High voltage engineering
Driving innovation in dielectric materials, high-voltage equipment, asset management and reliability, and transport electrification to support the energy transition to Net Zero.
Our High Voltage Lab is the largest power network infrastructure test and research facility in the UK academia.
Reducing usage of fossil-oil-based insulating liquids in power transformers to deliver environmental, safety, and financial benefits.
Accelerating the decarbonisation of electricity networks through retro-fill replacement of sulphur hexafluoride.
Improved designs of high voltage overhead lines enable increased transmission capacity and infrastructure utilisation, providing environmental and financial benefits.
Improving the sustainability and reliability of power network infrastructures
At Manchester, we combine a deep understanding of the physics of insulation failure with a knowledge of the requirements placed on electrical insulation in a wide range of engineering applications including transformers, switchgear, GIS / GIL, cables and overhead lines, translating fundamental research into deployable solutions for safer, greener and future-ready power network infrastructures on both plant and system levels.
The areas of expertise at Manchester cover the full spectrum of experimental and simulation approaches. Through strong interdisciplinary collaboration and industry partnership, we link atomic-scale material behaviour to asset and system performance, making real-world impacts.
Our research goes beyond high voltage technology. It’s about keeping society powered safely and sustainably. From advanced materials to full‑scale power equipment, we turn fundamental science into resilient infrastructure that enables a cleaner, more reliable Net Zero future.
Qiang Liu - Group Lead and Professor of High Voltage Engineering
Research
Our areas of research
Advanced dielectric materials
We work with a wide range of insulating materials including gases, liquids, solids, composites and combinations. We combine a deep understanding of the physics of insulation failure with a knowledge of the requirements placed on electrical insulation in a wide range of engineering applications, translating basic research into technologies that ensure we can assess and maximise the value of new materials and improve the understanding of existing materials. We have strong links with colleagues working in materials science, chemistry and physics at The University of Manchester and benefit from access to their facilities, for example the Royce Institute, a £250m UK Government supported materials hub with its headquarters on our campus. We believe that the next generation of power system equipment will be heavily influenced by the development of new advanced materials that in turn lead to more power dense and efficient solutions.
Modelling and design
Our modelling and design capabilities are underpinned by the use of a range of software systems. We possess a high level of expertise in COMSOL and use the Finite Element Method (FEM) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) packages for simulation within the electrostatic, electromagnetic and thermal domains. We strongly believe in the use of experimentation to validate modelling results and regularly run laboratory experiments alongside modelling, giving confidence in the simulation outputs. Other software packages regularly used within the group include PSCAD (for the modelling of system transients), CDEGS (for earthing system analysis) and PowerFactory, IPSA and PowerWorld (for general power system modelling).
High voltage equipment
Our research spans the full range of high voltage equipment used in modern power networks – transformers, switchgear, cables, overhead lines and gas-insulated systems. Supported by the UK's largest academic high voltage laboratory (2 MV impulse, 800 kV AC, 600 kV DC and up to 2.7 kA), we conduct full-scale testing alongside detailed modelling and materials-level investigation.
Our work has enabled pioneering deployments including the world's first 400 kV ester-filled transformers, novel overhead line designs and SF₆-free gas-insulated equipment.
Asset management and reliability
The group has expertise in the asset management of power equipment across the whole lifecycle, from conception to recycling/re-use. Fundamental to asset management is understanding failure mechanisms and condition assessment techniques. The group combines years of research with insulation degradation, lifetime modelling, statistical and economic analysis to evaluate asset management strategies, including optimising maintenance and repair schedules to maximise reliability.
In power networks, overall reliability and availability depends on the complex relationship between network topography, component condition, stresses including extreme weather conditions and event interactions, and system restoration strategies. The group has modelled this system/component interaction combining its plant and system expertise. Over many years, the group has developed strong collaborations and accessed industry performance and failure data, enabling a deep understanding of real-world conditions.
Compact insulation systems
Electrifying transport, storing renewable energy and powering digital infrastructure all demand more power from ever smaller, lighter footprints. Offshore converters, grid-scale battery storage, electric aircraft, electric vehicles and data centres push insulation to withstand intense electrical stress while simultaneously removing heat from tightly packed, power-dense designs. Building on our world-leading expertise in insulation design and thermal modelling and through close collaboration with Energy Conversion Group, we develop and qualify compact insulation systems that insulate and cool at the same time, enabling the safer, lighter and more efficient next-generation power dense equipment at the heart of the energy transition.
Our research facilities
High Voltage Laboratory
Our High Voltage Lab is the UK’s largest academic electrical infrastructure test facility, supporting industry to innovate faster. We work with global partners to test new products, solve transmission and distribution challenges, and accelerate electrification. With 2 MV impulse, 800 kV AC, 600 kV DC testing equipment and cutting‑edge research expertise, we help industry develop, validate and de‑risk next‑generation power technologies.
Dielectric Material Laboratory
Our Dielectric Materials Lab is fully equipped with a wide range of facilities to pre-process and characterise dielectric materials. The lab houses advanced analytical instrumentation including GC–MS, FTIR, HPLC. In addition, long-term accelerated ageing tests on insulation materials can be carried out using a series of air-circulating ovens, environmental chambers and in-house designed cells.
Study with us
Postgraduate pathways
Projects within our group are covered by the following doctoral programmes:
The postgraduate taught degrees you can study with us are:
Connect with us
Our people
- Qiang Liu - Professor of High Voltage Engineering
- Zhongdong Wang - Professor of Energy System Infrastructure
- Tony Chen - Reader
- Konstantinos Kopsidas - Senior Lecturer
- Victor Levi - Senior Lecturer
- Shanika Matharage - Lecturer
- Steven Li - Dame Kathleen Ollerenshaw Fellow
- Ramy Afia - Senior Technical Specialist
- Zeeshan Ali - Technical Specialist
- Slawek Kubecki - Senior Technician
Get in touch
Contact our team
For business and general inquiries, contact:
High Voltage Lab: hv_lab@manchester.ac.uk
Group Lead, Professor Qiang Liu: qiang.liu@manchester.ac.uk