-Power Electronics Research Group
• GRUP ISI-Instrumentation, Sensors and Interfaces Group
• GSS-Sensor Systems Group
• HIPICS-High Performance Integrated Circuits and Systems
• IEB-Electronic and Biomedical Instrumentation
• ISSET-Integrated Smart Sensors and Health Technologies
• MCIA-Motion Control and Industrial Applications Research Group
• MNT-Micro and Nanotechnologies Research Group
• QINE-Low Power Design, Test, Verification and Security ICs
• RFEMC-Grup de Radiofrequencia i Compatibilitat Electromagnetica en Xarxes de Comunicacions
• SARTI-MAR-Sistemes d'Adquisicio Remota de dades i Tractament de la Informacio en el Medi Mari
• SEPIC-Power and Control Electronics Systems
• TIEG-Terrassa Industrial Electronics Group

Electronic Systems Group (GSE), UIB

Electronic Engineering Group (GEE), UIB

Teachers

• Alarcon Cot, Eduard
• Alepuz Menendez, Salvador
• Altet Sanahujes, Josep
• Aragones Cervera, Xavier
• Arias Pujol, Antoni
• Arumi Delgado, Daniel
• Balado Suarez, Luz Maria
• Bermejo Broto, Sandra
• Biel Sole, Domingo
• Bordonau Farrerons, Josep
• Bragos Bardia, Ramon
• Busquets Monge, Sergio
• Cabestany Moncusi, Joan
• Carrasco Lopez, Juan Antonio
• Casanella Alonso, Ramon
• Casas Piedrafita, Jaime Oscar
• Castilla Fernandez, Miquel
• Chavez Dominguez, Juan Antonio
• Cosp Vilella, Jordi
• Cuadras Tomas, Angel
• del Rio Fernandez, Joaquin
• Delgado Prieto, Miquel
• Dominguez Pumar, Manuel M.
• Fernandez Chimeno, Mireya
• Fernandez Garcia, Raul
• Gago Barrio, Javier
• Garcia de Vicuña Muñoz de la Nava, Jose Luis
• Garcia Gonzalez, Miquel A.
• Garcia Hernandez, Miguel Jesus
• Gasulla Forner, Manel
• Gil Gali, Ignacio
• Gomariz Castro, Spartacus
• Gonzalez Diez, David
• Guinjoan Gispert, Francesc
• Jimenez Serres, Vicente
• Lamich Arocas, Manuel
• Lopez Garcia, Mariano
• Lopez Gonzalez, Juan Miguel
• Lopez Lapeña, Oscar
• Lopez Martinez, Antonio Miguel
• Madrenas Boadas, Jordi
• Manich Bou, Salvador
• Martin Garcia, Isidro
• Martinez Garcia, Herminio
• Matas Alcala, Jose
• Mateo Peña, Diego
• Miret Tomas, Jaume
• Moll Echeto, Francesc
• Mon Gonzalez, Juan
• Moreno Arostegui, Juan Manuel
• Moreno Eguilaz, Juan M.
• Nescolarde Selva, Lexa Digna
• Orpella Garcia, Albert
• Ortega Redondo, Juan Antonio
• Ortega Villasclaras, Pablo Rafael
• Pallàs Areny, Ramon
• Parisi Baradad, Vicenç
• Polo Cantero, Jose
• Pons Nin, Joan
• Puigdollers Gonzalez, Joaquim
• Quilez Figuerola, Marcos
• Ramos Castro, Juan Jose
• Ramos Lara, Rafa
• Reverter Cubarsi, Ferran
• Riu Costa, Pere Joan
• Rodriguez Martinez, Angel
• Rodriguez Montañes, Rosa
• Romeral Martinez, J.L.
• Rosell Ferrer, Javier
• Rubio Sola, Jose Antonio
• Salaet Pereira, Joan Ferran
• Salazar Soler, Jorge
• Serrano Finetti, Roberto Ernesto
• Silva Martinez, Ferran
• Silvestre Berges, Santiago
• Torrents Dolz, Josep Maria
• Turo Peroy, Antonio
• Voz Sanchez, Cristobal
• Zaragoza Bertomeu, Jordi

• Ovejas Benedicto, Victòria Júlia