Rotor-position detection in permanent-magnet wheel motor to ensure smooth startup from standstill

In this paper, an innovative rotor-position-detection method for a permanent-magnet wheel motor (PMWM) that operates from standstill to low speed is presented. The neutral voltage, which is sensed through phaseshifted pulse width modulation, overcomes the limitations of the conventional back electromotive force (EMF)-based position-detection method, which is more suitable for high-speed operation. In addition, a technique that ensures a transition between the two position-detection methods is presented to cover the full speed range. Computer simulations are employed to design and assess the neutral-voltage-based and EMF-based position-detection methods. The results of the position detection and angle error are presented starting from standstill to low speed. A step current (iq) corresponding to motor torque demand is applied for the starting process in the two position-detection methods. The experimental studies of the new position-detection method are conducted. The method is successfully applied to drive a 60-kW PMWM that operates from standstill to high speed. This demonstrates the effectiveness and performance of the presented method

Controller Platform Design and Demonstration for an Electric Aircraft Propulsion Driv

With the growth in the aerospace industry there has been a trend to optimize the performance of an aircraft by reducing fuel consumption and operational cost. Recent advancements in the field of power electronics have pushed towards the concepts of hybrid electric aircraft also known as more electrical aircrafts. In this work, a custom controller board for an electric aircraft propulsion drive was designed to drive a permanent magnet synchronous motor. Design of the controller board required knowledge of the topology selection and power module selections. Simulations of the system were performed using MATLAB/Simulink to analyze the overall performance of the selected topology. Implementation of the control algorithm was tested on the hardware prototype of a three-phase, two-level voltage source inverter. Complete testing of the system at high power was accomplished; thus, demonstrating the inverter’s ability to operate at the desired power level

A Novel Method Simulating Human Eye Recognition for Sector Judgement of SVPWM Algorithm

The conventional space vector pulse width modulation (SVPWM) algorithm is mature and widely used in the control of three-phase inverters. As we know, the position of the voltage vectors can be seen directly by human eyes, which can be used to replace the existing way for sector selection in the conventional SVPWM algorithm. Based on the fact, a novel method simulating human eye recognition for sector selection of SVPWM is proposed in this paper. In the real application, machine can replace human eyes, and it can `see' the sector step by step in which the voltage vector is located, and immediately give the switching time of the two non-zero voltage vectors. Theoretically, it can save the running time and complexity of the SVPWM algorithm reflected in the situation that multiple inverters are connected in parallel with the number of voltage vectors being increased. The feasibility of the proposed SVPWM algorithm has been validated by both simulation and experiments, which offers the possibility of the application in the multiple or multilevel converters

Design and Control of Electrical Motor Drives

Dear Colleagues, I am very happy to have this Special Issue of the journal Energies on the topic of Design and Control of Electrical Motor Drives published. Electrical motor drives are widely used in the industry, automation, transportation, and home appliances. Indeed, rolling mills, machine tools, high-speed trains, subway systems, elevators, electric vehicles, air conditioners, all depend on electrical motor drives.However, the production of effective and practical motors and drives requires flexibility in the regulation of current, torque, flux, acceleration, position, and speed. Without proper modeling, drive, and control, these motor drive systems cannot function effectively.To address these issues, we need to focus on the design, modeling, drive, and control of different types of motors, such as induction motors, permanent magnet synchronous motors, brushless DC motors, DC motors, synchronous reluctance motors, switched reluctance motors, flux-switching motors, linear motors, and step motors.Therefore, relevant research topics in this field of study include modeling electrical motor drives, both in transient and in steady-state, and designing control methods based on novel control strategies (e.g., PI controllers, fuzzy logic controllers, neural network controllers, predictive controllers, adaptive controllers, nonlinear controllers, etc.), with particular attention to transient responses, load disturbances, fault tolerance, and multi-motor drive techniques. This Special Issue include original contributions regarding recent developments and ideas in motor design, motor drive, and motor control. The topics include motor design, field-oriented control, torque control, reliability improvement, advanced controllers for motor drive systems, DSP-based sensorless motor drive systems, high-performance motor drive systems, high-efficiency motor drive systems, and practical applications of motor drive systems. I want to sincerely thank authors, reviewers, and staff members for their time and efforts. Prof. Dr. Tian-Hua Liu Guest Edito

Design and Implementation of a Modular Test Bed Platform for Hardware-In-the-Loop Simulation of Electric Vehicles

Over the course of the last decade, electric vehicles have seen explosive growth and interest with public adoption and shifting research and development priorities by original equipment manufacturers towards these new powertrains. However, the development of electric vehicles remain costly due to new technologies being implemented in the vehicle with the final cost ultimately being passed down to consumers. This method of developing new products where the price does not justify the product in the eyes of consumers hinders the adoption of the next generation of environmentally friendly vehicles. To verify electric vehicle drivetrain platforms and software models, test beds with specific capability to simulate the entire vehicle are required. Currently, an abundance of valuable engineering resources are dedicated to creating full-scale test beds and full- sized vehicles for testing. Only then, at this stage in the development cycle, are drivetrain tests conducted outside of simulation models. Getting to this first level of functional testing requires using valuable time waiting for components to be designed, manufactured, validated, and installed before the system can be tested. The full-scale vehicle test bed becomes expensive, consumes a lot of space, and cannot be reconfigured easily without changing key components. Therefore, this thesis presents a systematic approach to down-scaling full-size electric vehicles’ parameters and environmental conditions to a level that can be handled by a small-scale hardware-in-the-loop simulation test bed. The method for taking the results obtained from the test bed and scaling them back up to the full-size vehicle level are also examined for completion. The hardware-in-the-loop test bed is realized using a twoelectric machine system. The electric machine responsible for the electric vehicle propulsion is the traction motor and is tasked with maintaining the vehicle speed. The other electric machine, directly coupled to the first machine, is controlled by the simulation environment. This machine is the load motor which emulates the vehicle operating environment including the forces acting on the vehicle. This motor also compensates for all losses experienced by the actual hardware setup. A detailed explanation of the entire hardware-in-the-loop setup is discussed with specific details relevant to the system design. The modularity of the system, allowing each block of the setup to be easily replaced, and making the test bed highly re-configurable, is also discussed in detail

Torque Controlled Drive for Permanent Magnet Direct Current Brushless Motors

This thesis describes the design and implementation of a simple variable speed drive (VSD) based on a brushless direct current (BLDC) machine and discrete logic circuits. A practical VSD was built, capable of operating a BLDC machine in two quadrants, motoring and regenerative braking. The intended applications are electric scooters and electric bicycles, where the recovered energy from braking extends the range of the vehicle. A conceptual four quadrant VSD, suitable for three and four wheelers requiring reverse operation, was designed and tested in simulation. Simplicity was emphasized in this design to help achieve a robust, easy to analyse system. The versatility of multi-function gate integrated circuits (ICs) made them ideal for implementing the commutation logic and keeping the system simple. The BLDC machine has sensors with a resolution of 60 ed to determine rotor position. An electronic commutator or phase switcher module interprets the position signals and produces a switching pattern. This effectively transforms the BLDC machine into a direct current (DC) brushed machine. A synchronous step down converter controls the BLDC machine current with a tolerance band scheme. This module treats the BLDC machine as if it was a DC machine. The leakage inductance of the electric machine is used as the inductive filter element. The unipolar switching scheme used ensures that current flows out of the battery only for motoring operation and into the battery only during regeneration. The current and torque are directly related in a DC brushed machine. The action of an electronic commutator or phase switcher creates that same relationship between torque and current in a BLDC machine. Torque control is achieved in the BLDC machine using a single channel current controller. The phase switcher current is monitored and used to control the duty ratio of the synchronous converter switches. Successful operation of the practical VSD was achieved in two quadrants: forwards motoring and forwards regenerating. The maximum tested power outputs were 236W in motoring mode and 158W in regenerating mode. The output torque could be smoothly controlled from a positive to a negative value. iv v Simulation of the conceptual four quadrant design was successful in all the motoring, generating and active braking zones. The required manipulation of logic signals to achieve this type of operation was done automatically while the machine was running. The resulting output torque is smoothly controlled in all of the operating zones. Commutation at certain speeds and torques are handled better by some topologies than others. Some current sensing strategies adversely affect instantaneous phase currents under certain conditions. The final design chose the method where phase currents experience no overshoot, minimizing component stress. The battery, or energy storage system, used in verifying the operation of the VSD in the practical electric bicycle was found to be the most limiting component. In regenerating mode, the low charge acceptance rate of the battery reduced the maximum retarding torque and energy recovery rate

Emerging Multiport Electrical Machines and Systems: Past Developments, Current Challenges, and Future Prospects

Distinct from the conventional machines with only one electrical and one mechanical port, electrical machines featuring multiple electrical/mechanical ports (the so-called multiport electrical machines) provide a compact, flexible, and highly efficient manner to convert and/or transfer energies among different ports. This paper attempts to make a comprehensive overview of the existing multiport topologies, from fundamental characteristics to advanced modeling, analysis, and control, with particular emphasis on the extensively investigated brushless doubly fed machines for highly reliable wind turbines and power split devices for hybrid electric vehicles. A qualitative review approach is mainly adopted, but strong efforts are also made to quantitatively highlight the electromagnetic and control performance. Research challenges are identified, and future trends are discussed

Advance control of multilevel converters for integration of distributed generation resources into ac grid

Premi extraordinari doctorat curs 2011-2012, àmbit d’Enginyeria IndustrialDistributed generation (DG) with a converter interface to the power grid is found in many of the green power resources applications. This dissertation describes a multi-objective control technique of voltage source converter (VSC) based on multilevel converter topologies, for integration of DG resources based on renewable energy (and non-renewable energy)to the power grid. The aims have been set to maintain a stable operation of the power grid, in case of di erent types of grid-connected loads. The proposed method provides compensation for active, reactive, and harmonic load current components. A proportional-integral (PI) control law is derived through linearization of the inherently non-linear DG system model, so that the tasks of current control dynamics and dc capacitor voltage dynamics become decoupled. This decoupling allows us to control the DG output currents and the dc bus voltage independently of each other, thereby providing either one of these decoupled subsystems a dynamic response that signi cantly slower than that of the other. To overcome the drawbacks of the conventional method, a computational control delay compensation method, which delaylessly and accurately generates the DG reference currents, is proposed. The rst step is to extract the DG reference currents from the sensed load currents by applying the stationary reference frame and then transferred into synchronous reference frame method, and then, the reference currents are modi ed, so that the delay will be compensated. The transformed variables are used in control of the multilevel voltage source converter as the heart of the interfacing system between DG resources and power grid. By setting appropriate compensation current references from the sensed load currents in control circuit loop of DG link, the active, reactive, and harmonic load current components will be compensated with fast dynamic response, thereby achieving sinusoidal grid currents in phase with load voltages while required power of loads is more than the maximum injected power of the DG resources. The converter, which is controlled by the described control strategy, guarantees maximum injection of active power to the grid continuously, unity displacement power factor of power grid, and reduced harmonic load currents in the common coupling point. In addition, high current overshoot does not exist during connection of DG link to the power grid, and the proposed integration strategy is insensitive to grid overload.La Generació Distribuïda (DG) injectada a la xarxa amb un convertidor estàtic és una solució molt freqüent en l'ús de molts dels recursos renovables. Aquesta tesis descriu una técnica de control multi-objectiu del convertidor en font de tensió (VSC), basat en les topologies de convertidor multinivell, per a la integració de les fonts distribuïdes basades en energies renovables i també de no renovables.Els objectius fixats van encaminats a mantenir un funcionament estable de la xarxa elèctrica en el cas de la connexió de diferents tipus de càrregues. El mètode de control proposat ofereix la possibilitat de compensació de les components actives i reactives de la potencia, i les components harmòniques del corrent consumit per les càrregues.La llei de control proporcional-Integral (PI) s’obté de la linearització del model inherentment no lineal del sistema, de forma que el problema de control del corrent injectat i de la tensió d’entrada del convertidor queden desacoblats. Aquest desacoblament permet el control dels corrents de sortida i la tensió del bus de forma independent, però amb un d’ells amb una dinàmica inferior.Per superar els inconvenients del mètode convencional, s’usa un retard computacional, que genera les senyals de referència de forma acurada i sense retard. El primer pas es calcular els corrents de referència a partir de les mesures de corrent. Aquest càlcul es fa primer transformant les mesures a la referència estacionaria per després transformar aquests valors a la referència síncrona. En aquest punt es on es poden compensar els retards.Les variables transformades son usades en els llaços de control del convertidor multinivell. Mitjançant aquests llaços de control i les referències adequades, el convertidor és capaç de compensar la potencia activa, reactiva i els corrents harmònics de la càrrega amb una elevada resposta dinàmica, obtenint uns corrents de la xarxa de forma completament sinusoïdal, i en fase amb les tensions.El convertidor, controlat amb el mètode descrit, garanteix la màxima injecció de la potencia activa, la injecció de la potencia reactiva per compensar el factor de potencia de la càrrega, i la reducció de les components harmòniques dels corrents consumits per la càrrega. A més, garanteix una connexió suau entre la font d’energia i la xarxa. El sistema proposat es insensible en front de la sobrecarrega de la xarxaAward-winningPostprint (published version

Industrial and Technological Applications of Power Electronics Systems

The Special Issue "Industrial and Technological Applications of Power Electronics Systems" focuses on: - new strategies of control for electric machines, including sensorless control and fault diagnosis; - existing and emerging industrial applications of GaN and SiC-based converters; - modern methods for electromagnetic compatibility. The book covers topics such as control systems, fault diagnosis, converters, inverters, and electromagnetic interference in power electronics systems. The Special Issue includes 19 scientific papers by industry experts and worldwide professors in the area of electrical engineering

EMC in Power Electronics and PCB Design

This dissertation consists of two parts. Part I is about Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) in power electronics and part II is about the Maximum Radiated Electromagnetic Emissions Calculator (MREMC), which is a software tool for EMC in printed circuit board (PCB) design. Switched-mode power converters can be significant sources of electromagnetic fields that interfere with the proper operation of nearby circuits or distant radio receivers. Part I of this dissertation provides comprehensive and organized information on the latest EMC developments in power converters. It describes and evaluates different technologies to ensure that power converters meet electromagnetic compatibility requirements. Chapters 2 and 3 describe EMC noise sources and coupling mechanisms in power converters. Chapter 4 reviews the measurements used to characterize and troubleshoot EMC problems. Chapters 5 - 8 cover passive filter solutions, active filter solutions, noise cancellation methods and reduced-noise driving schemes. Part II describes the methods used, calculations made, and implementation details of the MREMC, which is a software tool that allows the user to calculate the maximum possible radiated emissions that could occur due to specific source geometries on a PCB. Chapters 9 - 13 covers the I/O coupling EMI algorithm, Common-mode EMI algorithm, Power Bus EMI algorithm and Differential-Mode EMI algorithm used in the MREMC