Improved direct torque control using Kalman filter: application to a doubly-fed machine

Direct Torque Control (DTC) has been extensively researched and applied during the last two decades. However, it has only first been applied to the Brushless Doubly Fed Reluctance Machine (BDFRM) a few years ago in its basic form inheriting its intrinsic flux estimation problems that propagate throughout the algorithm and hence compromise the DTC performance. In this paper, we propose the use of Kalman Filter (KF) as an alternative to improve the estimation and consequently the control performance of the DTC. The KF is designed around a nominal model, but is shown to be reliable over the whole operating range of the BDFRM. Moreover, we use a modified robust exact differentiator based on Sliding Mode (SM) techniques to calculate the angular velocity from an angular position encoder. Computer simulations are meticulously designed to take into account real-world physical constraints and thus show illustrative supporting results as expected from an experimental setup

A robust sensorless output feedback controller of the induction motor drives: New design and experimental validation

International audienceIn this paper, a sensorless output feedback controller is designed in order to drive the Induction Motor IM without the use of flux and speed sensors. Firstly, an observer that uses only the measured stator currents is synthesized to estimate the mechanical variables (speed and load torque) and the magnetic variables (fluxes) by structurally taking into account the unobservability phenomena of the Sensorless IM (SIM) and the parametric uncertainties. Secondly, a current-based field oriented sliding mode control, that uses the flux and the speed estimates given by the former observer is developed so as to steer the estimated speed and flux magnitude to the desired references. Since the observer design is independent of the control and depends on theIM parametric uncertainties, a separation principle is introduced to guarantee the practical stability of the whole closed-loop system "observer -controller" ("O-C") according to observability and unobservability time variation. A significant benchmark taking into account the unobservability phenomena of the \textit{SIM} is presented to show the performances of the whole control scheme against experimental set-up

Differential-Algebraic Approach to Speed and Parameter Estimation of the Induction Motor

This thesis considers a differential-algebraic approach to estimating the speed and rotor time constant of an induction motor using only the measured terminal voltages and currents. It is shown that the induction motor speed satisfies both a second-order and a third-order polynomial equation whose coefficients depend the stator voltages, stator currents, and their derivatives. Further, it is shown that as long as the stator electrical frequency is nonzero, the speed is uniquely determined by these polynomials. The speed so determined is then used to stabilize a dynamic (Luenberger type) observer to obtain a smoothed speed estimate. With full knowledge of the machine parameters and filtering of the sensor noise, simulations and experiments indicate that this estimator has the potential to provide low speed (including zero speed) control of an induction motor under full load. A differential-algebraic approach is also used to obtain an estimate of the rotor time constant of an induction motor, again using only the measured stator voltages and currents. Experimental results are presented to demonstrate the practical use of the identification method

Development and Implementation of Some Controllers for Performance Enhancement and Effective Utilization of Induction Motor Drive

The technological development in the field of power electronics and DSP technology is rapidly changing the aspect of drive technology. Implementations of advanced control strategies like field oriented control, linearization control, etc. to AC drives with variable voltage, and variable frequency source is possible because of the advent of high modulating frequency PWM inverters. The modeling complexity in the drive system and the subsequent requirement for modern control algorithms are being easily taken care by high computational power, low-cost DSP controllers. The present work is directed to study, design, development, and implementation of various controllers and their comparative evaluations to identify the proper controller for high-performance induction motor (IM) drives. The dynamic modeling for decoupling control of IM is developed by making the flux and torque decoupled. The simulation is carried out in the stationary reference frame with linearized control based on state-space linearization technique. Further, comprehensive and systematic design procedures are derived to tune the PI controllers for both electrical and mechanical subsystems. However, the PI-controller performance is not satisfactory under various disturbances and system uncertainties. Also, precise mathematical model, gain values, and continuous tuning are required for the controller design to obtain high performance. Thus, to overcome these drawbacks, an adapted control strategy based on Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) based controller is developed and implemented in real-time to validate different control strategies. The superiority of the proposed controller is analyzed and is contrasted with the conventional PI controller-based linearized IM drive. The simplified neuro-fuzzy control (NFC) integrates the concept of fuzzy logic and neural network structure like conventional NFC, but it has the advantages of simplicity and improved computational efficiency over conventional NFC as the single input introduced here is an error instead of two inputs error and change in error as in conventional NFC. This structure makes the proposed NFC robust and simple as compared to conventional NFC and thus, can be easily applied to real-time industrial applications. The proposed system incorporated with different control methods is also validated with extensive experimental results using DSP2812. The effectiveness of the proposed method using feedback linearization of IM drive is investigated in simulation as well as in experiment with different working modes. It is evident from the comparative results that the system performance is not deteriorated using proposed simplified NFC as compared to the conventional NFC, rather it shows superior performance over PI-controller-based drive. A hybrid fuel cell (FC) supply system to deliver the power demanded by the feedback linearization (FBL) based IM drive is designed and implemented. The modified simple hybrid neuro-fuzzy sliding-mode control (NFSMC) incorporated with the intuitive FBL substantially reduces torque chattering and improves speed response, giving optimal drive performance under system uncertainties and disturbances. This novel technique also has the benefit of reduced computational burden over conventional NFSMC and thus, suitable for real-time industrial applications. The parameters of the modified NFC is tuned by an adaptive mechanism based on sliding-mode control (SMC). A FC stack with a dc/dc boost converter is considered here as a separate external source during interruption of main supply for maintaining the supply to the motor drive control through the inverter, thereby reducing the burden and average rating of the inverter. A rechargeable battery used as an energy storage supplements the FC during different operating conditions of the drive system. The effectiveness of the proposed method using FC-based linearized IM drive is investigated in simulation, and the efficacy of the proposed controller is validated in real-time. It is evident from the results that the system provides optimal dynamic performance in terms of ripples, overshoot, and settling time responses and is robust in terms of parameters variation and external load

Advances in Rotating Electric Machines

It is difficult to imagine a modern society without rotating electric machines. Their use has been increasing not only in the traditional fields of application but also in more contemporary fields, including renewable energy conversion systems, electric aircraft, aerospace, electric vehicles, unmanned propulsion systems, robotics, etc. This has contributed to advances in the materials, design methodologies, modeling tools, and manufacturing processes of current electric machines, which are characterized by high compactness, low weight, high power density, high torque density, and high reliability. On the other hand, the growing use of electric machines and drives in more critical applications has pushed forward the research in the area of condition monitoring and fault tolerance, leading to the development of more reliable diagnostic techniques and more fault-tolerant machines. This book presents and disseminates the most recent advances related to the theory, design, modeling, application, control, and condition monitoring of all types of rotating electric machines

An eDrive-Based Estimation Method of the Laundry Unbalance and Laundry Inertia for Washing Machine Applications

The estimation of the laundry unbalance and laundry inertia is fundamental in washing machine applications. On the one hand, the estimation and management of the laundry unbalance play a pivotal role in reducing mechanical stress and noise during the spinning phase. On the other hand, the laundry inertia’s estimation, performed at the beginning of the washing cycle, allows for the determination of the proper amounts of water and detergent, the water temperature, and the tumbling time. In this way, good washing performance is obtained, avoiding the waste of energy and resources. Moreover, at the end of the washing cycle, the laundry inertia’s accurate estimation is needed to properly manage the spinning phase. With the aim of optimizing the washing performance, this paper proposes a novel method to estimate the laundry unbalance and laundry inertia. The proposed approach does not require additional sensors, since it uses the already implemented motor control scheme, enhanced by a dedicated position-tracking observer. Experimental results have been carried out on a commercial horizontal-axis direct-drive washer, demonstrating the validity of the proposed solution

Recent Advances in Robust Control

Robust control has been a topic of active research in the last three decades culminating in H_2/H_\infty and \mu design methods followed by research on parametric robustness, initially motivated by Kharitonov's theorem, the extension to non-linear time delay systems, and other more recent methods. The two volumes of Recent Advances in Robust Control give a selective overview of recent theoretical developments and present selected application examples. The volumes comprise 39 contributions covering various theoretical aspects as well as different application areas. The first volume covers selected problems in the theory of robust control and its application to robotic and electromechanical systems. The second volume is dedicated to special topics in robust control and problem specific solutions. Recent Advances in Robust Control will be a valuable reference for those interested in the recent theoretical advances and for researchers working in the broad field of robotics and mechatronics

Nonlinear control and observation of full-variable speed wind turbine systems.

With increasing concern for the environmental effects of power generation from fossil fuels, wind energy is a competitive source for electrical power with higher efficiency than other clean sources. However, the nature of this power source makes controlling wind turbines difficult. The variability of wind as a source either requires highly accurate measurement equipment or sophisticated mathematical alternatives. In addition to the unknown quantities of the weather itself, the efficiency of power capture at the turbine blades is highly nonlinear in nature and difficult to ascertain. The ability of either determine these troublesome quantities, or control the system despite ignorance of them, greatly increases the overall efficiency of power capture. To this end, a series of nonlinear controllers and observers have been developed for wind turbine systems

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