Newcastle University

Background

Nick is a Lecturer within the Power Electronics Drives and Machines group of the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. He joined Newcastle University as an RA in January 2011 to work on novel topology traction motors for electric vehicles and became a member of academic staff in June 2012, in the area of Electrical Machines and Renewable Energy.

Nick obtained a PhD in electrical machine design for marine renewable energy devices from Durham University in 2003. For 18 months he designed and built a 30kW low speed linear generator and test rig for the National Renewable Energy Centre - NaREC. In 2005, he joined Lancaster University Renewable Energy Group as an Engineering lecturer for 3.5 years. Research interests here included power take off for wave energy, low head hydro electric power and development of linear generators. After securing research grants to fund 3 PhD students, Nick moved to Newcastle based energy consultancy TNEI in 2008. He won a £250,000 research grant from the carbon trust to develop a novel electrical machine for wave energy devices.

During his 2.5 years with tnei, Nick was involved in several modelling aspects of windfarm development, including loss minimisation, grid connection and power flow, microwave interence, flicker, resource and noise prediction.

Nick is presently involved in electrical machine design projects for the aerospace, automotive and marine renewables sector. He teaches in the areas of electrical machine design and grid systems.

Qualifications

MEng(hons) in Mechanical Engineering
PhD (Durham)

Previous Positions

Senior Technical consultant (TNEI)
Lecturer (Lancaster University)
RA (Durham University)

Memberships

MIET

Informal Interests

Cycling, Triathlons, Campervans, swimming in lakes and playing with the kids. Although to be honest I've sold the campervan and haven't done a triathlon since 2011.

Research Interests

My formal research interest is on electromagnetic design of novel topology electrical machines. I have worked on generators for renewable energy, free piston engines and electric vehicles. Most of the machines I have worked on have used permenant magnets, either transverse flux machines or 2D flux topologies.

I have a more general interest in engineering for sustainability and have previously published on and taught eco-design.

Other Expertise

Development of generators for slow speed renewable energy applications.

Using Soft Magnetic Composite to design 3 dimensional flux machines.

Linear electrical machines 

Grid integration of renewable energy.

Power systems analysis.

Numberical modelling and optimisation.

Current Work

Currently working on a project using Soft Magnetic Composite to develop and build high torque electrical machines with inherent 3D flux patterns.

Future Research

It is anticipated that the present work will develop into the drive system of electrical vehicles.

Esteem Indicators

In 2006 Nick was awarded the Donald Julius Groen prize by the IMechE for his work on direct drive linear generators for wave energy converters.

Projects

• Extending the Range of Soft Magnetic Composites (SMC) 4
  Project Leader(s): Dr Glynn Atkinson
• Permanent Magnet Alternator (PMA) Development
  Project Leader(s): Dr Nick Baker

Electrical Machines

Design of Machines and Drives

Grid Systems 

• Mueller MA, Baker NJ. Modelling the Performance of the Vernier Hybrid Machine. IEE Proceedings - Electric Power Applications 2003, 150(6), 647-654.
• Baker NJ, Mueller MA, Ran L, Tavner PJ, McDonald S. Development of a linear test rig for electrical power take off from waves. Journal of Marine Engineering and Technology 2007, (A10).
• Mueller MA, Baker NJ. Direct drive electrical power take-off for offshore marine energy converters. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part A: Journal of Power and Energy 2005, 219(A3), 223-234.
• Ran L, Mueller MA, Ng C, Tavner PJ, Zhao H, Baker NJ, McDonald S, McKeever P. Power conversion and control for a linear direct drive permanent magnet generator for wave energy. IET Renewable Power Generation 2010, 5(1), 1-9.
• McCabe AP, Stallard TJ, Baker NJ, Yavuz H. Estimation of the responses of axisymmetric bodies in spread irregular waves. Ocean Engineering 2007, 34(10), 1371-1382.
• Washington JG, Atkinson GJ, Baker NJ, Jack AG, Mecrow BC, Jensen BB, Pennander L, Nord G, Sjoberg L. Three phase modulated pole machine topologies utilising mutual flux paths. IEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion 2012, Accepted for publication January 2012. Submitted.
• Washington JG, Atkinson GJ, Baker NJ. Review of the advances in technology of Modulated Pole Machines. IEEE Transactions on Magnetics 2012. Submitted.
• Washington JG, Atkinson GJ, Baker NJ. An improved torque density Modulated Pole Machine for low speed high torque applications. In: Power, Machines and Drives conference (PEMD). 2012, Bristol, UK.
• Baker NJ, Atkinson GJ, Washington JG, Mecrow BC, Nord G, Sjoberg L. Design of High Torque Traction Motors for Automotive applications using modulated pole SMC machines. In: Power, Machines and Drives conference (PEMD). 2012, Bristol, UK.
• Baker NJ, Atkinson GJ, Washington JG. Design of Constrained High Torque Traction Motors for Automotive applications using modulated pole SMC machines. IEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion 2012. In Preparation.
• Baker NJ, Aggidis GA, Widden MB. Low-head low-cost hydro power by conversion to air pressure. In: British Hydropower Association (BHA) Annual Conference, Delivering the Next Generation. 2007, The Birnam Institute, Perthshire.
• Lambert C, Rennie A, Baker N, Hjelm O. Delivering eco design business support to SMEs on a transnational scale : benefits and learning outcomes. In: IEMA Environmental Knowledge Exchange 2007. 2007, Manchester, UK.
• Mueller MA, Polinder H, Baker N. Current and novel electrical generator technology for wave energy converters. In: Proceedings of the International Electric Machines and Drives Conference (IEMDC). 2007, Antalya, Turkey: IEEE.
• Rennie AEW, Lambert CG, Baker NJ, Hjelm O. A transnational approach to the implementation of eco-design methodologies in SMEs. In: 5th International Conference on Design and Manufacture for Sustainable Development. 2007, Loughborough, UK.
• Meadowcroft JAC, Stallard TJ, Baker NJ. Absorption of energy from irregular waves by a buoyant, surging body. In: 16th Conference of the International Society of Offshore and Polar Engineers. 2006, San Francisco, California, USA.
• Baker NJ, Stallard TJ, McCabe AP. Investigation of width on the point absorber effect for a surging collector. In: International Conference on Ocean Energy. 2006, Bremerhaven, Germany.
• Ran L, Tavner PJ, Mueller MA, Baker NJ, McDonald S. Power Conversion and Control for a Low Speed, Permanent Magnet, Direct-Drive, Wave Energy Converter. In: IEE 2nd International PEMD Conference. 2006, Dublin: IEEE.
• Meadowcroft JAC, Stallard TJ, Baker NJ. Comparison of power capture in irregular waves and their regular wave components. In: European Wave and Tidal Energy Conference. 2005, University of Strathclyde.
• Mueller MA, Xiang J, Baker NJ, Brooking PRM. Dynamic modeling of a linear vernier hybrid permanent magnet machine coupled to a wave energy emulator test rig. In: Recent Developments of Electrical Drives: 16th International Conference on Electrical Machines (ICEM). 2004, Cracow, Poland: Springer.
• Mueller MA, Baker NJ. A low speed reciprocating permanent magnet generator for direct drive wave energy converters. In: International Conference on Power Electronics, Machines and Drives. 2002, University of Bath, UK: IEEE.
• Brooking PRM, Mueller MA, Baker NJ, Haydock L, Brown N. Power Conversion in a low speed reciprocating electrical generator. In: International Conference on Electrical Machines. 2002, Briges, Belgium.
• Baker NJ, Mueller MA. Design and integration of linear generators into direct drive wave energy converters. In: MAREC 2001 : 2-day international conference on marine renewable energies : conference proceedings. 2001, Newcastle Upon Tyne: Institute of Marine Engineers.
• Baker NJ, Mueller MA. Drive Wave Energy Converters. In: Proceedings of the University Power Engineering Conference. 2001, Swansea: UPEC.
• Glendinning M, Mueller MA, Spooner E, Baker N. Electrical Generators for Offshore Renewable Energy Applications. In: Proceedings of the Marine Renewable Energy Conference. 2001, Newcastle Upon Tyne: Institute of Marine Engineers.
• Washington JG, Atkinson GJ, Baker NJ, Jack AG, Mecrow BC, Jensen BB, Pennander LO, Nord GL, Sjoberg L. Three-Phase Modulated Pole Machine Topologies Utilizing Mutual Flux Paths. IEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion 2012, 27(2), 507-515.