Valeev Family: Teaching at the University as an Inherited Occupation

In 2018 South Ural State University is celebrating its 75th Anniversary. The history of our university has seen many interesting events and facts. It is no surprise that not one generation of Chelyabinsk residents has obtained higher education here over the long period of the university’s existence. Some of those people chose science and teaching as their family profession. One of such dynasties is Valeev family, in which both the father and the son study the power generation sector problems and teach students of the SUSU Polytechnic Institute.

More Than 50 Years with SUSU

The university’s age mate Galimyan Sabirovich Valeev, Associate Professor of the Department of Electric Power Generation Stations, Networks and Supply Systems, and the Department of Automation, having finished the evening school for young workers in 1963 entered Lenin Komsomol Polytechniс Institute of Chelyabinsk, the evening division of the Power Engineering Faculty to study under Electric Power Supply for Industrial Enterprises and Cities speciality. Galimyan Sabirovich studied while working at Chelyabinsk Electrometallurgy Plant, what allowed him to apply the obtained knowledge on practice. Once awarded his diploma, he was invited to work at the Department of Electric Power Supply for Industrial Enterprises and Cities.

“During the first five years after my graduation, along with teaching I handled social work and organizational activities at the faculty. Together with the Energy zone student construction team of Chelyabinsk Polytechniс Institute we traveled to different corners of our great country, and performed electrification of rural settlements. We worked in the Arkhangelsk, Orgenburg, and Volodga regions. At first I worked as a foreman, later as a commissary, a chief engineer, and finally as the leader of our team, which consisted of no less than 200 people,” shares Galimyan Sabirovich.

Professional Growth and Science Development in the University

Back then one of the main scientific fields of research of the department was Studying Modes of Neutral Lines of Electric Networks, and Creating Automated Systems of Compensation of Currents of Single Phase-to-earth Fault in 6–35 kV Networks.

Galimyan Sabirovich also joined this research. He did active research studies, development and engineering of controlled arc-suppression coils, which are actuating elements of the mentioned automated systems. At his immediate involvement a number of new designs of arc-suppression coils and apparatus were created and patented, as well as mathematical models of coils with direct-axis magnetic biasing were developed, and engineering techniques of their designing and CAD. These works became the basis for the researcher’s Candidate thesis.

“After 1992, when the crisis in our country started affecting the field of education, we had to search for new ways of applying our knowledge,” explains Galimyan Sabirovich. “We obtained a license for powering electric energy audits. Such electric energy inspection of enterprises and organizations with assessing all the aspects of the enterprise activities related to expenses on fuel, energy and energy carriers was in high demand back then. But even today this field remains topical, that is why for many years now my research studies have been dedicated to the issues of local optimization of electric power supply systems.”

Pass on the Experience to the Young Generation

Galimyan Sabitovich is still gladly teaching students of SUSU’s Polytechnic Institute. He teaches such disciplines as Electric Power Supply, and Power Supply Systems for Bachelor’s Degree students, and Simulation of Power Supply Systems, and Modes of Neutral Power Systems for Master’s Degree students. He also supervises graduation qualification works.

“Together with students we construct economic and mathematical models, conduct research. Economics changed significantly in the last decades, therefore old recommendations based on the Soviet’s period indicators must be checked. Together with students, we solve problems of local optimization of power supply systems’ networks, in other words, we are searching for such exploitation modes and structures of power supply systems which would ensure minimal expenses,” says Galimyan Sabirovich.

Power Engineering Is a Family Calling

Galimyan Sabitovich’s son, Rustam Valeev, decided to follow his father’s footsteps by entering South Ural State University’s Faculty of Power Engineering. Having gotten engineering education in the specialty of Electric Power Supply, he stayed to work at the Department.

“Having chosen such field of study as electric safety in power networks of various class of voltage, I got enrolled for postgraduate studies to Professor Aleksandr Ivanovich Sidorov. I was working on issues of electric safety in networks with voltage up to 1,000 volts, and at the end of 2015 I successfully defended my candidate’s dissertation,” says Rustam Valeev.

Nowadays Rustam Galimyanovich is working as an Associate Professor of the Department of Power Stations, Networks and Power Supply Systems at SUSU’s Polytechnic Institute.

“The topic of my scientific research expanded as the time passed,” continues Rustam Galimyanovich. “Now it is not only networks with voltage up to 1000 V, but also networks with voltage class 6, 10, 35 kV, the issues of monitoring the condition during the operating mode, the issues of electric safety. I have to consider many related issues. As of today, all the big companies (Schneider Electric, Siemens, etc.) working in the sphere of electric power engineering are dealing with solving the abovementioned issues. Therefore we are trying to find new competitive engineering solutions as well.”

Certain results have already been achieved, 3 patents have been obtained, articles were published in a highly ranked Power Stations scientific journal and in proceedings of PromEnigneering Conference, included in Scopus citation base. The team of scientists that includes Rustam Valeev is actively cooperating with Energomera Company. In 2015, their joint project with Chelyabenergo won the 1st prize at a competition held by Skolkovo.

Besides, wives of Galimyan Sabirovich and Rustam Galimyanovich have also been working at South Ural State University at engineering positions for a long time.

Olga Romanovskaia; photo by: Viktoria Matveichuk, collection by Valeev family
You are reporting a typo in the following text:
Simply click the "Send typo report" button to complete the report. You can also include a comment.