Minimum Loss Conditions in a Salient-Pole Wound-Field Synchronous Machine Drive

The conditions for minimum losses in a salient-pole wound-field synchronous machine (WFSM) drive are studied in this paper. The drive comprises a WFSM energized by a stator inverter and excited by a dc-dc converter both tied to a DC link. The minimum-loss operation is formulated as a nonlinear constrained optimization problem with equality constraints (e.g, torque command), and inequality constraints (flux, voltage and current limits). Lagrange multipliers are applied to solve this problem analytically. At low load, the torque demand can be met using different values for two independent electric variables (e.g. stator flux and field current magnitude). These can be optimized, thereby leading to two optimal implicit conditions. At higher load, when the stator flux reaches the maximum value, the free variables reduce to one and yield a single implicit optimal condition. For these two scenarios, the paper presents analytical derivations of the optimal conditions and numerical validation using MatLab. These conditions can be used to devise a control system optimizing the drive operation

Novel maximum power point tracking strategies for electronically tuned linear alternators

Linear alternators (LAs) are widely applied in many energy conversion systems based on pressure waves, to avoid linear to rotary conversion mechanisms. The control of the LA is the key element to maximise the system's electric power and efficiency. However, the LA resonant frequency cannot be accurately controlled by mechanical design due to parameter tolerance. Furthermore, the operating frequency is generally not strictly constant in real-time, making maximum power point tracking (MPPT) hard to achieve. Two MPPT strategies are proposed here to adjust the electronic stiffness amount in real time. They are hereafter referred to as symmetrical signal injection method and electronic stiffness perturbation method. The latter one is selected and validated via simulation studies