Research Institute of High Voltages -

Research Institute of High Voltages

Professor Vladimir V. Lopatin,
Director
Tel.: (3822) 41-78-99

The Research Institute of High Voltages was founded in 1968 as a part of the Scientific School of High Voltages, which was in its turn founded by Prof. A.A. Vorobiev. Former directors have been V.S. Kolesnikov (1968–1979), V.Y. Ushakov (1979–1992), A.A. Dulzon (1992–1993), S.G. Boev (1993–2000). The main field of the institutional activity is the development of electric-discharge and beam-plasma technologies and design of the appropriate equipment.

Lots of installations of different application devised and manufactured in the Institute are being used not only in our country but also abroad. The availability of technologies developed by our Institute is proved by the establishing the Institute of Electric-Discharge and Plasma Engineering at the Karlsruhe Research Centre (Germany) after a successful running of our two installations.

The most important research findings obtained at the Institute and officially recognized are as follows:

The phenomenon of an anomalous track of the impulse break-down channel on the two media interface.
Physical mechanisms of the development of a break-down and parameters of the discharge channel in diverse dielectric materials and media.
A mechanism of dispersing conductors by an electric explosion and criteria of getting ultra dispersed metal and alloy powders.
Identification of the initiating role of a high-voltage electric discharge and pulse electron beam effect in chemical oxidation, decomposition, and dispersion processes and new compound synthesis.
Establishing the regularities for forming a volume discharge within large gas spaces under the atmospheric pressure.
Introduction of the relationship between structures and properties of dielectrics under conditions of high-temperature and radiation fields and the effect of dielectric transfer to semi-conduction at ion-thermal influence.

Results obtained have been used in the development of the electric-pulse and electric explosion technologies as following installations for the electric-pulse destruction of ferro-concrete; crushing of materials and drilling; sources of pulse electron and ion beams; purification and decontamination of drinking water; wood drying and modification; production of ultra dispersed powders by a method of the electric explosion of semiconductors.

Accelerators of electrons and ions including pulse-frequency accelerators for research and engineering purposes are located at the Institute.

We have published 22 monographs and 16 collections of scientific articles, 160 PhD and 21 DSc theses were carried out; 1,170 patents and one scientific discovery have been made. Each of 25 employees has 30 and over inventions. Postgraduates of the Institute are involved in the inventive activity. For the past five years postgraduates submitted over 30 applications for inventions and useful models. In 2008 the Institute registered two licensed agreements.

Furthermore, 16 postgraduates and two doctoral degree holders perform thesis preparation in the Institutional research laboratories. 55 students were involved in R&D. In the past year 10 diploma papers and two PhD and two DSc theses were carried out. The student research activity was rather effective: 39 writings were produced by students in coauthorship and 22 without. For seven years research has been financed by internal grants assigned for postgraduates, young scientists and doctor's degree seekers; students and their scientific advisers are financially stimulated for their achievements in research.

Owing to close contacts with the Department of High Voltage Engineering and Electrophysics and featuring of our academic staff in the Innovation Program, six research installations were designed equipped with the up-to-date analytic and measuring devices available to postgraduates and master's degree seekers. Our employees participate in the work performing of the research and educational centre «Electric Discharge and Beam Plasma Technologies» based on RI HV to perform educational, research and engineering activities in the field of developing research and advanced training of elite specialists of the world class in the area of energy savings, basic, specific and industrial electric discharge, radiation and beam-plasma technologies.

However, the problem of juvenation is still relevant, and its solving is possible only in increasing budgetary financing of research developments.

Fundamental and applied research has been carried out both on the instruction of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science and within five projects of inter-institutional programs and two Ministerial grants and grants from the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, CRDF.

Extra-budget activity included implementations of the institutional developments:

Water purification plants Impulse, Aerozone, and servicing;
Software «Chemist-Analyst» for chemical labs;
Electric discharge destructing technologies;
Bulky polyethylene goods;
Vacuum drying apparatuses;
Bio-additions based on products concentrated and dried by technology developed by the Institute;
Beam technologies for strenhthening metal cutting tools and obtaining nano-powders;
Design of metrological complex and normative methodological base for measuring thermochemical parameters of metal nano powders;
Design of the source of powerful ion beams for research and educational centre.

In 2008, the Institute was engaged in searching for our product home and foreign customers. For this, a wide range of our developments was exhibited at prestigious international fairs in Russia and abroad. The following has been done under foreign contracts:

electric discharge drill;
combined destruction of materials using electric discharge technologies;
manufacturing of production equipment for modification of soft wood;
design and manufacture of water purification systems;
design, manufacture and delivery of devices for magnetic water treatment;
design, manufacture and delivery of pulse generators for the concrete surface layer removal;
design, manufacture and delivery of pulse neutron source;
delivery of laboratory equipment for electric discharge concrete treatment;
design of electric discharge technology of quartz rock grinding.

Exchange of visits with foreign partners was a notable event in the past year. Within the international cooperation, the Institute welcomed representatives from Germany, Japan, Norway, China, Mexico. In 2008, the Institute was visited by 19 international partners. In our turn, we provided 26 business trips to foreign countries; among them 10 business trips sponsored by host countries' grants. A postgraduate from China prepares his PhD thesis in terms of the International Innovation Research Laboratory of Electriс Discharge and Beam-Plasma technologies.

In past year our employees were awarded the following diplomas and medals:

Gold Medal from the 8^th International Saloon of Innovations and Investments (Moscow) for work «Plasma Chemical Technology and Equipment for Nano Powders Production»;
Gold Medal from St.-Petersburg Technical Fair for «Combined Contraction Technologies of Wear-Resistant Coatings»;
Diploma from the All-Russia competition «Engineer of the Year» (Moscow), High Voltage Engineering category;
Gold Medal and Diploma from the All-Russian Exhibition Centre (Moscow) for the best innovation project «Machinery and Wood Modification Technology»;
Diploma from the 8^th International Fair «High Technologies. Innovations. Investments» (St.-Petersburg) for the contribution to the scientific and industrial complex of Russia;
Diploma from the Federal Fair of products of small and mediumsized businesses (Moscow) for collaboration and intensive participation.