Why Become an Electrical Engineer!
Power
Engineering
Power engineering deals with the generation,
transmission and distribution of electricity as well as
the design of a range of related devices. These include
transformers, electric generators, electric motors, high
voltage engineering and power electronics. In many
regions of the world, governments maintain an electrical
network called a power grid that connects a variety of
generators together with users of their energy. Users
purchase electrical energy from the grid, avoiding the
costly exercise of having to generate their own. Power
engineers may work on the design and maintenance of the
power grid as well as the power systems that connect to
it. Such systems are called on-grid power systems and
may supply the grid with additional power, draw power
from the grid or do both. Power engineers may also work
on systems that do not connect to the grid, called
off-grid power systems, which in some cases are
preferable to on-grid systems. The future includes
Satellite controlled power systems, with feedback in
real time to prevent power surges and prevent blackouts.
Control Engineering
Control engineering focuses on the modeling of a diverse range
of dynamic systems and the design of controllers that will cause
these systems to behave in the desired manner. To implement such
controllers electrical engineers may use electrical circuits,
digital signal
processors, microcontrollers and PLCs (Programmable Logic
Controllers). Control engineering has a wide range of
applications from the flight and propulsion systems of
commercial airliners to the cruise control present in many
modern automobiles. It also plays an important role in
industrial automation.
Control engineers often utilize feedback when designing control
systems. For example, in an automobile with cruise control the
vehicle's speed is continuously monitored and fed back to the
system which adjusts the motor's power output accordingly. Where
there is regular feedback, control theory can be used to
determine how the system responds to such feedback.
Electronics Engg
Electronic engineering involves the design and
testing of electronic circuits that use the properties of
components such as resistors, capacitors, inductors, diodes
and transistors to achieve a particular functionality. The
tuned circuit, which allows the user of a radio to filter
out all but a single station, is just one example of such a
circuit. Another example (of a pneumatic signal conditioner)
is shown in the adjacent photograph.
Prior to the second world war, the subject was commonly
known as radio engineering and basically was restricted to
aspects of communications and radar, commercial radio and
early television. Later, in post war years, as consumer
devices began to be developed, the field grew to include
modern television, audio systems, computers and
microprocessors. In the mid to late 1950s, the term radio
engineering gradually gave way to the name electronic
engineering.
Before the invention of the integrated circuit in 1959,
electronic circuits were constructed from discrete
components that could be manipulated by humans. These
discrete circuits consumed much space and power and were
limited in speed, although they are still common in some
applications. By contrast, integrated circuits packed a
large number—often millions—of tiny electrical components,
mainly transistors, into a small chip around the size of a
coin.
This allowed for the powerful computers and other electronic
devices we see today.