Host: University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
Co-supervisor/mentors: V. Cirimele & A. Costanzo (UniBo, IT), C. Lecluyse (MPW, BE)
Required profile: Electrical Engineering, Physics or equivalent
Desirable skills/interests: Simulation engineering and modelling; Energy systems; Electrical and electronic engineering; Mathematical physics; Embedded systems; Systems engineering
Objectives: Developing an integrated coupler that simultaneously exploits magnetic and electric field coupling mechanisms in bidirectional WPT systems. The DC will derive analytical expressions for hybrid magnetic–electric coupling coefficients and energy transfer characteristics, including efficiency, stability, and misalignment tolerance, resulting in compact lumped equivalent circuit models. The model will be validated through circuit-level simulations in LTspice and full-wave electromagnetic simulations in CST Studio. Finally, an integrated magnetic–electric coupler will be realized and experimentally evaluated against conventional WPT systems in terms of compactness, component reduction, and misalignment tolerance.
Project: Combining magnetic and electric field coupling for bidirectional WPT (WP1)
