Prof. Michael Mann Profile

Prof. Michael Mann

Profressor of Renewable Power Systems at Univ of Applied Sciences Aschaffenburg

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Studied electrical engineering at Kaiserslautern University with B.Sc. and M.Sc. thesis on varistors and electrostatic discharge, then completed his Ph.D. thesis on electromagnetic wave propagation. Afterwards, worked at global Power Systems company to lead new R&D department on High-Voltage gas-insulated switchgear development. In 2017, he joined Aschaffenburg University of Applied Sciences to lead the Renewable Power Systems Lab. His interests include high-voltage engineering, power grid and power quality.

Proceedings Article | 25 July 2024 Presentation + Paper

Advanced power quality measurement techniques at the electric power grid of astronomical observatories

Michael Mann, Thorsten Döhring, Manfred Stollenwerk, Alessandro Priebsch, Theodor Pribulla, Richard Komžík, Peter Sivanič

Proceedings Volume 13098, 130981H (2024) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3016562

KEYWORDS: Power grids, Observatories, Matrices, Quality measurement, Equipment, Astronomy, Engineering, Electromagnetism, Switching, Standards development

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Astronomers and observatory operators often find themselves in a situation where they can hardly differentiate the signal of interest from the noise. Furthermore, they might experience system and instrument failures - permanent or temporary- whose root-cause might not be 100% clear. This is where the electric power grid and the grounding of the instruments and the observatory itself step onto the scene. The structure of the electric power grid that supplies astronomical observatories differs from that of a standard power grid. Observatories are not integrated into widespread mesh-type power grid configurations, but rather located at the end of so-called stub power lines or cables. Therefore, disturbances in the observatory cannot be properly compensated for by the grid. Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS) may be able to mitigate power quality issues such as over- or undervoltage phenomena, but they only address the symptoms and not the root cause or improper engineering of the power grid and power supply of the observatory. Previous studies have measured Power Quality parameters on site, which has led to further research on Power Quality at astronomical observatories. This study will answer the research question of whether a new approach to Power Quality measurements can provide additional information, particularly for remote power grids. The method confidently measures numerous voltage and current signals using a high-speed measurement setup that is commonly used in high-power high-voltage measurements. This setup can accurately identify both the symptoms, such as deviations in voltage or current signals, and the underlying causes that occurred beforehand. The tests are conducted at the Renewable Power Systems Laboratory of Aschaffenburg University of Applied Sciences. The high-bandwidth current sensors adapted to the recorder make for a novel setup. The benchmark measurements, setup, and results have been previously presented at conferences. This contribution highlights the need for further research on power grid disturbances and their proper mitigation. To mitigate high-frequency interference signals that may originate from power electronics, appropriate grounding techniques should be implemented for observatories.

Proceedings Article | 25 August 2022 Presentation + Paper

On the importance of the electrical grid power quality for astronomical observatories

Michael Mann, Thorsten Döhring, Manfred Stollenwerk, Sebastian Wenzler, Theodor Pribulla, Richard Komžík, Peter Sivanič

Proceedings Volume 12186, 1218617 (2022) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2627227

KEYWORDS: Observatories, Astronomy, Electronics, Quality measurement, Lamps, Power supplies, Distortion, Switching, Electromagnetism, Phase measurement

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