Probabilistic voltage harmonic analysis of direct torque controlled induction motor drives

In high frequency motor-drives such as direct torque controlled (DTC) induction motor drives, the motor harmonic loss, and electromagnetic interference are largely affected by the spectrum of the motor input voltage. Nonlinear elements in the control loop of DTC drive make harmonic analysis of the drive very complex compared to classical pulsewidth modulated controlled drives. In this paper, a probabilistic method to study the harmonic contents of voltage in DTC of induction motors is presented. The DTC voltage chain is simulated with a random process. Then, the autocorrelation function of voltage vectors is calculated and its power spectrum density is obtained. The effect of flux and torque hysteresis controller bands, machine parameters, and inverter dc-link voltage on the motor voltage spectrum is investigated. Major harmonics in the DTC voltage spectrum are specified and their behaviors are described. Simulation and experimental results are presented to justify the theoretical analysis.     

Continuously motor-synchronized ride-through capability formatrix-converter adjustable-speed drives

The ride-through capability of adjustable-speed drives has become an important issue due to its direct impact on production and revenue losses. Moreover, different industrial surveys have shown that voltage sags are the main cause of converter tripping. Disturbances such as swells, distortion, and impulses were found far less common and did not cause any tripping nor production losses. Matrix-converter (MC) drives are also prone to voltage sags, furthermore the lack of the DC-link capacitor renders them somehow more vulnerable. This paper presents a ride-through strategy for MC adjustable-speed drives. The strategy is based on the reduced speed/load approach for conventional drives and is capable of enforcing constant volts/hertz operation regardless of the supply voltage conditions by first regulating the modulation index of the matrix converter, which counteracts the supply voltage drop, and second by reducing the speed reference if required. This reduction seeks to maintain the maximum torque capability of the drive and not to reduce the motor load as in conventional drives. Hence, the proposed strategy is suitable for both variable and constant torque loads. Moreover, the converter never loses synchronization with the motor, so it is capable of immediate acceleration to its former speed after the disturbance disappears. The proposed strategy was experimentally verified under typical industry disturbances using a TMS320C32 DSP based system. Particularly, three-phase and single-phase sags varying from 10% to 60% were tested. Results obtained showed the effectiveness of the proposed strategy for MC adjustable-speed drives     

Speed and Load Torque Observer Application in High-Speed Train Electric Drive

This paper presents an application of induction motor mechanical speed and load torque observers in high-speed train drives. The observers are applied for a 1.2-MW electric drive with an induction motor. The goal of using such observers is to utilize computed variables for diagnostic purposes of speed sensors and torque transmission system. The concept of diagnostic system is presented in this paper, and proper criteria are proposed. The suggested system is designed to work without a speed sensor in the case of existing sensor faults. Monitored motor load torque is used to limit the maximum motor torque in the case of existing problems in the gearbox. The results of simulation and experimental investigations for a 1.2-MW induction motor drive are presented.      

Experimental evaluation of ride-through capabilities for a matrixconverter under short power interruptions

The matrix converters, which are direct power electronic converters, are able to provide important benefits such as bidirectional power flow, sinusoidal input currents with adjustable displacement angle, and a great potential for size reduction. Still, two major disadvantages exist: a lower than unity voltage transfer ratio and high sensitivity to power grid disturbances. Many solutions to provide continuous operation of adjustable speed drives (ASDs) during power grid disturbances have been proposed, but they are all applied to DC-link ASD. In this paper, a new solution to provide limited ride-through operation is presented with a matrix converter using a scalar controlled induction motor for a duration of hundreds of milliseconds, without any hardware modification. During the ride-through operation, the drive is not able to develop torque or to control the motor flux. By recovering the necessary power to feed the control hardware of the matrix converter, it is able to keep the ASD operating. When normal grid conditions are reestablished, the matrix converter is able to accelerate the motor from nonzero speed and flux by initializing the modulator with the estimated frequency and the initial angle of the reference output voltage vector. The maximum duration of the ride-through operation depends on the initial motor flux, speed level, rotor time constant, load torque, and inertia. This method is verified on a laboratory setup with a matrix converter     

Control of Single-Phase-to-Three-Phase AC/DC/AC PWM Converters for Induction Motor Drives

This paper proposes a novel control scheme of single-phase-to-three-phase pulsewidth-modulation (PWM) converters for low-power three-phase induction motor drives, where a single-phase half-bridge PWM rectifier and a two-leg inverter are used. With this converter topology, the number of switching devices is reduced to six from ten in the case of full-bridge rectifier and three-leg inverter systems. In addition, the source voltage sensor is eliminated with a state observer, which controls the deviation between the model current and the system current to be zero. A simple scalar voltage modulation method is used for a two-leg inverter, and a new technique to eliminate the effect of the dc-link voltage ripple on the inverter output current is proposed. Although the converter topology itself is of lower cost than the conventional one, it retains the same functions such as sinusoidal input current, unity power factor, dc-link voltage control, bidirectional power flow, and variable-voltage and variable-frequency output voltage. The experimental results for the V/f control of 3-hp induction motor drives controlled by a digital signal processor TMS320C31 chip have verified the effectiveness of the proposed scheme     

Quasi-Z源逆变器PMSM系统直流环节电压控制方法

可变直流环节电压控制能够提高电动机驱动系统的运行效率。目前,Z源逆变器电机系统直流环节电压参考值由电机电流和转速计算得到,但电机电流变化时,电压参考值会产生非必要波动,影响电机稳定运行。为降低参考电压波动对系统的影响,该文提出了一种直流环节参考电压线性计算方法。该文介绍了直流环节电压控制原理,并说明了推导方法。与一般方法相比,线性控制方法摆脱了电流波动对直流环节电压的影响。最后,通过仿真验证了该方法的可行性和有效性。     

A dual two-level inverter scheme with common mode voltage elimination for an induction motor drive

Pulse-width modulated (PWM) inverters are known to generate common mode voltages which cause motor bearing currents in the induction motor drives. They also result in leakage currents which act as sources of conducted electromagnetic interference in the drive system. The common mode voltage generated by a conventional three-level inverter can be eliminated by switching only the voltage space vectors which do not produce the common mode voltage. This paper presents a PWM switching strategy to eliminate common mode voltage using the open-end winding configuration for the induction motor. The switching strategy presented in this paper, does not generate any alternating common mode voltages in the drive system and hence the electrostatic coupling of the common mode voltage, which results in the bearing currents and the leakage currents, is avoided. The proposed scheme is devoid of neutral point voltage fluctuations and does not require neutral point clamping diodes, when compared to the common mode elimination scheme based on the conventional three-level inverter topology. Also, the present scheme uses a single dc-link with half the voltage compared to the conventional three-level inverter based scheme.     

Experimental evaluation of direct torque-controlled 3-phase induction motor under inverter faults

ABSTRACT

In this paper, analysis and design of fault-tolerant converter topology for direct torque-controlled (DTC) induction motor (IM) drive suitable for low, medium and high power applications is proposed. The proposed converter topology can restore normal operation of the drive after the occurrence of open-circuit or short-circuit of power switches in the inverter. It consists of a current-controlled three-level boost converter (TLBC) to boost the dc-link voltage at input terminals of an inverter during post-fault, balance the voltages at dc-link capacitors and retains all the advantages of the conventional IM drive. Simulation and experimental results are presented for pre- and post-fault operation. The results are compared with conventional fault-tolerant DTC of the drive to highlight the merits of proposed converter.     

Limited ride-through capabilities for direct frequency converters

Many solutions to provide continuous operation of adjustable speed drives (ASDs) during power grid disturbances have been proposed, but they are all applied to DC-link ASD. In this paper a new solution to provide limited ride-through operation of a scalar controlled direct frequency converter (DFC) for a duration of hundreds of milliseconds, without any hardware modification, is presented. During the ride-through operation, the drive is not capable of developing torque or to control the motor flux. By recovering the necessary power to feed the control hardware, the DFC is able to keep the ASD operating. When normal grid conditions are re-established, the DFC is also able to accelerate the motor from nonzero speed and flux by initializing the modulator with the estimated frequency and initial voltage vector angle. The duration of the ride-through operation depends on the initial motor flux, speed level, rotor time constant, load torque and inertia     

Design and rating comparisons of PWM voltage source rectifiers and active power filters for AC drives with unity power factor

Given terminal constraints of unity power factor in ac drive applications, two ac drives are possible: one with a pulse-width modulation voltage source rectifier (PWM-VSR) and the other using a diode rectifier and an active power filter. Despite numerous publications for the two drives, the features and advantages between them have not been clearly explained. This paper presents a theoretical analysis and systematic comparison between the two drive topologies. Converter kVA ratings, dc-link voltage requirements, switch ratings, semiconductor losses, and reactive component designs are considered for the evaluations.     

Model-based fault diagnosis in electric drives using machine learning

Electric motor and power electronics-based inverter are the major components in industrial and automotive electric drives. In this paper, we present a model-based fault diagnostics system developed using a machine learning technology for detecting and locating multiple classes of faults in an electric drive. Power electronics inverter can be considered to be the weakest link in such a system from hardware failure point of view; hence, this work is focused on detecting faults and finding which switches in the inverter cause the faults. A simulation model has been developed based on the theoretical foundations of electric drives to simulate the normal condition, all single-switch and post-short-circuit faults. A machine learning algorithm has been developed to automatically select a set of representative operating points in the (torque, speed) domain, which in turn is sent to the simulated electric drive model to generate signals for the training of a diagnostic neural network, fault diagnostic neural network (FDNN). We validated the capability of the FDNN on data generated by an experimental bench setup. Our research demonstrates that with a robust machine learning approach, a diagnostic system can be trained based on a simulated electric drive model, which can lead to a correct classification of faults over a wide operating domain.     

Voltage stress on induction motors in medium-voltage (2300-6900-V)PWM GTO CSI drives

In order to reduce the cost and improve the efficiency of medium-voltage induction motor drives, it is desirable that no power transformers be used. The GTO current source inverter (CSI) drive can achieve this requirement. However, the transformerless design of the drive may introduce a high-voltage stress on motor windings, which may deteriorate the motor insulation life. In this paper, the line-to-ground and neutral-to-ground voltages of the motor fed by the GTO CSI are investigated. It is demonstrated that the maximum line-to-ground voltage applied to the motor could be twice as high as the motor-rated phase voltage. Computer simulation and experimental results from a 4000 V, 1250 HP drive are given to verify the theoretical analysis. The effects of DC link choke arrangement on the motor voltage stress are also discussed. This paper provides a valuable design guidance for the insulation of medium-voltage motors used in the GTO CSI drives     

Voltage, frequency, and phase-difference angle control of PWMinverters-fed two-phase induction motors

A phase-difference angle (PDA) controlled pulsewidth-modulated (PWM) inverter is proposed for a two-phase induction motor adjustable speed drive. Output waveforms are fixed over the whole operating range of the motor. The motor torque is controlled not by the modulation of the phase voltage, but by the PDA. Based on the selected harmonic elimination (SHE) PWM technique, the commutation angles of the output voltage are calculated. Several characteristics of the two-phase induction motor driven by the PDA inverter are analyzed. A hybrid PWM inverter is also proposed to compensate for the degradation of the efficiency at small PDA. Not only the PDA but also the voltage amplitude and frequency are used as the parameters for controlling the torque of the motor in the hybrid inverter. The speed characteristics of the two-phase induction motor driven by the hybrid PWM inverter are more flexible than when the motor is driven by the conventional PWM inverter, which requires adjustable communication angles     

Multiphase Bidirectional Flyback Converter Topology for Hybrid Electric Vehicles

For hybrid electric vehicles, the batteries and the drive dc link may be at different voltages. The batteries are at low voltage to obtain higher volumetric efficiencies, and the dc link is at higher voltage to have higher efficiency on the motor side. Therefore, a power interface between the batteries and the drive's dc link is essential. This power interface should handle power flow from battery to motor, motor to battery, external genset to battery, and grid to battery. This paper proposes a multi-power-port topology which is capable of handling multiple power sources and still maintains simplicity and features like obtaining high gain, wide load variations, lower output-current ripple, and capability of parallel-battery energy due to the modular structure. The scheme incorporates a transformer winding technique which drastically reduces the leakage inductance of the coupled inductor. The development and testing of a bidirectional flyback dc-dc converter for hybrid electric vehicle is described in this paper. Simple hysteresis voltage control is used for dc-link voltage regulation. The experimental results are presented to show the working of the proposed converter.     

vector-controlled PWM current-source-inverter-fed induction motor drive with a new stator current control method

In this paper, the control of the pulsewidth-modulated current-source-inverter-fed induction motor drive is discussed. The vector control system of the induction motor is realized in a rotor-flux-oriented reference frame, where only the measured angular rotor speed and the dc-link current are needed for motor control. A new damping method for stator current oscillations is introduced. The method operates in an open-loop manner and is very suitable for microcontroller implementation, since the calculation power demand is low. Also, the stator current phase error caused by the load filter is compensated without measurement of any electrical variable. With the proposed control methods the motor current sensors can be totally eliminated since the stator current measurements are not needed either for protection in the current-source-inverter-fed drives. The proposed control methods are realized using a single-chip Motorola MC68HC916Y1 microcontroller. The experimental tests show excellent performance in both steady-state and transient conditions.     

An improved starting strategy for voltage-source inverter fed threephase induction motor drives under inverter fault conditions

Three phase voltage-fed inverter induction motor drives are prone to shoot through and other inverter faults that cause the drive system to shut down. The paper describes a novel strategy for restarting the drive in variable voltage variable frequency single phase mode in the presence of open base drive and shoot through fault in the inverter. The proposed method requires only the motor terminal voltages and currents to be measured. Therefore, it can be applied to even low performance open loop drives with the addition of two motor terminal voltage sensors. The starting algorithm has been verified by computer simulation and experiments on a 1 hp laboratory prototype. Experimental results are in good agreement with simulation predictions. The starting strategy described in this paper is expected to provide an economic alternative to more expensive redundancy techniques which find justification only in a few specialized applications     

A five-leg inverter for driving a traction motor and a compressor motor

This paper presents an integrated inverter for speed control of a traction motor and a compressor motor to reduce the compressor drive cost in electric vehicle/hybrid electric vehicle applications. The inverter comprises five phase-legs; three of which are for control of a three-phase traction motor and the remaining two for a two-phase compressor motor with three terminals. The common terminal of the two-phase motor is tied to the neutral point of the three-phase traction motor to eliminate the requirement of a third phase leg. Further component reduction is made possible by sharing the switching devices, dc bus filter capacitors, gate drive power supplies, and control circuit. Simulation and experimental results are included to verify that speed control of the two motors is independent from each other.     

Optimal soft starting of voltage-controller-fed IM drive based onvoltage across thyristor

AC voltage controllers are used as induction motor starters in fan or pump drives and the crane hoist drives. This paper presents a method of identifying the end of soft start of an AC voltage controller-fed induction motor (IM) drive based on the voltage across the nonconducting thyristor through a dynamic simulation of the whole drive system. A two point current minimization technique is adopted to operate the drive system at the required optimal voltage under all operating conditions. This minimizes the motor losses. Graphic modeling of the whole drive system is done in a modular format using Design Star and dynamic simulation is done using SABER. The dynamic simulation results of the whole drive system are supported with experimental data     

Z-source inverter for adjustable speed drives

This paper presents a Z-source inverter system and control for adjustable speed drives (ASD). The Z-source inverter employs a unique LC network to couple the inverter main circuit to the diode front end. By controlling the shoot-through duty cycle, the Z-source can produce any desired output AC voltage, even greater than the line voltage. As results, the new Z-source inverter system provides ride-through capability under voltage sags, reduces line harmonics, and extends output voltage range. Simulation results are presented to demonstrate the new features.     

Load-Commutated SCR Current-Source-Inverter-Fed Induction Motor Drive With Sinusoidal Motor Voltage and Current

Current source inverter (CSI) is an attractive solution in high-power drives. The conventional gate turn-off thyristor (GTO) based CSI-fed induction motor drives suffer from drawbacks such as low-frequency torque pulsation, harmonic heating, and unstable operation at low-speed ranges. These drawbacks can be overcome by connecting a current-controlled voltage source inverter (VSI) across the motor terminal replacing the bulky ac capacitors. The VSI provides the harmonic currents, which results in sinusoidal motor voltage and current even with the CSI switching at fundamental frequency. This paper proposes a CSI-fed induction motor drive scheme where GTOs are replaced by thyristors in the CSI without any external circuit to assist the turning off of the thyristors. Here, the current-controlled VSI, connected in shunt, is designed to supply the volt ampere reactive requirement of the induction motor, and the CSI is made to operate in leading power factor mode such that the thyristors in the CSI are autosequentially turned off. The resulting drive will be able to feed medium-voltage, high-power induction motors directly. A sensorless vector-controlled CSI drive based on the proposed configuration is developed. The experimental results from a 5 hp prototype are presented. Experimental results show that the proposed drive has stable operation throughout the operating range of speeds.