Faculty of Engineering

COURSE OUTLINE

ECE 488 – Electrical Power Systems

Term – Spring 2019 (201901)

Instructor Office Hours

Dr. T. Ilamparithi Days: Wednesdays, Thursdays
Phone: 250 721 8679 Time: 2:30 to 3:30 PM
E-mail: ilampari@uvic.ca Location: EOW 407

Course Objectives
Electrical power system is the backbone of modern civilization. The demand of electricity is growing with
every passing day. The electrical power system is also growing as a consequence. Along with the size, the
challenges in maintaining and operating the power system are also increasing for a variety of reasons such
as the penetration of renewable energy sources, increased use of electrical transportation systems, the
advent of smart grid and increased cyber-electrical control etc. Consequently, it is important for an
upcoming electrical engineer to be familiar with the fundamentals of electrical power systems. ECE 488
provides an ideal opportunity for you to get introduced to the world of electrical power systems. The
primary objectives of the course are to:
(a) Study in detail about the components constituting electrical power systems
(b) Analyze electrical power systems under normal operating conditions
(c) Analyze electrical power systems during contingencies

Learning Outcomes
By being a part of ECE 488 and actively involving yourself in the learning process, you shall be able to
(i) Identify the role of various elements of an electrical power system
(ii) Develop equivalent circuit models of all key components
(iii) Represent an electrical power system using single line diagram
(iv) Compute parameters of significance under normal operating conditions
(v) Analyze the impact of different faults on a power system
(vi) Familiarize with industry standard power systems analysis software

Syllabus
The syllabus comprises of:
Basic concepts of electric power systems illustrating usage of admittance and impedance matrices for
load-flow solutions. Three-phase salient and round rotor synchronous machines. Three-phase
transformer. Transmission line parameters. Representation and analysis of transmission lines including
ABCD parameters. Symmetrical components and sequence networks. Symmetrical faults such as three
phase faults. Unsymmetrical faults such as single line to ground, double line and double line to ground
faults. (pre-requisite course: ELEC 370).

Lecture
A-Section(s): A01 / CRN 20914 Marker TA – Mehran Amigh
Days: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays mehranamigh@uvic.ca
Time: 10:30 AM to 11:20 AM
Location: Engineering & Computer Science (ECS) 108
Required Text
Entire course will be based on the following text book. Therefore, it is essential you have it with you.
Title: Power System Analysis
Authors: Hadi Saadat
Publisher: PSA Publishing LLC
Edition: 3rd Edition

Required Software:
Software simulation is an essential skill to be acquired by every power engineer. In this course you will get
a chance to familiarize with an industry standard software called PSS/E. In addition, you will be using
MATLAB/Simulink. MATLAB/Simulink, student version (https://matlab.engr.uvic.ca/) is free for you all.
Therefore, please install the software in your personal computer. Please install the following toolbox in
addition to MATLAB/Simulink.
 Simscape Power Systems (formerly SimPowerSystems)
Details on how to install PSS/E student version will be provided later.

Assessment:
Validating one’s learning is important and hence in ECE 488, many opportunities will be provided to you
to assess your learning. In order to ensure you have enough time to take appropriate corrective actions
upon assessing, I propose the following periodic assessment scheme:

In-class quizzes 5 x 2 = 10% Wednesdays except 9-Jan, 20-Feb, 27-Feb, 3-Apr

Assignment Quizzes: 4 x 2.5 = 10% Dates: To be announced in CourseSpace
Mid-term 1x20 = 20% Due Date: 27-Feb-2019
Software Project 1x10 = 10% Due Date: 5-Apr-2019
Final Exam 1x50 = 50% Date: To be announced

I have furnished more details about each of the assessment scheme in Appendix A. Please take time to
read through it.
Further, as most of you would be graduating soon after completing ECE 488, I believe it is important that
these assessments also help you nurture professionalism. Therefore, about 10% of marks would be
allotted towards:
(a) On-time submission
(b) Organization & legible presentation
The final grade obtained from the above marking scheme for the purpose of GPA calculation will be based
on the percentage-to-grade point conversion table as listed in the current Undergraduate Calendar.
https://web.uvic.ca/calendar2019-01/undergrad/info/regulations/grading.html
There will be no supplemental examination for this course.
https://web.uvic.ca/calendar2019-01/undergrad/info/regulations/exams.html#

Note to students: In case you have any issues with the conduct of the course, you should discuss them
with me, the instructor, first. If these discussions do not resolve the issue, then feel free to contact the
Chair of the Department by email or the Chair's Assistant to set up an appointment.

Accommodation of Religious Observance:

https://web.uvic.ca/calendar2019-01/undergrad/info/regulations/religious-observanc.html

Policy on Inclusivity and Diversity:

https://web.uvic.ca/calendar2019-01/general/policies.html

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Standards of Professional Behaviour: You are advised to read the Faculty of Engineering document
Standards for Professional Behaviour, which contains important information regarding conduct in courses,
labs, and in the general use of facilities.
https://www.uvic.ca/engineering/assets/docs/professional-behaviour.pdf

Cheating, plagiarism and other forms of academic fraud are taken very seriously by both the University
and the Department. You should consult the entry in the current Undergraduate Calendar for the UVic
policy on academic integrity.
https://web.uvic.ca/calendar2019-01/undergrad/info/regulations/academic-integrity.html

Equality: This course aims to provide equal opportunities and access for all students to enjoy the benefits
and privileges of the class and its curriculum and to meet the syllabus requirements. Reasonable and
appropriate accommodation will be made available to students with documented disabilities (physical,
mental, learning) in order to give them the opportunity to successfully meet the essential requirements
of the course. The accommodation will not alter academic standards or learning outcomes, although the
student may be allowed to demonstrate knowledge and skills in a different way. It is not necessary for
you to reveal your disability and/or confidential medical information to the course instructor. If you
believe that you may require accommodation, the course instructor can provide you with information
about confidential resources on campus that can assist you in arranging for appropriate accommodation.
Alternatively, you may want to contact the Center for Accessible Learning located on campus.

The University of Victoria is committed to promoting, providing, and protecting a positive, and supportive
and safe learning and working environment for all its members.

Course Lecture Notes: As a first time learner of electrical power systems, you are encouraged to study
from the text book. Therefore, I shall refrain from providing any lecture notes. On the other hand, I shall
supply you with a tentative schedule of topics I intend to discuss during lecture hours. I recommend
strongly that you spend time reading about the topic both before and after the lecture. Where ever
appropriate, I might supply a few materials that would supplement the text book.
Unless otherwise noted, all course materials supplied to students in this course are intended for use in
this course only. These materials are NOT to be re-circulated digitally, whether by email or by uploading
or copying to websites, or to others not enrolled in this course. Violation of this policy may in some cases
constitute a breach of academic integrity as defined in the UVic Calendar.

Course Evaluation: Towards the end of term, as in all other courses at UVic, you will have the opportunity
to complete an anonymous survey regarding your learning experience (CES). The survey is vital to
providing feedback to me regarding the course and my teaching, as well as to help the department
improve the overall program for students in the future. When it is time for you to complete the survey
you will receive an email inviting you to do so. You will need to use your UVic Netlink ID to access the
survey, which can be done on your laptop, tablet, or mobile device. I will remind you and provide you with
more detailed information nearer the time but please be thinking about this important activity during the
course.

Continuous Feedback: I am committed to a memorable learning experience for my students, and I will try
my best to help out in whatever way I can. For that I need to receive your input. Oral/written/email
feedback are all welcome anytime during the term.

Sexualized Violence Prevention and Response at UVic

UVic takes sexualized violence seriously, and has raised the bar for what is considered acceptable
behaviour. We encourage students to learn more about how the university defines sexualized
violence and its overall approach by visiting www.uvic.ca/svp. If you or someone you know has
been impacted by sexualized violence and needs information, advice, and/or support please
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contact the sexualized violence resource office in Equity and Human Rights (EQHR). Whether or
not you have been directly impacted, if you want to take part in the important prevention work
taking place on campus, you can also reach out:
Where: Sexualized violence resource office in EQHR; Sedgewick C119
Phone: 250.721.8021
Email: svpcoordinator@uvic.ca
Web: www.uvic.ca/svp

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 Appendix A
Assessment:
As indicated in the course outline, I suggest the following periodic assessment scheme:

In-class quizzes 5 x 2 = 10% Wednesdays except 9-Jan, 20-Feb, 27-Feb, 3-Apr

Assignment Quizzes: 4 x 2.5 = 10% Dates: To be announced in CourseSpace
Mid-term 1x20 = 20% Date: 27-Feb-2019
Software Project 1x10 = 10% Due Date: 5-Apr-2019
Final Exam 1x50 = 50% Date: To be announced

In-class quizzes:
The main objective of the quizzes is to provide instant and frequent feedback about your understanding
of the course material. Key information about these quizzes are:
Day: Every Wednesday (except 9-Jan, 20-Feb, 27-Feb, 3-Apr)
Time: During lecture hour
Duration: 15 minutes
Type of questions: Multiple choice questions or descriptive type
Restrictions: No discussion with peers
Accommodations: You can refer to any resource such as notes, text book or internet
Calculator: Any type of calculator can be used
Weightage: Each quiz will have 2% weightage
I do understand that you might not be able to appear for all the quizzes. Hence, I shall consider only your
best 5 performances towards the grade.

Note: These quizzes will be administered using an education software called TopHat. In order to participate
in these quizzes, you need to enroll with the software. There is a small fee (about $30 per term) to use this
software. I shall be sending an invitation to each one of you before the first week of classes end.

Assignment Quizzes:
In this course, there will be 4 assignment based quizzes. Each assignment might have about 10 questions.
I shall also be providing the complete solution to these questions. Each of you is expected to learn to solve
these problems. The quizzes will be based on these assignment problems.
Some important information about the assignment quizzes are given below:
Quiz Dates: To be announced in CourseSpace
Duration: 45 minutes
Type of questions: Multiple choice questions and descriptive type
Restrictions: No discussion with peers, no access to text book or lecture notes or internet
Accommodations: Hand-written notes up to one single sided A4 sheet
Calculator: Any type of calculator can be used
Weightage: Each assignment quiz is worth 2.5%
Please note, I shall assign a few marks for legible and methodical presentation just to ensure you present
your answers in a professional manner. In case you find any issue with the way your assignment quiz is
marked, please do not hesitate to contact the TA via email.

Midterm:
Midterm exam will help you review all topics covered in the first half of the term. Some useful information
about the midterm exam are given below:
Date: 27-Feb-2019
Time: During lecture hour
Duration: 45 minutes

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 Type of questions: Multiple choice questions and descriptive type
Restrictions: No discussion with peers, no access to text book or lecture notes or internet
Accommodations: Hand-written notes up to two single sided A4 sheets
Calculator: Any type of calculator can be used
Weightage: Midterm exam will be worth 20%
Please note, I shall assign a few marks for legible and methodical presentation just to ensure you present
your answers in a professional manner.

Software Project:
One of the key intended learning outcomes of this course is to familiarize you with industry standard
power systems analysis software tool. To accomplish this learning outcome, I shall assign a take home
project based on a software called PSS/E. I shall upload more details about this project in CourseSpace
before the reading break week.
Please note, all students will be working on the same simulation project to ensure fairness. Details about
assessment will be discussed during a lecture and will be shared via CourseSpace.

Final Exam:
Final exam will be comprehensive in nature i.e. any topic discussed during the term can be tested. Some
key information about the final exam are given below:
Date: To be announced
Time: To be announced
Duration: 3 hours
Type of questions: Multiple choice questions and descriptive type
Restrictions: No discussion with peers, no access to text book or lecture notes or internet
Accommodations: Hand-written notes up to two single sided A4 sheets
Calculator: Any type of calculator can be used
Weightage: Final exam will be worth 50%
Please note, I shall assign a few marks for legible and methodical presentation just to ensure you present
your answers in a professional manner.