Current Controller for Low Frequency Signal Injection and Rotor Flux Position Tracking at Low Speeds

International audienceRotor flux spatial position can be tracked in an ac machine even at low or zero stator frequency if a low-frequency harmonic current signal is injected into its stator. The harmonic current injection is source of the rotor speed perturbations which induce voltage oscillations in the stator winding at the injected frequency. By analyzing the stator winding voltage response, it is possible to detect the rotor flux position regardless of the stator frequency. This paper presents a stator current controller that is suitable for imposing rotating or pulsating harmonic current injection and a method for tracking the rotor flux position in either induction machines (IMs) or permanent-magnet synchronous machines (PMSMs). The controller contains, in addition to the standard fundamental-frequency-based synchronous reference frame (SRF) current controller, two sets of harmonic current integral controllers placed in respective harmonic SRFs. Such an extended current controller simultaneously performs two important tasks: controlled harmonic current injection with zero steady-state error and separation of particular spectral components in the stator voltage (spectral/sequence decomposition) which contain the rotor flux position information. The theoretical analysis presented, based on perturbation theory and averaging techniques, gives general expressions which link the rotor flux position error in IM and PMSM to the harmonic current controller outputs. Two special cases with the rotational and pulsating harmonic current injections are considered in more detail. The validity of the theoretical analysis and the feasibility of the sensorless rotor flux position detection are experimentally verified

Reduction of torsional vibrations due to electromechanical interaction in aircraft systems

With the growth of electrical power onboard aircraft, the interaction between the electrical systems and the engine will become significant. Moreover, since the drivetrain has a flexible shaft, higher load connections can excite torsional vibrations on the aircraft drivetrain. These vibrations can break the shaft if the torque induced is higher than the designed value, or reduce its lifespan if the excitation is constant. To avoid these problems, the electromechanical interaction between the electrical power system and the drivetrain must be evaluated. Past studies have identified the electromechanical interaction and introduced experimental setups that allow its study. However, strategies to reduce the excitation of the torsional vibrations have not been presented. This thesis aims to analyse the electromechanical interaction in aircraft systems and develop an advanced electrical power management system (PMS) to mitigate its effects. The PMS introduces strategies based on the load timing requirements, which are built on the open loop Posicast compensator. The strategies referred as Single Level Multi-edge Switching Loads (SLME), Multilevel Loading (MLL), and Multi-load Single Level Multi-edge Switching Loads (MSLME) are applied to different loads, such as pulsating loads, ice protection system, and time-critical loads, such as the control surfaces. The Posicast based strategies, eliminate the torsional vibrations after a switching event, by the addition of zeros that cancel the poles of the system. For this reason, the knowledge of the natural frequencies of the mechanical system is necessary. Experimentally, the system parameters are obtained through Fourier analysis of the step response and the strategies are applied. A robust analysis of the strategies allows the establishment of the range of uncertainty on the frequencies that allow the proper operation of the strategies. Simulation and experimental results show that the torsional vibrations can be reduced to values close to zero by the application of the strategy. Therefore, the PMS mitigates the electromechanical interaction between the electrical power system and the aircraft drivetrain

A review of sensorless control in induction machines using HF injection, test vectors and PWM harmonics

This paper gives a review of sensorless methods developed for ac drives’ operation at very low and zero speed. The sensorless drives presented in this paper use reluctance spatial anisotropy to track the mechanical rotor position, allowing the use of vector control. To extract the position information additional test signals in form of active vector pulses or continuous high frequency signals are injected into the machine. This paper also presents a technique which does not make use of additional test signals, but only components resulting from the inverter PWM pattern. Practical results show that with all reviewed methods sensorless vector control at very low and zero speed is possible. However, disturbances (eg. coming from the inverter or magnetic saturation) affect the position signal significantly and require appropriate compensation.peer-reviewe

Detection and Diagnosis of Compound Faults in Induction Motors Using Electric Signals from Variable Speed Drives

As a primer driver, induction motors are the most electric energy consuming component in industry. The exposure of the motor to stator winding asymmetry, combined with broken rotor bar fault significantly increases the temperature and reduces the efficiency and life of the motor. Accurate and timely diagnosis of these faults will help to maintain motors operating under optimal statues and avoid excessive energy consumption and severe damage to systems. This paper examines the performance of diagnosing the effect of asymmetry stator winding on broken rotor bar faults under closed loop operation modes. It examines the effectiveness of conventional diagnosis features in both motor current and voltage signals using spectrum and modulation signal bispectrum analysis (MSBA). Evaluation results show that the combined faults cause an additional increase in the sideband amplitude and this increase in sideband can be observed in both the current and voltage signals under the sensorless control mode. MSB analysis has a good noise reduction capability and produces a more accurate and reliable diagnosis in that it gives more correct indication of the fault severity and location for all operating conditions

Reduction of torsional vibrations due to electromechanical interaction in aircraft systems

With the growth of electrical power onboard aircraft, the interaction between the electrical systems and the engine will become significant. Moreover, since the drivetrain has a flexible shaft, higher load connections can excite torsional vibrations on the aircraft drivetrain. These vibrations can break the shaft if the torque induced is higher than the designed value, or reduce its lifespan if the excitation is constant. To avoid these problems, the electromechanical interaction between the electrical power system and the drivetrain must be evaluated. Past studies have identified the electromechanical interaction and introduced experimental setups that allow its study. However, strategies to reduce the excitation of the torsional vibrations have not been presented. This thesis aims to analyse the electromechanical interaction in aircraft systems and develop an advanced electrical power management system (PMS) to mitigate its effects. The PMS introduces strategies based on the load timing requirements, which are built on the open loop Posicast compensator. The strategies referred as Single Level Multi-edge Switching Loads (SLME), Multilevel Loading (MLL), and Multi-load Single Level Multi-edge Switching Loads (MSLME) are applied to different loads, such as pulsating loads, ice protection system, and time-critical loads, such as the control surfaces. The Posicast based strategies, eliminate the torsional vibrations after a switching event, by the addition of zeros that cancel the poles of the system. For this reason, the knowledge of the natural frequencies of the mechanical system is necessary. Experimentally, the system parameters are obtained through Fourier analysis of the step response and the strategies are applied. A robust analysis of the strategies allows the establishment of the range of uncertainty on the frequencies that allow the proper operation of the strategies. Simulation and experimental results show that the torsional vibrations can be reduced to values close to zero by the application of the strategy. Therefore, the PMS mitigates the electromechanical interaction between the electrical power system and the aircraft drivetrain

Torsional Modal Damping of a LCI Driven Geared Moto-Compressor Train: Evaluation, Optimization Criteria and Active Control

Lectur

Self-starting interior permanent magnet motor drive for electric submersible pumps

The interior permanent magnet (IPM) motor drive has evolved as the most energy efficient technology for modern motion control applications. Electric submersible pumps (ESPs) are electric motor driven fluid recovery systems. ESPs are widely used for producing oil and gas from deep downhole reservoirs. Standard ESPs are driven by classical squirrel cage induction motors (IMs) due to its self-starting capability from a balanced 3-phase ac excitation, ruggedness, simplicity, low cost and wide scale availability. Although there has been a tremendous growth in the design and development of highly efficient and reliable IPM motors for traction drive systems, application of the IPM motor technology in ESPs is still in its infancy due to challenges associated with the design and control of IPM motors. In this thesis, a new self-starting, efficient and reliable IPM motor drive technology is proposed for ESP systems to extend their efficiency, longevity and performance. This thesis investigates two different types of self-starting interior permanent magnet (IPM) motors: cage-equipped IPM motors known as line-start IPM motors and a new type of hybrid self-starting motors called hysteresis IPM motors. The limited synchronization capability of line-start IPM motors for high inertial loads is explained in this thesis. To overcome the starting and synchronization problems associated with line-start IPM motors, a new type of hybrid hysteresis IPM motor is proposed in this thesis. Equivalent circuit modeling and finite element analysis of hysteresis IPM motors are carried out in this thesis. A prototype 2.5 kW hysteresis IPM motor is constructed and experimentally tested in the laboratory. In order to limit the inrush current during starting, a stable soft starter has been designed, simulated and implemented for variable speed operations of the motor. The simulation and experimental results are presented and analyzed in this thesis. Self-starting IPM motors suffer from hunting induced torsional oscillations. Electric submersible pumps are vulnerable against sustained hunting and can experience premature failures. In this thesis, a novel stator current signature based diagnostic system for detection of torsional oscillations in IPM motor drives is proposed. The diagnostic system is non-intrusive, fast and suitable for remote condition monitoring of an ESP drive system. Finally, a position sensorless control technique is developed for an IPM motor drive operated from an offshore power supply. The proposed technique can reliably start and stabilize an IPM motor using a back-emf estimation based sensorless controller. The efficacy of the developed sensorless control technique is investigated for a prototype 3-phase, 6-pole, 480V, 10-HP submersible IPM motor drive. In summary, this thesis carried out modeling, analysis and control of different types of self-starting IPM motors to assess their viability for ESP drive systems. Different designs of self-starting IPM motors are presented in this thesis. In future, a fully scalable self-starting IPM motor drive will be designed and manufactured that can meet the industrial demands for high power, highly reliable and super-efficient ESP systems

Multiphase induction motor drives - a technology status review

The area of multiphase variable-speed motor drives in general and multiphase induction motor drives in particular has experienced a substantial growth since the beginning of this century. Research has been conducted worldwide and numerous interesting developments have been reported in the literature. An attempt is made to provide a detailed overview of the current state-of-the-art in this area. The elaborated aspects include advantages of multiphase induction machines, modelling of multiphase induction machines, basic vector control and direct torque control schemes and PWM control of multiphase voltage source inverters. The authors also provide a detailed survey of the control strategies for five-phase and asymmetrical six-phase induction motor drives, as well as an overview of the approaches to the design of fault tolerant strategies for post-fault drive operation, and a discussion of multiphase multi-motor drives with single inverter supply. Experimental results, collected from various multiphase induction motor drive laboratory rigs, are also included to facilitate the understanding of the drive operatio

Sensorless vector control of surface mounted permanent magnet machines without restriction of zero frequency

Permanent magnet motors have a series of characteristics that make them attractive for the use in industrial drives: low maintenance, high dynamics, small size and mass to power ratio. In particular its higher efficiency means that permanent magnet synchronous motors may be used instead of electro-magnetically exited motors (such induction machines or commutator DC motors) in applications where the energy savings compensate the higher initial cost. Nevertheless, the need for a shaft mounted position measurement to perform the orientation of the control of the synchronous machine is of concern, because it increases the total drive cost and reduces reliability. In this work the sensorless vector control of a surface mounted permanent magnet machine is presented. The emphasis is in the control at low and zero speed, including position control, by means of saturation saliency tracking. Two different strategies for rotor position detection used in salient synchronous machines and in induction machines are analysed. These are hf voltage injection in the stationary, stator, reference frame of the machine (α-ß injection) and hf voltage injection on the estimated rotor axis (so called d-axis or pulsating injection). These two methods are optimised for its application to the surface mounted PM machine. The small magnitude of the saliency present difficulties and disturbances are significant. A commissioning based method (SMP) is used for enhanced rotor position estimation by the α-ß rotating injection. The two methods are implemented on a 4 kW experimental rig and the sensorless controlled results are compared and discussed. A hybrid structure combining the saliency tracking method with a flux-observer is also presented and provides sensorless control capability over the whole speed range