On December 30, the Ministry of Education released the list of winners for the 2025 Outstanding Scientific Research Achievement Awards (Natural Sciences and Engineering Technology). The School of Electrical Engineering, Southeast University delivered an exceptional performance, with two research projects honored.
ProjectDesign Methodology and Application of High-Torque-Density Multi-Working-Wave Permanent Magnet Machines for New Energy Applications, led by Professor Hua Wei, was awarded the First Prize in Engineering Technology (completed by: Hua Wei, Zhao Wenxiang, Wang Zheng, Cheng Ming, Su Peng, Zhang Hengliang).
ProjectTheory of Aggregation and Regulation for Massive Thermostatically Controlled Loads, led by Professor Hu Qinran, received the Second Prize in Natural Sciences (completed by: Hu Qinran, Song Meng, Wang Wei, Wu Zaijun).
Targeting the core demand for higher torque density in new energy equipment such as electric vehicles and wind turbines, and supported by the Key Program, Outstanding Youth Fund, and Excellent Youth Fund of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, as well as a National 973 Program Project, Professor Hua Wei’s research team elucidated the cooperative operating mechanism of multi-working-wave air-gap magnetic fields in electrical machines and established a multi-working-wave regulation scheme. A refined iron-loss model for multi-working-wave machines was developed, considering dual modulations from magnetic reluctance and eddy currents, accompanied by a high-torque-density machine design method based on the collaborative optimization of “three key factors”. The team further proposed approaches to enhancing the torque density of multi-working-wave machines and invented a variety of high-torque-density machine topologies, offering novel perspectives and effective pathways for breakthroughs in machine technology.
The project has yielded 118 authorized invention patents, including 7 US patents, and has received high praise from academicians and experts both domestically and internationally. Comments include: “established novel analytical, design and optimization methods for electrical machines”, “provided new approaches for optimizing and improving machine performance”, “the most accurate method for calculating iron losses in permanent magnet machines”, and “effectively suppresses cogging torque while increasing average torque”. Its outcomes have been applied in products of enterprises such as Inovance, State Power Investment Corporation and Gree Electric Appliances, boosting machine torque density by up to 30% and reaching internationally leading levels. These achievements have accelerated the leapfrog development of China’s new energy industries including electric vehicles and wind power generation. The project previously won the First Prize for Technological Invention of the China Electrotechnical Society and the China Patent Excellence Award. The first principal investigator has been selected for national-level talent programs, and a cohort of young innovative talents has been cultivated, including Outstanding Young Scholars from overseas, Young Talents Sponsored by the China Association for Science and Technology, and provincial-level outstanding doctoral graduates.
Focusing on the challenge of real-time power balance in power systems with high penetration of renewable energy, Professor Hu Qinran and Professor Wu Zaijun’s team has conducted long-term research on the aggregated modeling and cooperative control of thermostatically controlled loads, achieving systematic and original breakthroughs. The project uncovered the widespread thermal energy storage and time-shifting characteristics of thermostatically controlled loads. Breaking through constraints from individual structural differences, the team established a unified mapping model between thermal dynamic characteristics and parameters of virtual batteries and virtual generating units across multiple time scales. A modeling framework of “behavioral pattern–physical environment–load response” was proposed, integrating heterogeneous signals and ensemble learning. The propagation law of individual uncertainties in load cluster responses was identified, leading to a risk-aware aggregation theory within credible boundaries. The cooperative response mechanism between thermostatically controlled loads and power systems was revealed, forming a unified theoretical system for aggregated modeling and coordinated control.
Related research has been recognized with the IEEE PES Prize Paper Award, the highest paper award of the IEEE Power & Energy Society, and the Annual Best Paper Award ofIEEE Transactions on Smart Grid. Partial outcomes have been verified through applications in multiple practical scenarios. Featuring outstanding original innovation, significant scientific value and great application potential, the findings provide critical support for the construction of China’s new power load management systems and virtual power plants.
The Outstanding Scientific Research Achievement Awards of the Ministry of Education are presented every three years, with a total award quota of no more than 500 per cycle. The awards emphasize originality, practical contribution and effectiveness in talent cultivation, representing a highly competitive and widely recognized honor in academia. The two awards secured by research teams from the School fully demonstrate the long-standing research strength of the School in cutting-edge fields of electrical engineering. They also vividly reflect the School’s commitment to serving the national energy strategy and driving breakthroughs in key industrial technologies, offering a successful paradigm for the deep integration of university scientific and technological innovation with industrial demands.
Contributor: Hua Wei
Preliminary Review: Zhong Linlin
Final Review: Gu Wei
