DC-link voltage balancing and control of qZ-source inverter fed induction motor drive

Poor performance of the motor drive system is caused when the direct current-link (DC-link) capacitor voltages of the inverter are not sufficiently generated. This is mainly because of the various load torque changes and input voltage fluctuation. The qZ-source inverter operates with a fully shoot-through technique. This technique causes mismatching between the upper and lower DC-link capacitor voltages. Without capacitor voltage-balancing function, the desired DC-link capacitor voltages could not be provided or maintained when there are load and speed changes. A Sawtooth carrier-based simple boost triple-sixty-degree (TSD) pulse width modulation (PWM) technique is used to drive the qZ-source T-type inverter because this technique can give a more significant boost DC-link voltage than a traditional simple boost PWM technique. Proportional integral (PI) controller is applied for the DC-link voltage controller to achieve the fast response and less steady-state error. The simulation model was constructed for a 4 kW, 400 V, 1,400 rpm induction motor (IM) drive system used in rolling mill using MATLAB/Simulink with and without voltage balancing function. As a result, DC-link voltages of the qZ-source T-type inverter fed the induction motor drive system could be controlled using a capacitor voltage-balancing function and the output power of the motor from the simulation result is approximately equal to 4 kW

Induction Motors

AC motors play a major role in modern industrial applications. Squirrel-cage induction motors (SCIMs) are probably the most frequently used when compared to other AC motors because of their low cost, ruggedness, and low maintenance. The material presented in this book is organized into four sections, covering the applications and structural properties of induction motors (IMs), fault detection and diagnostics, control strategies, and the more recently developed topology based on the multiphase (more than three phases) induction motors. This material should be of specific interest to engineers and researchers who are engaged in the modeling, design, and implementation of control algorithms applied to induction motors and, more generally, to readers broadly interested in nonlinear control, health condition monitoring, and fault diagnosis

Sensorless control for limp-home mode of EV applications

PhD ThesisOver the past decade research into electric vehicles’ (EVs) safety, reliability and availability has become a hot topic and has attracted a lot of attention in the literature. Inevitably these key areas require further study and improvement. One of the challenges EVs face is speed/position sensor failure due to vibration and harsh environments. Wires connecting the sensor to the motor controller have a high likelihood of breakage. Loss of signals from the speed/position sensor will bring the EV to halt mode. Speed sensor failure at a busy roundabout or on a high speed motorway can have serious consequences and put the lives of drivers and passengers in great danger. This thesis aims to tackle the aforementioned issues by proposing several novel sensorless schemes based on Model Reference Adaptive Systems (MRAS) suitable for limp-home mode of EV applications. The estimated speed from these schemes is used for the rotor flux position estimation. The estimated rotor flux position is employed for sensorless torque-controlled drive (TCD) based on indirect rotor field oriented control (IRFOC). The capabilities of the proposed schemes have been evaluated and compared to the conventional back-Electromotive Force MRAS (back-EMF MRAS) scheme using simulation environment and a test bench setup. The new schemes have also been tested on electric golf buggies. The results presented for the proposed schemes show that utilising these schemes provide a reliable and smooth sensorless operation during vehicle test-drive starting from standstill and over a wide range of speeds, including the field weakening region. Employing these new schemes for sensorless TCD in limp-home mode of EV applications increases safety, reliability and availability of EVs

Real-Time Implementation of the Advanced Control of the Three-Phase Induction Machine Based on Power Inverters

The fast growing development of both the numerical equipment and power electronics allows the rapid prototyping of the innovating idea. The objective of this chapter is to put into evidence the teaching aspects through the applicative research in the field of the electric drives. The chapter provides the basic and advanced aspects of the electric drives control based on the most used electrical machine: three-phase induction motor (IM). The research work is presented in didactical way, starting with the conventional vector control, followed by the integration of the model reference adaptive control into the specific IM-based drive. The verified numerical simulation results push the research process through the implementation way. In order to increase the IM drives efficiency, the real-time implementation of the most commonly used modulation techniques is provided. Based on the dSpace platform, interfaced by ControlDesk, the experimental results are obtained. Both the performances of the cascaded control and model reference adaptive control are shown