The Power Station and Transmission (PST) Lab established at Sultan Qaboos University’s Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering of the College of Engineering with the support various electricity companies in Oman, was opened on 23 April at the College under the patronage of H.E. Dr. Ali bin Saud Al Bimani, the Vice Chancellor of the University. The Power Station and Transmission Lab will be used for educational purposes, research, and community services. It covers all the main components of a power system including generation, transmission, distribution, loads, with a SCADA monitoring and control system.
In 2008, the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department, College of Engineering, Sultan Qaboos University was awarded two external grants for three years from Mazoon Electricity Company and Majan Electricity Company. Thereafter, in 2012, the ECE Department was awarded five external grants for three years from Rural Areas Electricity Company, Muscat Electricity Distribution Company, Mazoon Electricity Company, Majan Electricity Company, and Oman Electricity Transmission Company. These companies and the ECE Department agreed on using these grants to upgrade the ECE Power Systems and Energy laboratories, organize a number of focused training workshops and sponsor students’ projects.
Prof. Ibrahim Metwally, Dr. Mohammed Al-Badi, and Dr. Amer Al-Hinai have managed these grants, purchased the laboratory, organized fourteen focused training workshops for engineers of these companies over six years, and involved the students of the department in solving the real problems of these companies through graduation projects during the past decade.
The TERCO Power System Simulator has been developed in the lab in close co-operation with ABB of Sweden. This simulator is a hardware simulator for hands-on training and has been designed for practical training of power engineers and technicians in realistic conditions, close-to-life situations and in a genuine environment. Varieties of training schemes are available for power management staff, operators of power plants and substations, maintenance personnel, teaching of students, and research in universities.
Representatives from the participating companies and academics from the Department of Electrical and computer Engineering attended the opening ceremony of the lab. The Vice Chancellor honored the representatives from the Electricity companies in Oman for their longstanding cooperation with the College of Engineering.