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

Direct torque control for dual three-phase induction motor drives

A direct torque control (DTC) strategy for dual three-phase induction motor drives is discussed in this paper. The induction machine has two sets of stator three-phase windings spatially shifted by 30 electrical degrees. The DTC strategy is based on a predictive algorithm and is implemented in a synchronous reference frame aligned with the machine stator flux vector. The advantages of the discussed control strategy are constant inverter switching frequency, good transient and steady-state performance, and low distortion of machine currents with respect to direct self-control (DSC) and other DTC schemes with variable switching frequency. Experimental results are presented for a 10-kW DTC dual three-phase induction motor drive prototype

To develop an efficient variable speed compressor motor system

This research presents a proposed new method of improving the energy efficiency of a Variable Speed Drive (VSD) for induction motors. The principles of VSD are reviewed with emphasis on the efficiency and power losses associated with the operation of the variable speed compressor motor drive, particularly at low speed operation.The efficiency of induction motor when operated at rated speed and load torque is high. However at low load operation, application of the induction motor at rated flux will cause the iron losses to increase excessively, hence its efficiency will reduce dramatically. To improve this efficiency, it is essential to obtain the flux level that minimizes the total motor losses. This technique is known as an efficiency or energy optimization control method. In practice, typical of the compressor load does not require high dynamic response, therefore improvement of the efficiency optimization control that is proposed in this research is based on scalar control model.In this research, development of a new neural network controller for efficiency optimization control is proposed. The controller is designed to generate both voltage and frequency reference signals imultaneously. To achieve a robust controller from variation of motor parameters, a real-time or on-line learning algorithm based on a second order optimization Levenberg-Marquardt is employed. The simulation of the proposed controller for variable speed compressor is presented. The results obtained clearly show that the efficiency at low speed is significant increased. Besides that the speed of the motor can be maintained. Furthermore, the controller is also robust to the motor parameters variation. The simulation results are also verified by experiment

Control Strategies for Open-End Winding Drives Operating in the Flux-Weakening Region

This paper presents and compares control strategies for three-phase open-end winding drives operating in the flux-weakening region. A six-leg inverter with a single dc-link is associated with the machine in order to use a single energy source. With this topology, the zero-sequence circuit has to be considered since the zero-sequence current can circulate in the windings. Therefore, conventional over-modulation strategies are not appropriate when the machine enters in the flux-weakening region. A few solutions dealing with the zero-sequence circuit have been proposed in literature. They use a modified space vector modulation or a conventional modulation with additional voltage limitations. The paper describes the aforementioned strategies and then a new strategy is proposed. This new strategy takes into account the magnitudes and phase angles of the voltage harmonic components. This yields better voltage utilization in the dq frame. Furthermore, inverter saturation is avoided in the zero-sequence frame and therefore zero-sequence current control is maintained. Three methods are implemented on a test bed composed of a three-phase permanent-magnet synchronous machine, a six-leg inverter and a hybrid DSP/FPGA controller. Experimental results are presented and compared for all strategies. A performance analysis is conducted as regards the region of operation and the machine parameters.Projet SOFRACI/FU

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

An Improved Sideband Current Harmonic Model of Interior PMSM Drive by Considering Magnetic Saturation and Cross-Coupling Effects

The sideband current harmonics, as parasitic characteristics in permanent-magnet synchronous machine (PMSM) drives with space vector pulsewidth modulation technique, will increase the corresponding electromagnetic loss, torque ripple, vibration, and acoustic noises. Therefore, fast yet accurate evaluation of the resultant sideband current harmonic components is of particular importance during the design stage of the drive system. However, the inevitable magnetic saturation and cross-coupling effects in interior PMSM drives would have a significant impact on the current components, while the existing analytical sideband current harmonic model neglects those effects. This paper introduces a significant improvement on the analytical model by taking into account these effects with corresponding nonlinear factors. Experimental results are carried out to underpin the accuracy improvements of the predictions from the proposed model over the existing analytical one. The proposed model can offer a very detailed and insightful revelation of impacts of the magnetic saturation and cross-coupling effects on the corresponding sideband current harmonics

Field oriented control of induction motors

Induction motors have always been known for their simple rugged construction, but until lately were not suitable for variable speed or servo drives due to the inherent complexity of the controls. With the advent of field oriented control (FOC), however, the induction motor has become an attractive option for these types of drive systems. An FOC system which utilizes the pulse population modulation method to synthesize the motor drive frequencies is examined. This system allows for a variable voltage to frequency ratio and enables the user to have independent control of both the speed and torque of an induction motor. A second generation of the control boards were developed and tested with the next point of focus being the minimization of the size and complexity of these controls. Many options were considered with the best approach being the use of a digital signal processor (DSP) due to its inherent ability to quickly evaluate control algorithms. The present test results of the system and the status of the optimization process using a DSP are discussed

Should {\Delta}{\Sigma} Modulators Used in AC Motor Drives be Adapted to the Mechanical Load of the Motor?

We consider the use of {\Delta}{\Sigma} modulators in ac motor drives, focusing on the many additional degrees of freedom that this option offers over Pulse Width Modulation (PWM). Following some recent results, we show that it is possible to fully adapt the {\Delta}{\Sigma} modulator Noise Transfer Function (NTF) to the rest of the drive chain and that the approach can be pushed even to a fine adaptation of the NTF to the specific motor loading condition. We investigate whether and to what extent the adaptation should be pursued. Using a representative test case and extensive simulation, we conclude that a mild adaptation can be beneficial, leading to Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) improvements in the order a few dB, while the advantage pushing the adaptation to the load tracking is likely to be minimal.Comment: Sample code available at http://pydsm.googlecode.co