Ian Brown

  • Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Education

Ph.D., ECE, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2009
M.S., ECE, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2003
B.S., Eng., Swarthmore College, 1999

Research Interests

Ian Brown joined the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology in August 2012. His broad research interests are in energy conversion with a focus on electric machines, adjustable speed drives, and their application to renewable energy sources and sustainability. He has developed design guidelines for induction machines to improve their self-sensing properties while preserving their power conversion capabilities, and he is interested to extend this work to address general issues in electric machine design and adjustable speed drives with the focus applied to technologies for renewable energy, sustainability, and transportation electrification. Brown brings to his research practical experience from his prior position as principal engineer at A.O. Smith’s Corporate Technology Center in the Electronics and Advanced Motor Technology Group, where he worked on both electric machine design and controls for adjustable speed drives.

Publications

Journal papers (Students under my mentorship are indicated by † symbol):

  1. N. Tang†, I.P. Brown, “A Systematic Approach for Developing Electric Machine Windings With Suppressed MMF Space Harmonics,” accepted for publication in Electric Power Components and Systems, 2017.
  2. Y. Nie†, I.P. Brown, D.C. Ludois, “Deadbeat-Direct Torque and Flux Control for Wound Field Synchronous Machines,” accepted for publication in IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, 2017 DOI: 10.1109/TIE.2017.2739696.
  3. J.J. Dai, S. Hagen, D.C. Ludois, I.P. Brown, “Synchronous Generator Field Excitation Via Capacitive Coupling Through a Journal Bearing,” in IEEE Transactions on Industrial Applications, 2017, Vol. 53, No. 4, 2017 DOI: 10.1109/TIA.2017.2681621.
  4. I.P. Brown, G.Y. Sizov, L.E. Brown, “Impact of Rotor Design on Interior Permanent-Magnet Machines With Concentrated and Distributed Windings for Signal Injection-Based Sensorless Control and Power Conversion,” in IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications, Vol. 52, No. 1, 2016 DOI: 10.1109/TIA.2015.2464783.
  5. Z. Yang, Shang, F., I.P.Brown, M. Krishnamurthy, “Comparative Study of Interior Permanent Magnet, Induction, and Switched Reluctance Motor Drives for EV and HEV Applications,” in IEEE Transactions on Transportation Electrification, Vol. 1, No. 3, 2015 DOI: 10.1109/TTE.2015.2470092.
  6. I.P. Brown,M.W. Critchley, J. Yin, S.B. Memory, G.Y. Sizov, S.W. Elbel, C.D. Bowers, M. Petersen and P.S. Hrnjak, “Design and Evaluation of Interior Permanent Magnet Compressor Motors for Commercial Transcritical CO2 (R-744) Heat Pump Water Heaters,” in IEEE Transactions on Industrial Applications, Vol. 51, No. 1, Jan.-Feb. 2015 DOI: 10.1109/TIA.2014.2327158.
  7. I.P. Brown, D.M. Ionel, and D.G. Dorrell. “Influence of Parallel Paths on Current Regulated Sine-Wave Interior Permanent Magnet Machines with Rotor Eccentricity,” in IEEE Transactions on Industrial Applications, Vol. 48, No. 2, Mar.-Apr. 2012 DOI: 10.1109/TIA.2012.2182749.
  8. I.P. Brown, and R.D. Lorenz. “Induction Machine Design Methodology for Self-Sensing: Balancing Saliencies and Power Conversion Properties,” in IEEE Transactions on Industrial Applications, Vol. 47, No. 1, Jan.-Feb. 2011 DOI: 10.1109/TIA.2010.2091375.

Submitted journal papers (in review):

  1. Di Gioia†, I.P. Brown, Y. Nie†, R. Knippel, D.C. Ludois, S. Hagen, C. Alteheld, “Design and Demonstration of a Wound Field Synchronous Machine for Electric Vehicle Traction with Brushless Capacitive Field Excitation,” first revision submitted to IEEE Transaction on Industrial Applications.
  2. P. Hekmati†, I.P. Brown, “Rotary-Reciprocating Movement Switched Reluctance Machines with Consequent Axially Shifted Poles,” submitted to IEEE Transactions on Magnetics.
  3. N. Tang†, I.P. Brown, “Framework and Solution Techniques for Suppressing Electric Machine Winding MMF Space Harmonics by Varying Slot Distribution and Coil Turns,” submitted to IEEE Transactions on Magnetics.

Full-length conference proceeding papers:

  1. A. Di Gioia†, I.P. Brown, Y. Nie†, R. Knippel, D.C. Ludois, J. Dai, S. Hagen, and C. Alteheld, “Design of a Wound Field Synchronous Machine for Electric Vehicle Traction with Brushless Capacitive Field Excitation,” in Proceedings of the 2016 IEEE Energy Conversion and Conservation Expo (ECCE), Milwaukee, WI, September 18 – 22, 2016 DOI: 10.1109/ECCE.2016.7855023.
  2. J. Dai, S. Hagen, D.C. Ludois, and I.P. Brown, “Synchronous Generator Field Excitation Via Capacitive Coupling Through a Journal Bearing,” in Proceedings of the 2016 IEEE Energy Conversion and Conservation Expo (ECCE), Milwaukee, WI, September 18 – 22, 2016 DOI: 10.1109/ECCE.2016.7855488.
  3. A. Di Gioia† and I.P. Brown, “Silicon and Hybrid Si-SiC Tandem Inverter Analytical Loss Characterization and Comparison to PWM-Modulated Voltage Source Invertor,” in Proceedings of the 2015 IEEE Energy Conversion and Conservation Expo (ECCE), Montreal, Canada, September 20 – 24, 2015 DOI: 10.1109/ECCE.2015.7310319.
  4. Y. Nie† and I.P. Brown, “Extended Boost Converter Boundary Control Law based on Natural Switching Surfaces,” in Proceedings of the 2015 IEEE Energy Conversion and Conservation Expo (ECCE), Montreal, Canada, September 20 – 24, 2015 DOI: 10.1109/ECCE.2015.7309892.
  5. I.P. Brown, G.Y. Sizov, and L.E. Brown, “Impact of Interior Permanent Magnet Rotor Design on Signal Injection Based Sensorless Control and Power Conversion,” in Proceedings of the 2013 IEEE Energy Conversion and Conservation Expo (ECCE), Denver, USA, September 15 – 19, 2013 DOI: 10.1109/ECCE.2013.6647072.
  6. I.P. Brown, G.Y. Sizov, and N.A.O. Demerdash, “Rapid High Fidelity Finite Element-Based Synchronous Machine Model for System Simulations,” in Proceedings of the IEEE International Electric Machines and Drives Conference (IEMDC), Chicago, USA, May 12-15, 2013 DOI: 10.1109/IEMDC.2013.6556211.
  7. Z. Yang, M. Krishnamurthy, and I.P. Brown, “Electromagnetic and Vibrational Characteristic of IPM over Full Torque-Speed Range,” in Proceedings of the IEEE International Electric Machines and Drives Conference (IEMDC), Chicago, USA, May 12-15, 2013 DOI: 10.1109/IEMDC.2013.6556267.
  8. I.P. Brown, M.W. Critchley, J. Yin, S. Memory, S.W. Elbel, C.D. Bowers, M. Petersen, P.S. Hrnjak, and G.Y. Sizov, “Design and Evaluation of Interior Permanent Magnet Compressor Motors for Commercial Transcritical CO2 (R-744) Heat Pump Water Heaters,” in Proceedings of the 2012 IEEE Energy Conversion and Conservation Expo (ECCE), Raleigh, USA, September 15-20, 2012 DOI: 10.1109/ECCE.2012.6342379.
  9. G. Sizov, P. Zhang, D.M. Ionel, N.A.O. Demerdash, I.P. Brown, and M.G. Solveson, “Modeling, Analysis and Minimization of Torque Ripple and Radial Forces in Permanent Magnet AC Machines,” in Proceedings of the 2012 IEEE Energy Conversion and Conservation Expo (ECCE), Raleigh, USA, September 15-20, 2012 DOI: 10.1109/ECCE.2012.6342514.
  10. I.P. Brown, D.M. Ionel, and D.G. Dorrell, “Unbalanced Operation of Current Regulated Sine-Wave Interior Permanent Magnet Machines,” in Proceedings of the 2010 IEEE Energy Conversion and Conservation Expo (ECCE), Atlanta, USA, September 13-16, 2010 DOI: 10.1109/ECCE.2010.5617753.
  11. D.M. Ionel, I.P. Brown, “On the Effect of Winding Parallel Paths in Synchronous Permanent Magnet Electric Machine Drives” in Digests of the 2010 14th Biennial IEEE Conference on Electromagnetic Field Computation, Chicago, USA, May 2-12, 2019 DOI: 10.1109/CEFC.2010.5481311.
  12. X. Yuan, I.P. Brown, R.D. Lorenz, and A. Qui, “Observer-Based Inverter Disturbance Compensation,” in Proceedings of the 2009 IEEE Energy Conversion and Conservation Expo (ECCE), San Jose, USA, September 20-24, 2009 DOI: 10.1109/ECCE.2009.5316413.
  13. I.P. Brown, and R.D. Lorenz, “Induction Machine Design Methodology for Self-Sensing: Balancing Saliencies and Power Conversion Properties.” In Proceedings of the IEEE International Electric Machines and Drives Conference (IEMDC), Miami, USA, May 3-6, 2009 DOI: 10.1109/IEMDC.2009.5075182.
  14. I.P. Brown, and R.D. Lorenz, “Response Surface Methodologies for the Design of Induction Machine Self-Sensing Rotor Position Saliencies,” In Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Electrical Machines and Systems (ICEMS), Seoul, Korea, October 8-11, 2007.

Expertise

Design and modeling of electric machines, adjustable speed drives, and power electronics applied to renewable energy systems and energy efficient power conversion.