Efficiency Optimization and Control of Permanent Magnet Synchronous Brushless Motors in Three-Phase Pulse Width Modulated Voltage Source Inverter Drives

In high performance drives where it is desirable to exploit the usefulness of reluctance torque and machine saliency, permanent magnet synchronous brushless motors are machines of choice. However, speed control of these machines especially in the flux weakening region becomes more complex due to the non-linear coupling among the winding currents as well as the nonlinearity present in the torque. While numerous research efforts in the past have considered control and efficiency improvements of induction motors, and synchronous motors with field windings, research efforts in developing an efficiency optimization and control strategy applicable to all salient-type permanent magnet synchronous brushless motors are still in their infancy.;A traditional control technique that has commonly been employed in efficiency improvement efforts is the stator\u27s zero d-axis current (i ds=0) technique. In this method, the rotor flux is aligned with the direct-axis so that the stator\u27s direct-axis current is zero and the torque becomes a linear function of the stator\u27s quadrature-axis current. Although this method achieves decoupling of winding currents and simplicity of control, it does not fully exploit the use of the machine\u27s saliency and reluctance torque, and is also not well-suited for wide-range load operations. The maximum torque per ampere (MTPA) technique is another less complex technique that has been considered which fully exploits the use of machine saliency with motor torque selected along the geometric curve of minimum-amplitude current space vectors for minimum loss operation. The drawback of the MTPA technique is that it does not provide high efficiency performance for synchronous reluctance motors running at low fractional loads.;In this work, the problem of efficiency optimization in the salient-type permanent magnet synchronous brushless motors is investigated. A machine model which includes the effect of core losses is proposed for developing a loss minimization algorithm that dynamically determines the optimal reference currents and voltages required for minimizing the total electrical losses (copper losses and core losses) within the feasible operating regions imposed by the motor and inverter capacities. The loss minimization strategy is implemented within a speed control loop for a synchronous reluctance motor drive and the effectiveness of the proposed scheme is validated by comparing performances with that of the traditional maximum torque per ampere and stator\u27s zero d-axis current vector control methods. It is shown that the proposed scheme offers the advantages of simplicity and superior performance throughout the entire operating range, and also improves motor efficiency to 96% at full load and full-speed operating condition

Asynchronous performance analysis of a single-phase capacitor-start, capacitor-run permanent magnet motor

This work presents a detailed analysis of the asynchronous torque components (average cage, magnet braking torque and pulsating) for a single-phase capacitor-start, capacitor-run permanent magnet motor. The computed envelope of pulsating torque superimposed over the average electromagnetic torque leads to an accurate prediction of starting torque. The developed approach is realized by means of a combination of symmetrical components and d-q axes theory and it can be extended for any m-phase AC motor - induction, synchronous reluctance or synchronous permanent magnet. The resultant average electromagnetic torque is determined by superimposing the asynchronous torques and magnet braking torque effects

Line-start permanent-magnet motor single-phase steady-state performance analysis

This paper describes an efficient calculating procedure for the steady-state operation of a single-phase line-start capacitor-run permanent-magnet motor. This class of motor is beginning to be applied in hermetic refrigerator compressors as a high-efficiency alternative to either a plain induction motor or a full inverter-fed drive. The calculation relies on a combination of reference-frame transformations including symmetrical components to cope with imbalance, and dq axes to cope with saliency. Computed results are compared with test data. The agreement is generally good, especially in describing the general properties of the motor. However, it is shown that certain important effects are beyond the limit of simple circuit analysis and require a more complex numerical analysis method

Comparison of Induction and PM Synchronous motor drives for EV application including design examples

Three different motor drives for electric traction are compared, in terms of output power and efficiency at the same stack dimensions and inverter size. Induction motor (IM), surface-mounted permanent-magnet (PM) (SPM), and interior PM (IPM) synchronous motor drives are investigated, with reference to a common vehicle specification. The IM is penalized by the cage loss, but it is less expensive and inherently safe in case of inverter unwilled turnoff due to natural de-excitation. The SPM motor has a simple construction and shorter end connections, but it is penalized by eddy-current loss at high speed, has a very limited transient overload power, and has a high uncontrolled generator voltage. The IPM motor shows the better performance compromise, but it might be more complicated to be manufactured. Analytical relationships are first introduced and then validated on three example designs and finite element calculated, accounting for core saturation, harmonic losses, the effects of skewing, and operating temperature. The merits and limitations of the three solutions are quantified comprehensively and summarized by the calculation of the energy consumption over the standard New European Driving Cycl

Characterization of the parameters of interior permanent magnet synchronous motors for a loss model algorithm

The paper provides the results of a detailed experimental study on the variations of the characteristics of an interior permanent magnet synchronous motor, when load, speed and/or magnetization conditions vary. In particular, the characterization is carried out by assessing, for several working conditions, the motor parameters that influence its efficiency. From the knowledge of the variability of these parameters, it is possible to develop a dynamic model of the motor, which accurately describes its behaviour and allows estimating the power losses for whatever speed and load. In order to validate the model, the values of the power losses obtained by using the model are compared with the values measured with experimental tests. The study shows that it is possible to maximize the motor efficiency just acting on the direct axis current component and, therefore, it can be considered a first step towards the definition of a loss model algorithm for a control drive system able to minimize in real-time the power losses of the motor

Comparison of three control drive systems for interior permanent magnet synchronous motors

In a previous paper, we proposed a control strategy for interior permanent synchronous motors, which takes into account also the reduction of the motor power losses. The novelty of the suggested approach is that it takes into consideration the variations of all the motor parameters that have an influence on its efficiency. In order to verifyon the field the effectiveness of this new method, we implemented the proposed loss model algorithm in a control drive system and compared its performances, in terms of energy losses with respect to other conventional techniques

Efficiency Enhancement of Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor Drives by on-Line Loss Minimization Approaches

In this paper, a new loss minimization control algorithm for inverter-fed permanent-magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs), which allows for the reduction of the power losses of the electric drive without penalty on its dynamic performance, is analyzed, experimentally realized, and validated. In particular, after a brief recounting of two loss minimization control strategies, namely, the "search control" and the "loss-model control," both a new modified dynamic model of the PMSM (which takes into account the iron losses) and an innovative "loss-model" control strategy are presented. Experimental tests on a specific PMSM drive employing the proposed loss minimization algorithm have been performed, aiming to validate the actual implementation. The main results of these tests confirm that the dynamic performance of the drive is maintained, and in small motors enhancement up to 3.5% of the efficiency can be reached in comparison with the PMSM drive equipped with a more traditional control strategy

Permanent Magnet minimization in PM-Assisted Synchronous Reluctance motors for wide speed range

This paper presents a technique to modify the rotor lamination of a permanent-magnet-assisted synchronous reluctance motor, in order to reduce the magnet volume with no side effect on performance. A closed-form analysis, which is based on a lumped parameter model, points out that the magnet quantity can be minimized with a significant saving of material volume and cost. At a second stage, the risk of demagnetization is evaluated since the minimized magnets are thinner than the starting ones and work on lower load lines in their respective B-H planes. A feasible drawing is analytically defined, which is robust against demagnetization at overload, showing that the saving of magnet quantity depends on the maximum current overload and can be significant. The theoretical formulation is validated with finite-element analysis and experiments on a prototype machin