Control of switched reluctance machines

This thesis is concerned with the control of switched reluctance machines for both motoring and generating applications. There are different control objectives in each case. For motoring operation, there are two possible control objectives. If the SRM is being employed in a servo-type application, the desire is for a constant output torque. However, for low performance applications where some amount of torque ripple is acceptable, the aim is to achieve efficient and accurate speed regulation. When the SRM is employed for generating purposes, the goal is to maintain the dc bus voltage at the required value while achieving maximum efficiency. Preliminary investigative work on switched reluctance machine control in both motoring and generating modes is performed. This includes the implementation and testing through simulation of two control strategies described in the literature. In addition, an experimental system is built for the development and testing of new control strategies. The inherent nonlinearity of the switched reluctance machine results in ripple in the torque profile. This adversely affects motoring performance for servo-type applications. Hence, three neuro-fuzzy control strategies for torque ripple minimisation in switched reluctance motors are developed. For all three control strategies, the training of a neurofuzzy compensator and the incorporation of the trained compensator into the overall switched reluctance drive are described. The performance of the control strategies in reducing the torque ripple is examined with simulations and through experimental testing. While the torque ripple is troublesome for servo-type applications, there are some applications where a certain amount of torque ripple is acceptable. Therefore, four simple motor control strategies for torque ripple-tolerant applications are described and tested experimentally. Three of the control strategies are for low speed motoring operation while the fourth is aimed at high speed motoring operation. Finally, three closed-loop generator control strategies aimed at high speed operation in single pulse mode are developed. The three control strategies are examined by testing on the experimental system. A comparison of the performance of the control strategies in terms of efficiency and peak current produced by each is presented

Critical Aspects of Electric Motor Drive Controllers and Mitigation of Torque Ripple - Review

Electric vehicles (EVs) are playing a vital role in sustainable transportation. It is estimated that by 2030, Battery EVs will become mainstream for passenger car transportation. Even though EVs are gaining interest in sustainable transportation, the future of EV power transmission is facing vital concerns and open research challenges. Considering the case of torque ripple mitigation and improved reliability control techniques in motors, many motor drive control algorithms fail to provide efficient control. To efficiently address this issue, control techniques such as Field Orientation Control (FOC), Direct Torque Control (DTC), Model Predictive Control (MPC), Sliding Mode Control (SMC), and Intelligent Control (IC) techniques are used in the motor drive control algorithms. This literature survey exclusively compares the various advanced control techniques for conventionally used EV motors such as Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (PMSM), Brushless Direct Current Motor (BLDC), Switched Reluctance Motor (SRM), and Induction Motors (IM). Furthermore, this paper discusses the EV-motors history, types of EVmotors, EV-motor drives powertrain mathematical modelling, and design procedure of EV-motors. The hardware results have also been compared with different control techniques for BLDC and SRM hub motors. Future direction towards the design of EV by critical selection of motors and their control techniques to minimize the torque ripple and other research opportunities to enhance the performance of EVs are also presented.publishedVersio

Torque Control

This book is the result of inspirations and contributions from many researchers, a collection of 9 works, which are, in majority, focalised around the Direct Torque Control and may be comprised of three sections: different techniques for the control of asynchronous motors and double feed or double star induction machines, oriented approach of recent developments relating to the control of the Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors, and special controller design and torque control of switched reluctance machine

Optimal Tracking Current Control of Switched Reluctance Motor Drives Using Reinforcement Q-learning Scheduling

In this paper, a novel Q-learning scheduling method for the current controller of switched reluctance motor (SRM) drive is investigated. Q-learning algorithm is a class of reinforcement learning approaches that can find the best forward-in-time solution of a linear control problem. This paper will introduce a new scheduled-Q-learning algorithm that utilizes a table of Q-cores that lies on the nonlinear surface of a SRM model without involving any information about the model parameters to track the reference current trajectory by scheduling infinite horizon linear quadratic trackers (LQT) handled by Q-learning algorithms. Additionally, a linear interpolation algorithm is proposed to guide the transition of the LQT between trained Q-cores to ensure a smooth response as state variables evolve on the nonlinear surface of the model. Lastly, simulation and experimental results are provided to validate the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme.Comment: 8 pages, 10 figure

Multi-objective torque control of switched reluctance machine

PhD ThesisThe recent growing interest in Switched Reluctance Drives (SRD) is due to the electrification of many products in industries including electric/hybrid electric vehicles, more-electric aircrafts, white-goods, and healthcare, in which the Switched Reluctance Machine (SRM) has potential prospects in satisfying the respective requirements of these applications. Its main merits are robust structure, suitability for harsh environments, fault-tolerance, low cost, and ability to operate over a wide speed range. Nevertheless, the SRM has limitations such as large torque ripple, high acoustic noise, and low torque density. This research focuses on the torque control of the SRD with the objectives of achieving zero torque error, minimal torque ripple, high reliability and robustness, and lower size, weight, and cost of implementation. Direct Torque Control and Direct Instantaneous Torque Control are the most common methods used to obtain desired torque characteristics including optimal torque density and minimized torque ripple in SRD. However, these torque control methods, compared to conventional hysteresis current control, require the use of power devices with a higher rating of about 150% to achieve the desired superior performance. These requirements add extra cost, conduction loss, and stress on the drive’s semiconductors and machine winding. To overcome these drawbacks, a simple and intuitive torque control method based on a novel adaptive quasi sliding mode control is developed in this study. The proposed torque control approach is designed considering the findings of an investigation performed in this thesis of the existing widely used control techniques for SRD based on information flow complexity. A test rig comprising a magnet assisted SRM driven by an asymmetric converter is constructed to validate the proposed torque control method and to compare its performance with that of direct instantaneous torque control, and current hysteresis control methods. The simulation and experimental results show that the proposed torque control reduces the torque ripple over a wide speed range without demanding a high current and/or a high switching frequency. In addition, It has been shown that the proposed method is superior to current hysteresis control method in the sensorless operation of the machine. Furthermore, the sensorless performance of the proposed method is investigated with the lower component count R-Dump converter. The simulation results have also demonstrated the excellent controller response using the standard R-Dump converter and also with its novel version developed in this thesis that needs only one current sensor

FPGA design methodology for industrial control systems—a review

This paper reviews the state of the art of fieldprogrammable gate array (FPGA) design methodologies with a focus on industrial control system applications. This paper starts with an overview of FPGA technology development, followed by a presentation of design methodologies, development tools and relevant CAD environments, including the use of portable hardware description languages and system level programming/design tools. They enable a holistic functional approach with the major advantage of setting up a unique modeling and evaluation environment for complete industrial electronics systems. Three main design rules are then presented. These are algorithm refinement, modularity, and systematic search for the best compromise between the control performance and the architectural constraints. An overview of contributions and limits of FPGAs is also given, followed by a short survey of FPGA-based intelligent controllers for modern industrial systems. Finally, two complete and timely case studies are presented to illustrate the benefits of an FPGA implementation when using the proposed system modeling and design methodology. These consist of the direct torque control for induction motor drives and the control of a diesel-driven synchronous stand-alone generator with the help of fuzzy logic

Commande directe du couple appliquée à une machine à reluctance commutée à trois phases

Le moteur à reluctance commutée (SRM) est connu pour sa conception simple, sans aimants permanents, bobinage au rotor et son bas cout de production et une bonne robustesse qui lui confère conception, même sous la perte d’une phase ou de plus et d’opérer dans un environnement industriel très contraignant. Néanmoins ce moteur présente de nombreux inconvénients due à sa double saillance polaire, ses caractéristiques magnétiques et un couple de sortie hautement non linéaires très instable et qui présente de fortes perturbations. La double saillance du moteur ne permettant pas d’exciter ce dernier par une alimentation CA conventionnelle et de commander ce moteur utilisant la théorie des champs tournants. En outre, en raison des caractéristiques de sortie de couple non linéaires du moteur, une ondulation à couple élevé est inhérente au moteur, sauf si une stratégie de réduction de l’ondulation de couple est utilisée. Afin de parer à la non linéarité du couple de sortie et de diminuer les fortes perturbations de couple, plusieurs techniques ont été utilisées. La technique de contrôle du couple direct (DTC) est une excellente technique qui a donné de bons résultats pour ce type de moteur, et pour ce faire notre travail peut être considérée comme une contribution à l’amélioration de la DTC. Nous considérons spécifiquement le remplacement des régulateurs à hystérésis par ceux utilisant les techniques d’intelligence artificielle (logique floue, réseaux de neurones et neuro-flou), avec une concentration plus prononcée pour la technique de régulation par logique floue avec une structure Takagi-Sugeno comme le cœur de notre travail. Pour finir, nous avons utilisé la commande adaptative pour varier les paramètres du régulateur flou en temps réel lors de perturbations paramétriques du SRM et notamment pour parer à la variation de la résistance statorique. La loi de contrôle et la loi adaptative développées, garantissent que tous les signaux dans le système en boucle fermée sont limités en amplitude, alors que la conception du contrôleur est basée sur la synthèse de Lyapunov.Switched Reluctance (RS) Motors have an intrinsic simplicity and low cost that makethem well suited to many applications. Furthermore, the motors have a high robustness due to the ability to operate with the loss of one or more motor phases and are thus well suited to operate in harsh industrial environments. However, the motor has many drawbacks due to the motor’s doubly salient structure as well as highly non-linear torque output and magnetization characteristics. The double salient structure leads to the inability to excite the motor using conventional ac motor rotating field theory to the motor. Furthermore, due to the motor’s non-linear torque output characteristics, a hightorque ripple is inherent in the motor unless a torque ripple reduction strategy is employed. to overcome the non-linearity of the output torque and reduce torque ripple,several techniques have been developed. Direct torque control (DTC) is an excellent technique which has had good results for this type of motor. our work, is a contribution to the improvement of the DTC by the substitution of the hysteresis regulators by thoseusing artificial intelligence techniques (fuzzy logic, neural networks and neuro-fuzzy), with a more pronounced concentration in our study for fuzzy logic regulation technique with Takagi-Sugeno structure. Finally, we used the adaptive control to vary the fuzzy regulator parameters in real time during parametric disturbance of the SRM and especially during stator resistance variation. The control law and the adaptive law developed guarantee the delimitation of all the signals in the closed-loop system and the controller design is made according to Lyapunov's synthesi

Segmental rotor switched reluctance drives

One of the well-known drawbacks of switched reluctance machines is the relatively high output torque ripple. Techniques aiming to reduce machine torque ripple either compromise the machine performance or the simplicity of the inverter and the controller. The work presented in this thesis shows that low torque ripple over a wide speed range can be achieved without severe penalties in terms of the machine performance and the size, cost and complexity of the power electronics and the controller. This is achieved by designing a 6-phase machine and driving it from a three-phase full bridge circuit. Switched reluctance motors with segmented rotors are a relatively recent advancement in the electromagnetic design of doubly-salient reluctance motors, having only been introduced in 2002. By replacing the conventional toothed rotor with individual segments, it has been proven that higher torque density than conventional switched reluctance machines could be achieved. Early work by Mecrow and El-Kharashi has demonstrated the operation of prototype machines with short-pitched and fully-pitched windings. The machine design work presented here builds on this early work by examining aspects of the machine design and its operation. Two six-phase machines – one with a segmented rotor and the other with a toothed rotor - have been designed. Performance comparisons have been made between the two six-phase machines and a three phase segmented rotor machine that was previously designed at Newcastle University. Additionally, a three phase single tooth winding and a two phase segmented rotor switched reluctance machine have been studied in simulation and experimentally. Detailed comparison of inverter ratings and machine efficiencies are made under equal conditions for a 2-phase machine driven from h-bridge and asymmetric half-bridge inverters. This is achieved with results from a test rig and the use of accurate dynamic simulation. Simulation models for 3-phase and 6-phase machines have also been generated. Detailed comparison of inverter ratings and machine efficiencies are made under equal conditions for the 3-phase and 6-phase drives in the dynamic simulation. Comparisons between simulated and measured results are shown to be very good for all of the drives.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Control Theory in Engineering

The subject matter of this book ranges from new control design methods to control theory applications in electrical and mechanical engineering and computers. The book covers certain aspects of control theory, including new methodologies, techniques, and applications. It promotes control theory in practical applications of these engineering domains and shows the way to disseminate researchers’ contributions in the field. This project presents applications that improve the properties and performance of control systems in analysis and design using a higher technical level of scientific attainment. The authors have included worked examples and case studies resulting from their research in the field. Readers will benefit from new solutions and answers to questions related to the emerging realm of control theory in engineering applications and its implementation