SAE-024925 Research Associate in Transformer Ageing Marker Behaviour FP's

THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER
PARTICULARS OF APPOINTMENT
FACULTY OF SCIENCE & ENGINEERING
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING
RESEARCH ASSOCIATE IN TRANSFORMER AGEING MARKER BEHAVIOUR
VACANCY REF: SAE-024925
Salary: Grade 6 £36,024-£44,263 per annum, depending on relevant experience
Hours: Full-time – 1FTE
Start/duration: 1-April-2024/18-month Fixed-term Contract
Based at: Manchester Engineering Campus, Oxford Road
Reports to: Dr Shanika Matharage and Prof. Zhongdong Wang
Informal enquiries: [email protected] ;

[email protected]
Background
The University of Manchester (UoM) lies in the heart of Manchester and has been created by
bringing together the Victoria University of Manchester and UMIST, two of Britain’s most
distinguished universities, to create a powerful new force in higher education. The Department of
Electrical and Electronic Engineering has over 70 academic staff and is one of the largest
departments of this type in the country, a particular strength of the department being power
engineering. The Power and Energy Division has a reputation as an international leader in high-
voltage and power system research and innovation. More than 20 academics and over 120 PhD
students, post-doctoral researchers and visitors contribute to the world-leading and innovative
output from the Power and Energy Division, with a multi-million research portfolio. It collaborates
very closely with many industrial partners in the energy networks sector.
We are currently seeking three post-doctoral research associates to work collaboratively on a

project relating to transformer end-of-life prediction based on different approaches including
modelling, experiments and data analysis techniques. Each post is for 18 months. Due to the
different research skills and knowledge required, there are three separate adverts for these
different roles. This project is funded by NGET under the Network Innovation Allowance (NIA)
funding mechanism and is called “Detailed Analysis of Transformer Ageing Mechanisms for
Intelligent Estimation of Reliability - DATAMINER”. The project is led by Prof. Zhongdong Wang
(Principal Investigator) with support from Prof. Qiang Liu, Prof. Paul Jarman and Dr. Shanika
Matharage (Co-Investigators). This advert is for the position focused on the EXPERIMENTAL
Updated: November 2021 – Recruitment & Resourcing

INVESTIGATIONS OF THE PARTITIONING OF PAPER AGEING INDICATORS. The research
will be performed at the new UoM Engineering Campus Development on Oxford Road in
Manchester, however some travel to the project partners National Grid Electricity Transmission
(NGET) to discuss the work and present findings will also be expected.
Job Description
It is common practice to use chemical markers dissolved in oil to predict the ageing state of
transformer insulation due to the difficulty in obtaining paper samples for direct measurement.
However, the ageing of the paper insulation is a complex phenomenon which depends on
various factors such as transformer design, loading and other ageing by-products in the
insulation. Furthermore, the chemical markers generated from paper insulation further undergo a
complex partitioning process which causes challenges in accurate estimation of transformer
end-of-life. Partitioning process can be temperature, oil velocity and concentration dependent,
and time constants of processes can be varied depending on applications. Through
experimental studies this project will study the dynamics in the partitioning of the chemical
markers to identify and quantify the impact of various design and environmental factors affecting
the partitioning process and to develop correction factor algorithms which would help to improve
the accuracy of life estimation of in-service transformers.
As part of the project team, you will be expected to:
• Design an experimental platform to study the partitioning of chemical markers under

various operational conditions.
• Utilise the platform to conduct experimental studies and identify key parameters and
processes which affect ageing indications.
• Develop correction factor algorithms to take partitioning of chemical markers into
consideration.
• Improve the accuracy of life estimation of in-service transformers based on correction
factor algorithms involving multiple factors including design, loading conditions, insulation
ageing and maintenance.
Key Responsibilities, Accountabilities and Duties:
To perform the following activities in conjunction with and under the guidance of the Principal/Co
Investigators:
• Plan and conduct assigned research in accordance with the project deliverables and
research strategy. Ensure regular research progress and project deliverables according
to the project plan.
• Document research outputs including analysis and interpretation of research data,
maintaining and documenting models, writing technical reports, and producing
presentation as appropriate.
• Develop regular publications of international quality in high profile journals and
conferences.
• Contribute to the presentation of work at industrial meetings, international and national
conferences, at internal and external seminars, colloquia and workshops organised by
the project/School.
• Collaborate/liaise with colleagues from the research project, academic and industrial
partners and students.

• Keep up to date with current knowledge and recent advances in the field/discipline.
• Post holders are required to familiarise themselves with the University’s Equality and
Diversity policies and to actively support these wherever possible.
These key tasks are not intended to be exhaustive but simply highlight a number of major tasks
which the successful candidate may be reasonably expected to perform.
Person Specification
Essential Knowledge, Skills and Experience
The successful candidate:
• Will hold a PhD qualification in Electrical Power Engineering (though other backgrounds
will be considered if subject knowledge and experience is considered relevant to the
project).
• Will have experience delivering experimental based research projects related to
transformer insulation systems.
• Will have excellent presentation and reporting skills, and an ability to effectively
communicate to different audiences in person and in technical written documents.
• Will have a strong track record of publishing research papers.
Desirable – Knowledge, Skills, Experience and qualifications
• Experience of developing new experimental test systems.

• Experience working in a laboratory environment.
• Experience working on industrially focused projects and reporting to industrial
stakeholders.
Working for the University of Manchester
The University of Manchester strives to make our community a welcoming, caring and enthusiastic
one, fuelling ambition with opportunities and support to help us all achieve our personal and
professional goals.
Our diverse job opportunities include an attractive benefits package with family-friendly policies
that provide for flexible working. We care deeply about career and personal development, offering
a structured induction programme for new staff, an annual performance and development review,
staff training for all career stages and mentoring opportunities to support your career development.
We have a genuine commitment to equality of opportunity for our staff and students and are proud
to employ a workforce that reflects the diverse community we serve.
As a global institution, situated at the heart of a lively, culturally diverse city, we welcome
applicants of all nationalities. To help international job applicants plan for life in the UK, we have
put together some useful information on passports and visas, travel to the UK, accommodation
and a number of other practical considerations.

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THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER

FACULTY OF SCIENCE & ENGINEERING

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING

RESEARCH ASSOCIATE IN TRANSFORMER AGEING MARKER BEHAVIOUR

VACANCY REF: SAE-024925

Salary: Grade 6 £36,024-£44,263 per annum, depending on relevant experience

Hours: Full-time – 1FTE

Start/duration: 1-April-2024/18-month Fixed-term Contract

Based at: Manchester Engineering Campus, Oxford Road

Reports to: Dr Shanika Matharage and Prof. Zhongdong Wang

Informal enquiries: [email protected] ;

We are currently seeking three post-doctoral research associates to work collaboratively on a

Updated: November 2021 – Recruitment & Resourcing

As part of the project team, you will be expected to:

• Design an experimental platform to study the partitioning of chemical markers under

Key Responsibilities, Accountabilities and Duties:

Updated: November 2021 – Recruitment & Resourcing

Essential Knowledge, Skills and Experience

The successful candidate:

Desirable – Knowledge, Skills, Experience and qualifications

• Experience of developing new experimental test systems.

Working for the University of Manchester

Updated: November 2021 – Recruitment & Resourcing

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