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Written by people with industrial experience, the case studies listed in this section takes you directly into the Industries to discuss various problems faced by Design and Maintenance Engineers in their daily routine jobs. Through these case studies, engineer’s share their valuable experience on how they managed to find solutions for the problems that they faced in their respective industry.

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Electrical Engineers Case Studies – Problems & Solutions

In this article, you will learn about the electrical engineers’ and technicians’ case studies, common problems and their solutions.

Table of Contents

Electrical Engineers Case Studies

Case study 1 – surge protection failure.

Problem: A technology company is experiencing frequent damage to their electronic equipment. The equipment is being damaged by voltage surges on the power grid, resulting in costly repairs and lost productivity.

Solution: The electrical engineer identified that the surge protection devices in place were not sufficient to protect the equipment.

The engineer designed and implemented a new surge protection system that included a combination of surge arresters, surge suppressors, and voltage regulators to effectively protect the equipment from voltage surges.

The engineer also provided training to the maintenance team on how to properly maintain the new surge protection system.

Case Study 2 – Arc Flash Hazard

Problem: A manufacturing plant is experiencing an increased number of electrical accidents, including arc flash incidents. The accidents are causing injuries to employees and costly equipment damage.

Solution: The electrical engineer conducted a thorough assessment of the electrical system to identify potential arc flash hazards.

The engineer then implemented a program to mitigate the hazards, including the installation of arc flash protection devices, the implementation of safe work procedures, and employee training on electrical safety.

The engineer also set up a regular maintenance schedule for the electrical equipment to minimize the risk of arc flash incidents.

Case Study 3 – Energy Efficiency Retrofit

Problem: A commercial building is experiencing high energy costs, due to outdated and inefficient electrical systems.

Solution: The electrical engineer conducted an energy audit of the building to identify opportunities for energy efficiency improvements.

The engineer then designed and implemented an energy efficiency retrofit, including the installation of energy-efficient lighting, HVAC controls, and power monitoring systems.

Case Study 4 – Backup Power System Upgrade

Problem: A hospital is experiencing frequent power outages, and the existing backup power system is not providing reliable power during outages.

Solution: The electrical engineer conducted a review of the existing backup power system and identified that it was outdated and not sufficient to meet the hospital’s power needs.

The engineer designed and implemented an upgrade to the backup power system, including the installation of new generators, transfer switches, and uninterruptible power supplies. The engineer also provided training to the maintenance team on how to properly maintain the new backup power system.

Case Study 5 – Motor Control Center Upgrade

Problem: A factory is experiencing frequent equipment breakdowns, due to outdated and unreliable motor control centers.

Solution: The electrical engineer conducted a review of the existing motor control centers and identified that they were outdated and not reliable.

The engineer designed and implemented an upgrade to the motor control centers, including the installation of new motor control devices, variable frequency drives, and control systems. The engineer also provided training to the maintenance team on how to properly maintain the new motor control centers.

Case Study 6 – Smart Grid Implementation

Problem: A utility company wants to improve the efficiency and reliability of their power grid, by implementing a smart grid system.

Solution: The electrical engineer designed and implemented a smart grid system, including the installation of smart meters, advanced metering infrastructure, and a communication network . The engineer also provided training to the utility’s staff on how to use the new system and worked with the utility’s customers to educate them on how to use the new system to optimize their energy usage.

These unique case studies show how electrical engineers can use their skills and knowledge to design, implement, and maintain advanced electrical systems that improve efficiency, reliability, and safety.

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The Engineering Cases group believes that through cases, students will improve their ability to learn and retain concepts in their courses, on work terms and in their professional lives. One of the best means to create case studies is by converting them from student-generated work reports. As a result, it is in our best interest to ensure that work reports submitted to our group contain an adequate design process and topics that align with topics that professors have suggested would benefit from case studies. We also believe that students will benefit by having suggestions for work term report topics.

Engineering Cases welcomes any submitted work reports, regardless of topics; however, work reports that use one of the sample work report topics below would be very much appreciated! 

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Case Studies

Vibration Measurement: Wireless Portable Stroke Monitor

A manufacturer of vibrating feeder equipment was purchasing a private-labelled off-the-shelf Bluetooth Low Energy enabled accelerometer. The supplier was unable to keep up with product demand and had raised the price significantly. A lower cost solution was needed. 

Topics: Electronic Engineering

Power Electronics: Digital Pump Drive

Power a laboratory pump system occupying only one-half the bench space with one-quarter the volume of the current product, and increase performance while also reducing cost.

Topics: Electronic Engineering , Motor Drives

Water Chemistry: Chemical Feed Controller

Bring laboratory-grade water analysis and chemical feed control to large-scale commercial and industrial water cooling tower systems.

A custom designed, solid-state, highly accurate multi-channel fluorometer combined with a microprocessor-driven chemical feed controller.

Accurate chemical monitoring and feed control of chemicals in cooling tower water systems is required to reduce mineral scale, corrosion, and microbe growth. Relatively high volumes of expensive chemicals are required to protect these systems.

Topics: Electronic Contract Manufacturing , Electronic Engineering , Firmware Development , Industrial Controls

Product Design: Designing for Reliability and Manufacturability

Refine a proof-of-concept design to optimize product reliability, compliance to regulatory standards, and manufacturability.

Develop a system of circuit boards and interconnections for cost effective integration and manufacturing while adhering to industry and regulatory standards.

Assessing the viability of a product idea can be difficult. The process often begins with a rough design sketched on paper. As the research and development phases of the project move forward, one or more proof-of-concept prototypes are often required.

Topics: Electronic Contract Manufacturing , Electronic Engineering , Product Development

MathCad Circuit Modeling: Improving Circuit Design

Meet aggressive project schedules while reducing hardware development costs by improving the circuit design process.

The addition of detailed electronic circuit modeling in the latest release of the PTC MathCad software environment provides a powerful tool to simulate, optimize, and document the circuit design prior to building a PC board.

SPICE simulation alone will only report the performance of a circuit design, but it will not recommend component values to meet the design goals.

Industrial Monitoring & Control: Boiler Control

Create a modular, expandable, configurable and robust boiler monitoring and control system that can be used world-wide.  The system must be able to connect to a wide range of external input sources as well as control external devices.  Ethernet, USB and modem connectivity are required.

An NXP 32-bit ARM7 processor, multiple Microchip 8-bit PICs, Micro Digital SMX operating system, ANSI C, and the IAR Embedded Workbench were used to create this extendable, robust, highly flexible system.

Tecnova was asked to build the next generation of industrial controllers for a long standing customer. The customer's goal was ambitious – configurable enough to support multiple current product lines as well as future products not yet envisioned.

Topics: Electronic Contract Manufacturing , Electronic Engineering , Industrial Controls

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13: Student led case study in engineering

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This is more of a student guided learning chapter. Since this is not a typical textbook section that consists of an instructor lecturing the student, this chapter might at times seem incomplete. It is intended to be incomplete as it is up to the student to complete it with guidance from a live teacher (whether in-person or over the internet). The basic idea is simple: a real engineering project is discussed in detail by the teacher in a manner that is consistent with real world activities as opposed to a more typical lecture (which has its place, just not here).

The case study herein is to design and construct a detector characterization laboratory which will include examination of said design using professional papers (examples of pre-peer reviewed papers can be found at: https://arxiv.org ). The student is expected to do all the research to prepare for discussion each day as if they were in a meeting to determine the direction of the engineering project. This is a participatory activity. In general there are really no wrong or right answers as long as they are within the scope of the research (if we ask what a chair is and you say it is a coffee cup...then yes that is wrong - but to say a chair is a couch is open to debate which should then occur among your classmates). It is expected that the instructor will be sufficiently skilled 1 in the subject matter to be able to take over the conversation and help the student navigate the subjects that they are not ready to handle as freshman. Lectures might occur when these type of road blocks emerge, but they should be infrequent.

The intend of this excursion is to build something to highlight different engineering disciplines. This particular case study centering on detectors will highlight electrical engineering, civil engineering, mechanical engineering, optical engineering, system engineering, chemical engineering, and materials engineering. There is no reason a different case study (say bridges) could be done, but it should follow the methodology highlighted here.

1 Note if the instructor is not sufficiently skilled in detector characterization then we would suggest the instructor modifies this to something he is skilled in, like a, the design of a bridge or water treatment plant, etc.

• 13.1: Example case study involving detectors characterization This is an example problem with criteria that is modifiable for the student led case study in engineering. It is expected that each student would write a large report (say 25 pages or so) to show their understanding of the discussion. Figures should be included including CADs.
• 13.2: Information for example case study involving detector characterization This is a hodgepodge of links etc. to help the student with the assignment posed in the last section. This section is meant to be edited constantly.

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Electrical Engineering Case Study

Introduction.

Engineers have the potential of developing technology that will be used by hundreds, thousands, even millions of people. Since so many people are using this technology, it has to be safe and It has to benefit one population without making another suffer. As the engineers design new technology, they are the ones that have an ethical responsibility to ensure that It will not endanger lives or cause any suffering. The purpose of the essay is to explore the specific issues that face electrical engineers.

The primary focus in this essay will be addressing the question: how can an issue be an ethical concern if it does not directly endanger human life or society? This is particularly important as in contrast to other branches of engineering, the moral issues surrounding electrical engineering do not usually affect a consumer’s health or lead to injury or death. A civil engineering dilemma could involve a building collapsing or roads falling apart leading to direct death or injury, such as the “Luminance Plaza Collapse”l in Connecticut, or the “Sampson Department Store Collapse”2 In Seoul. However, as discussed In Flanders 3, the problems faced by electrical engineers are no less Important, and that the engineers In this discipline should be aware of the particular ethical dilemmas of this field. The field of electrical engineering covers a wide range of technology from power generation and transmission lines to integrated circuits used in computers. This essay will outline, using real-life examples, three major concerns in electrical engineering and explain how they impact the world on an international scale.

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The current solutions to the ethical dilemmas will be evaluated using ethical analysis, and alternative solutions will be provided.

The following scenarios are an excellent illustration of the ethical issues that electrical engineers have to face and opens up a unique discussion about their responsibilities in both a national and international setting.

Issue 1 – Quality of product vs. Commercial success

Electrical engineers are Involved in the manufacturing of everyday household appliances. The circuitry that is designed Is used In products that are sold by the manufacturer. Manufacturer’s can powerless the commercial success of their product ever the actual quality.

This can result in a conflict of interest between manufacturer and engineer since the manufacturer can be financially motivated, whereas an engineer is supposed to hold paramount the welfare of public in their professional duties.

An example of this is the manufacturing of the Intel microprocessor in 19944.

The microprocessor had a flaw in it that meant that a regularly used operation by users would give the incorrect results. The engineers knew of this problem, and rectified it for future version. Despite this, Intel continued ailing the product. This error was found by users, and Intel decided it would only replace microprocessor with a good one to people who could demonstrate that they needed It. Should Intel have provided a replacement regardless? Since Intel was aware of the problem, was It unethical to withhold this Information from the users? If this Information had been given, and warnings had been Included, does this solve the ethical problems for the company?

According to Intel, since the error was so melon It would not affect ten majority AT users. However ten Tee people would nave suffered’ from this flaw could have been rectified if Intel had offered to replace their microprocessor for free.

This is what Intel did do and so according to utilitarianism principles their response was ethically sound. However, what was immoral was the fact that they did not bring up this issue themselves, and that they continued manufacturing and selling the product without warnings. They did not respect the dignity of their consumers enough to let them be informed consumers.

By applying Kantian ethics, one can determine that Intel did not respect the dignity of their customers, and was merely using them as a means to an end. This was to maximize their profit margin by exhausting their faulty stock.

There are a number of alternative solutions that Intel could have taken. Intel could have continued selling their product with a warning label so that further customer’s would be aware of flaw. A better solution would have been if Intel discontinued making this microprocessor and told their customers of the flaw straight away, whilst also offering a replacement chip.

Issue 2 – experimental nature of electrical

The technology used by engineers to design equipment is complex, and outside the understanding of a majority of general consumers. In addition to this, the lasting effect of some of these technologies is unknown. Since electrical technology is designed on such a small scale, there can be unknown effects due to our limited understanding of quantum physics.

This raises an interesting issue that has sparked debate. Can we use technology that we don’t fully understand, but use on a daily basis?

Is it safe to use this technology considering that there may be a potential risk that we have yet to comprehend? The nature of electrical engineering can be somewhat experimental. Transmission lines are used every day to transfer energy into our homes. There are inconclusive theories that suggests that these transmission lines which emit low-frequency electromagnetic radiation can be harmful to the general population. This ranges from causing headaches and muscles fatigue to an increased risk of cancer.

Is an engineer obliged to consider these potential risks in their design, even if there is little proof or knowledge into the lasting effects? Currently transmission lines are designed so that they are around 5-10 meters off the ground, this is both for efficiency as well as to remove them from he reach of the general public, avoiding electrocution. However, not many transmission lines have shielding to reduce or eliminate the effects of electromagnetic fields, as there is no quantitative evidence to suggest that shielding is necessary.

If the observational theories were proven to be true, however unlikely, that would mean that the general public have been placed in a position of possible harm. In the unlikely case this was true, does the small probability of this being true outweigh the seriousness of the potential harm. An engineer should be orally responsible at all times, and so an engineer should employ some sort of safety measure. Even if there is only a tiny potential for transmission lines to have lasting negative effects, there should be methods used to combat this threat.

This is applying contractual principles. If engineers themselves believed that they could be exposed to these harmful effects, and knew that they could do something about it, they would integrate some shielding into their transmission line design.

Issue 3 – sustainability and power generation, impact of cheap labor

Power generation and sustainable TTY Is a Key concern Tort all people In ten world Electrical engineers are a vital part of this global machine concerned with sustainability. Engineers primarily concern themselves with providing the most efficient means of power generation and distribution, but this can cause negative effects on the global community.

Can a balance be achieved? Is it possible for an electrical engineer to be morally responsible at all time? Our current primary energy source is dependent on a limited resource, coal and fossil fuels. The utilization of these materials results in emissions ND waste that are harmful to the environment.

Since an electrical engineer is only concerned with the production of energy and not of its disposal is this even an issue they should concern themselves with? It’s not Just up to one person to be ethically responsible.

An engineer is only a small part of a network of morally autonomous agents. An engineer can apply virtue ethics or Kantian ethics, and create awareness of environmental issues. An engineer should have a virtuous nature and consider all areas of society that they can impact. If an engineer applies Kantian, their actions loud involve trying to tell their managers that they are using the Earth’s limited resources as a means to an end, and the environment gets negatively affected by this. If an engineer raises concern about environmental issues, then they are ethically sound.

Even if the situation does not change due to the opinions of higher up people, the engineer has done all that they can be expected to.

Cheap Labor: An example of our global effect is found in a youth videos where cheap child labor is used to break down parts in a circuit board for further use. The toxic fumes emitted from deconstructing the components are extremely hazardous and can cause lasting health consequences. Companies source labor to developing countries because it is an extremely economical alternative.

This is primarily due to developing nations not having as stringent workplace health and safety requirements, and also being able to obtain workers who would work for a much lower wage. Essentially this action will achieve the same outcome, for a lesser cost.

These companies clearly priorities profit margins over social wellbeing. Is this an electrical engineers concern? An electrical engineer is part of the company that sakes the decision to employ cheap labor, and so they can be in a position to influence this decision.

A number of options are available. Employ 1st world employees to perform the same Job locally This will mean that there is a higher cost for the company. However, this will take away work from third work countries. Cheap labor will no longer be exploited, but the people of the country will no longer have employment, which could have serious roll-over effects on the society and economy.

A better solution would be: Employ 3rd world employees, and provide better wages and working conditions.

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2023-24 General Bulletin

Electrical Engineering, MS

Degree: Master of Science (MS) Field of Study: Electrical Engineering

Graduate students shall be admitted to one of three MS degree tracks (thesis-focused, project-focused, course-focused) upon recommendation of the faculty of the Department.  Requirements for admission include a strong record of scholarship in a completed bachelor's degree program in a field of engineering, mathematical or physical sciences, and fluency in written and spoken English. 

For a thesis-focused or project-focused track, the University requires all foreign applicants to show English proficiency by achieving a TOEFL score of at least 90 on the internet-based exam.  For a course-focused track, a minimum TOEFL score of 80 is required.  If there is any professional student-to-student interaction, e.g. as a teaching assistant, a lab instructor, or a tutor, then a minimum TOEFL score of 90 is required. 

Submission of GRE scores for graduate applications is NOT required.  Applications from students with a bachelor's degree in fields other than those listed above may be granted admission on a provisional basis.  Such provisional students may be advanced to full standing upon completion of prerequisite conditions stipulated in the letter of admission.

Registration

Course registration is performed through the Student Information System (SIS). Each semester before registration, students should update any personal information that may have changed by logging into SIS and editing the appropriate information.  All registration holds must be lifted in order to successfully complete the registration process.

Upon admission to the graduate program, each graduate student is assigned an academic advisor to assist in registration as well as planning a program of study (Academic Program).  This is a temporary assignment made by the Department Chairperson based on the student's academic and research interests as identified at the time of application.

During the first semester in the program, it is strongly suggested that each student meet with various members of faculty to discuss academic objectives/goals and research opportunities.  In order to complete the research component of their respective degree program, each student must identify a faculty member who is willing to serve as the student's research advisor.  Students are expected to pick a research advisor by the end of their first semester in the program who will supervise their thesis or project. Each student, in consultation with their advisor, must submit an Academic Program preferably before completing 9 credit hours of coursework.  This should specify all courses and thesis work that will be counted toward the 30 credit hour requirement. 

The research advisor will also serve as the student’s permanent academic advisor if they are a member of the department faculty.  If, however, the research advisor is not a member of the department faculty, the student is required to find a permanent academic advisor from the department faculty.  For students enrolled in an MS Thesis-Focused degree program, the research advisor is commonly known as the “thesis advisor”.

Students may change advisors for a variety of reasons of which one of the most common is a change of the student's field of interest.  It should be noted that a change in research advisor may require that the student start a new research project, which could result in delaying graduation.  It is the responsibility of the student to inform the ECSE Office of Student Affairs in the event of a change in advisor.  In addition, the student must file all appropriate forms with Graduate Studies.

Any decision by an academic advisor, thesis guidance committee or department associate chairperson may be appealed, in writing, to the department associate chairperson who shall present the appeal, with their recommendations, to the faculty at its next regular faculty meeting. The faculty's decision shall be final.

Graduate Policies

For graduate policies and procedures, please review the School of Graduate Studies section of the General Bulletin .

Program Requirements

Thesis-focused  track.

The MS Thesis-Focused track is composed of two components:

• graduate-level coursework and
• a research-oriented thesis

Progression through the program is monitored by an Academic Program that is required to be filed through SIS.  This contains a comprehensive list of all courses to be applied to the degree (including transfer courses) and must be approved by the student's academic advisor, Department Chairperson, and Dean of Graduate Studies. 

At least 30 semester credit hours of coursework at the 400 level or above, of which a minimum of 18 credits must be from non-thesis related courses is required.  Each Electrical Engineering MS Thesis-Focused student must complete at least 9 credit hours of  ECSE 651 Thesis M.S. , which is the course associated with MS thesis research.  Each student must complete their approved Academic Program coursework with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or greater. 

Completion of the MS Thesis-Focused track requires that the student submit a written thesis and make an oral presentation of the findings (hereafter known as the defense) to a thesis guidance committee. The thesis guidance committee shall consist of the student's research advisor and at least two additional faculty members recommended by the advisor.  At least two members of the committee must be faculty members in the ECSE department.  The chairperson of the guidance committee is normally the candidate's research advisor.  The student is responsible for forming the thesis guidance committee.  The student will work closely with their advisor to determine when the thesis is ready for review by the guidance committee.  The student shall provide an announcement containing a title, abstract, date, time and location of the defense to the ECSE Office of Student Affairs for general distribution at least 10 days in advance of the thesis defense.

Project-Focused Track

The MS Project-Focused track is composed of two components:

• a research-oriented project

Progression through the program is monitored by an Academic Program that is required to be filed through SIS.  The Academic Program contains a comprehensive list of all courses to be applied to the degree (including transfer courses) and must be approved by the student's academic advisor, Department Chairperson, and Dean of Graduate Studies.

The Academic Program must contain at least 30 semester credit hours of coursework at the 400 level or above, of which a minimum of 21 credits from courses other than  ECSE 695 Project M.S.  (which is the course associated with the MS research project) is required. Each Electrical Engineering MS Project-Focused student must complete at least 3 credit hours of  ECSE 695 Project M.S. . Each student must complete their approved Academic Program coursework with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or greater. 

Each candidate for the Electrical Engineering master’s degree under a Project-Focused track must pass a comprehensive examination to be administered by a committee of department faculty. The examination committee should be composed of the student’s academic advisor and at least two additional members of the department faculty. In such cases, the chairperson of the committee is normally the candidate's academic advisor. The examination may be written, oral, or a combination as determined by the committee. A student must be registered during the semester in which any part of the comprehensive examination is taken. If not registered for other courses, the student will be required to register for one semester hour of  EXAM 600 .

Course-Focused Track

The Course-Focused MS track requirements consist of:

• the completion of 30 hours of approved coursework at the 400 level or higher,
• satisfactory completion of the culminating course-focused experience, i.e. passing the course  ENGR 600  with requirements defined by the student's curricular program, and
• additional requirements as specified by the program. 

Students should consult with their academic advisor and/or department to determine the detailed requirements within this framework.

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