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To improve power density and motor performance, new bearingless motor topologies combine torque and magnetic suspension coils into a single winding. Of these topologies, the parallel dual-purpose no-voltage winding is advantageous from the bearingless drive perspective because it requires the least amount of hardware. However, this topology can result in undesirable current controller performance from cross-coupling effects between the suspension and torque operation. This paper investigates these cross-coupling effects using rotating reference frame theory to derive relevant system disturbance transfer functions. The nature of this coupling is explained in relation to the machine and control parameters (inductances, resistances, controller gains) to provide insights for bearingless machine and control designers. The paper proposes and simulates different compensation techniques to minimize or eliminate the cross-coupling. It is shown that with careful machine design or with proper feedback control compensation, the motor controller can be implemented as a conventional motor drive, without knowledge of the magnetic suspension system. Finally, experimental validation is provided via two prototype machines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the characteristics of ripple current of a multimegawatt drive system fed by a pulse-width modulation (PWM) inverter are investigated. Based on the investigation, a novel PWM scheme is devised to reduce the switching loss of the inverter under an identical amount of torque ripple of a motor. The proposed PWM is composed of two parts. The first is minimum torque ripple PWM (MTRPWM), which is optimized in terms of the minimum torque ripple in high modulation index (MI). The second determines the minimum switching frequency while holding the average torque ripple less than the allowable value under various operating conditions. It is termed reduced switching frequency PWM (RSFPWM). Consequently, by simply changing the PWM method from conventional fixed switching frequency continuous PWM to the proposed PWM, MTRPWM and RSFPWM, simulation results show that the switching loss of the inverter driving a 3.5 MW induction motor is reduced to 51.6% while keeping the torque ripple in the allowable boundary, where MI is 1.12. This approach is applied to small-scale experimental sets consisting of an interior permanent magnet synchronous machine (IPMSM) motor-generator set, and an induction machine MG set in an effort to verify the validity and feasibility of the proposed method. Based on these experimental results, the cost indexes of the IPMSM and the induction machine, as defined in this paper, decrease by up to 66% and 77%, respectively, when the proposed method is applied when MI is 1.12 compared with the outcome with the conventional PWM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neutral-point-clamped (NPC) multilevel inverter fed high power drives operating at low switching frequency are prone to low-order torque pulsations. For a case of N switching angles per quarter, apart from maintaining the fundamental component, (N-1) voltage harmonics can be eliminated. Consequently, \fracN-12 or lower number of torque harmonics could be eliminated. This paper proposes an optimal pulse-width modulation (PWM), which minimizes the combined root mean square (RMS) value (\tau RMS ) of torque harmonics of order lower than $6N$ at any modulation index (M$) for an induction motor drive fed from an NPC three-level inverter. This paper considers cases of two, three, and four switching angles per quarter cycle of the pole voltage. Compared with synchronized sine-triangle PWM and selective harmonic elimination (SHE) PWM, the proposed PWM reduces the first (N-1$ ) torque harmonics (i.e., \tau _6 ) over a wide speed range. Simulation and experimental results are presented on a 3.7-kW open-loop constant volts-per-Hertz induction motor drive. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents a simplified implementation technique for direct torque control (DTC) of asymmetric six-phase induction motor drive. Current harmonics of fifth and seventh order are observed in the phase currents if conventional DTC scheme is extended for the asymmetric six-phase machine. These harmonic components are not responsible for torque production, thus causing losses in the motor winding. Synthetic vectors are generally used for reduction of current harmonics. Average voltage in $xy$ subspace is maintained to zero by synthetic vectors leading to reduction of currents in $xy$ subspace. A simplified method of implementation of synthetic vectors is proposed in this paper, which eliminates the need for designing of switching sequence and requirement of field-programmable gate array. Also, the number of synthetic vectors that can be possibly produced is increased compared with the ones developed by techniques available in the literature. The experimentation is carried out on a laboratory-developed prototype and the experimental results are presented in this paper to verify the proposed scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper discusses various transient trajectories for increasing the magnetization state (MS) of variable flux permanent magnet synchronous machines (PMSMs), a class of PMSM where the magnets are demagnetized and remagnetized using the drive inverter during drive cycle operation. To manipulate MS, a magnetizing current pulse can be used, which may drive a large amount of flux linkage in the machine. As a result, above low-speed operation, a large voltage may be required from the inverter. This paper extends several existing methods for improved voltage properties, and proposes and experimentally evaluates a new method—a straight line stationary frame flux linkage trajectory—for higher speed capability. The presented trajectories, along with existing trajectories, are organized into families and compared regarding their required voltage, high-speed capability, torque ripple, and time duration. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The ability of an electrical drive to continue operation without tripping in spite of short-duration voltage sags or power supply interruptions is known as power failure ride-through capability. Critical production processes in industries require the drives to smoothly ride-through during momentary power interruptions. The reliability of the drive is dependent on the maximum duration for which a total power supply failure can be tolerated without process interruption. This paper presents a method to extend the duration of the ride-through in voltage-source-inverter-fed vector-controlled induction motor drives with a front-end diode bridge rectifier. The proposed method minimizes the losses in the system during the ride-through, thereby enabling a longer ride-through duration. The method only requires a modification of the control software and hence is easy to implement. This paper also briefly describes two conventional methods used for ride-through and compares the proposed method with the conventional methods to clearly bring out its advantage. Simulation study using MATLAB/PLECS verifies the effectiveness of the proposed method. Hardware implementation of the method on a 30-kW induction machine indicates an extension of up to 34% in the ride-through duration with the proposed method, as compared with the conventional method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with the use of a three-level inverter for a synchronous reluctance machine (SynRM). The SynRM suffers from a poor power factor due to poor machine saliency. This makes it harder to operate the three-level neutral-point-clamped inverter due to a strict requirement to have the two dc-link capacitor voltages balanced. This paper proposes a new nearest three vector modulation algorithm which can balance the two dc-link capacitors even at poor machine saliency ratio (poor power factor). In this paper, a method of sizing the two dc-link capacitors based on the machine power is also proposed. A comparison between two- and three-level inverters was conducted. The SynRM registered lower $d$-axis current ripple with a three-level inverter, indicating lower core losses in the machine. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents the voltage- and current-limited operation of an interior permanent magnet synchronous machine (IPMSM) using deadbeat direct torque and flux control (DB-DTFC). A commanded air-gap torque and stator flux can be achieved by the end of each pulsewidth modulation (PWM) period using DB-DTFC. However, it may take several PWM periods to achieve a desired air-gap torque that is physically infeasible in one step due to voltage limits. In that case, the torque and flux command trajectories operating over multiple periods can be developed to achieve deadbeat torque and flux response for every PWM period. The torque and flux command trajectories can be developed in different shapes depending on desired objectives. In this paper, a minimum-time ramp trajectory method is proposed to achieve both simple real-time implementation and fast and stable transient dynamics of IPMSM drives. Simulation and experimental results for the minimum-time ramp trajectory method for an IPMSM drive are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a voltage-limited finite-settling-step direct torque and flux control (FSS-DTFC) method with a constant switching frequency for torque-controlled interior permanent-magnet synchronous motors (IPMSMs). The proposed control law dynamically scales the voltage vectors on the hexagonal voltage boundary to ensure the maximum torque capabilities under the given operating conditions while simultaneously regulating the stator flux linkage magnitude under flux-weakening operation. Instead of relying on classical overmodulation methods at voltage limits, this paper developed two independent voltage truncation rules to facilitate the possible voltage vector choices. The analytical solution led to the dynamic voltage modification at each time step with respect to the available inverter voltage. The voltage-limited FSS-DTFC approach has potential advantages in achieving a fast transient torque trajectory and direct manipulation of the stator flux linkage while exploiting the maximum voltage excitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The demand for increased power and improved fuel economy are driving changes in alternator technology for automotive applications. To meet these demands requires a drive system with capabilities of torque assist, regenerative braking and power generation to supply vehicle loads while keeping the battery charged. Furthermore, to minimize add-on cost, the system must be air-cooled with minimal changes to the vehicle hardware and operate at 12 V with the same or smaller packaging footprint of the current alternator. In this paper, a low cost 12 V, 4 kW air-cooled permanent magnet-assisted synchronous reluctance machine drive system for a micro-hybrid vehicle is presented. The design and analysis in terms of machine, inverter, controller, and control algorithm are discussed in detail. Thermal performance of the system under different operating conditions, which is another key aspect for the harsh environment application, is also studied. Fuel economy analysis of the proposed low-cost micro-hybrid system for a Segment B vehicle shows significant reduction in fuel consumption resulting in a direct benefit to the customer. Finally, a prototype drive system was built and tested and found to meet the cost, performance, and packaging requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a wide-speed direct torque and flux control method associated with the inverter voltage and current constraints of interior permanent-magnet synchronous motors. The proposed approach has potential advantages controlling torque and flux linkage at the voltage and current limits, since no integrators are employed for torque control or flux weakening. The transition between the non-limited operation and maximum voltage modulation can be achieved automatically without modifying the control law. To confirm this, we provide a graphical and analytical analysis that naturally leads to a unique stator voltage vector selection on the hexagon. The proposed controller can maximize the available inverter voltage and generate a higher output torque than conventional current vector controllers at high speeds. The method developed in this paper also retains the beneficial features of classical direct torque control, such as its fast dynamics and direct manipulation of the stator flux linkage for flux weakening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface permanent-magnet (SPM) machines are normally operated by controlling the d- and q-axis currents. This paper examines the control of SPM generators based on controlling the terminal voltage magnitude V and power-factor angle \theta. This is well suited for generator operation when using a switched-mode rectifier and avoids the need for a rotor position sensor. The parameters required for generating a given value of torque with minimum phase current in order to minimize copper losses are derived in this paper. This will be achieved by controlling V and \theta to keep the d-axis current equal to zero at low speed, before switching to field-weakening control at higher speeds. Simulated and experimental results will be used to verify the control strategy and the efficiency achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Six-step modulated drive systems have been shown to have higher power density and lower switching loss than pulsewidth modulation drive systems. It has also been shown that by manipulating the dc bus voltage, six-step mode can drive permanent magnet synchronous machines (PMSMs) over a wide speed range, and maintain the machine operating point on the maximum torque per ampere curve below the base speed to reduce the machine copper loss. However, high torque ripple exists while in this type of six-step mode. This paper develops the control design methodologies to leverage the variable and fast dc bus manipulation, provided by two-step finite-settling-step dc-to-dc converter control, to minimize torque ripple in six-step PMSM drives. Two torque control algorithms: existing voltage angle based torque control and deadbeat-direct torque and flux control are used to evaluate torque ripple reduction capability and energy savings potential of six-step PMSM drive systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flux weakening techniques have been developed for field-oriented control (FOC) drives to achieve the maximum torque capability above the base speed. Deadbeat-direct torque and flux control (DB-DTFC) has the advantages of precise torque and flux control and reduced parameter sensitivity compared to FOC, thus it has the benefit of more consistently achieving the maximum torque capability in the flux weakening region more accurately. This paper introduces a flux weakening strategy for DB-DTFC. Considering voltage and current limits, a simple solution to the optimal trajectory for the stator flux magnitude is derived to achieve the maximum feasible torque over the entire operating range. Results show that the speed control is extended to a significantly higher range beyond the base speed. Torque control is less sensitive to machine parameters and has better dynamics in the flux weakening region compared with the traditional FOC drives. Self-sensing is also investigated in the flux weakening region. Challenges of self-sensing are addressed to significantly extend the high-speed operating range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple-motor fed by multiple-converter systems feature a set of electric motor drives sharing the load through a common mechanical coupling. Such a coupling is exploited in this paper to build up a sensorless field oriented control, based on a quite common back-EMF technique to estimate the rotor flux angular position and an original approach to correct estimation errors. The technique is based on the injection of a suitable, very low frequency, sinusoidal signal on the current reference of one of the motor drives. If the estimated rotor flux position is correct, the drive output torque does not show variations. Differently, a torque ripple is generated at the frequency of the injected signal, whose effects on the system speed are easily compensated by the main speed controller. However, due to the mechanical coupling, an additional component of the reference torque current at the frequency of the injected signal is generated on all the other drives. By minimizing such a component, the estimated rotor flux position can be corrected online. The proposed method can also be exploited to estimate actual values of the stator resistance and of the rotor time constant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Induction motor loss segregation and efficiency measurement requires loading dynamometers and other equipment, such as a variable voltage sinusoidal power supply. These are expensive and not often available even when a loading device is accessible. Variable frequency drives are now widely used for operating induction machines and are more widely available and less expensive. However, their use in place of a fixed frequency sinusoidal power supply to directly measure machine efficiency is intriguing, but inherently challenging due to the pulsewidth modulation (PWM) output voltage. This paper presents some investigations for using variable frequency drives to perform IEEE 112B and IEC 60034-2-1 tests. The use of the drive, the measurement criteria, and procedures are reported and discussed. The results presented demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed concept for measuring machine efficiency with a PWM power source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate rotor and stator designs of interior permanent synchronous motors for variable speed/load applications to reduce the carrier harmonic losses caused by pulsewidth modulated inverters. The rotor core and magnet shapes are determined by automatic optimization methods with electromagnetic field analysis, which considers the inverter carrier. Appropriate stator-winding configurations are also investigated by this analysis. It is clarified that the total carrier harmonic loss can be reduced by more than 20% by optimizing both the stator and rotor shapes, whereas the other important characteristics are not deteriorated. The mechanism of carrier loss reduction is also clarified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a novel flux-weakening strategy for an induction machine driven by an electrolytic-capacitor-less inverter. In the electrolytic-capacitor-less inverter, the dc-link voltage is fluctuating at six times the frequency of the input three-phase source due to its small dc-link capacitance. Hence, the decoupling of the fluctuation and maximum utilization of the dc-link voltage is a major issue in the electrolytic-capacitor-less inverter. In this paper, the cost function is set to increase the voltage utilization of the inverter for the flux-weakening operation of an induction machine. With the proposed flux-weakening strategy, the operating speed of the induction machine is extended above the base speed without any stability problems. The experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of GaN mosfet and the performance of three-phase traction inverter for electric vehicles are closely investigated in this paper. Two versions of inverter have been illustrated: first one with Si-IGBTs, whereas the second one is built with GaN-mosfets with similar rating of voltage and current. The loss model is expounded for both the inverters; thereafter total losses are calculated considering New European Driving Cycle profile along the speed and torque of the permanent magnet synchronous motors. Further, for close-loop operation of propulsion drive, predictive current controller is proposed and compared with conventional PI controller while to control the speed, only PI controller is used. Moreover, the losses of both types of inverters are compared and the compared result confirmed that the inverter built up with GaN-mosfets with proposed current controller increases the efficiency of the propulsion drive leads to enhancement in driving range of the vehicles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate the variation in performance of variable speed induction motors fed by inverters with grades of core materials used for stators and rotors from both results of measurement and finite element analysis. Identical shaped stator/rotor cores are manufactured by using several kinds of electrical steel sheets from low to high grades. Then, the characteristics of these motors are measured. Finite element analysis is applied to these motors to understand the measured results by separating losses and torques according to origins. The measured motor characteristics are found to be in good agreement with the results of the analysis. The analysis reveals the variation in each loss component with electrical steel sheets. Finally, the strong and weak points of the application of high-grade electrical steel sheets to the variable speed induction motors are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose a simple driving method that uses only one three-phase inverter for an actively controlled 2-DOF bearingless motor. This motor has a six-slot/six-pole structure, including two separated windings for the single-phase six-pole motor and the three-phase four-pole suspension. The stator core has a staggered-tooth structure to produce starting torque. The single-phase motor winding is connected between the neutral point of the three-phase suspension winding and the midpoint of the dc power sources. The radial suspension force is calculated analytically and verified using the finite-element method. In addition, we introduce a ripple compensation method for the suspension force. A prototype of a bearingless permanent magnet motor with 2-DOF active suspension was built and tested. The results of experiments demonstrated that the rotor, which was driven at speeds up to 8000 r/min, could be levitated successfully, using only one three-phase inverter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an analytical and experimental discussion on a power hardware-in-the-loop (P-HIL) test bench for a medium-voltage high-power high-speed synchronous motor drive. This test bench consists of two modular multilevel double-star chopper-cell (DSCC) converters connected front-to-front without a transformer. An experimental downscaled P-HIL test bench is designed, constructed, and tested to confirm its operating performance. The three-phase 400-Vdc 10-kW DSCC inverter with eight chopper cells per arm is used as a “real” inverter under test. The other DSCC rectifier is used as a set of a “virtual” three-phase 200-V 10-kW 300-Hz four-pole 9000-r/min synchronous motor and a “virtual” high-speed centrifugal compressor with a quadratic torque-to-speed load characteristic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a fast initial speed estimation method has been proposed for low rotational speed operation of speed sensorless induction motor drives based on the second-order differential of the secondary flux. The fast estimation can reduce an undesirable disturbance torque generation during the restart process. The effectiveness of the proposed method is confirmed by experiments. The estimation time has been compared with those in the literature and the benefit of the proposed method is confirmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three optimized pulse-width modulated (PWM) techniques for the overmodulation region of two-level inverter-fed ac drives are introduced and investigated from the harmonic loss minimization point of view. The optimization is elaborated for the lowest loss-factor, which is proportional to the square of the root mean square value of current harmonics. The loss-factors are computed for different switching numbers as the function of the motor fundamental voltage. It is shown that, with respect to the motor heating and torque ripples, the acceptable drive condition can be guaranteed by a relatively low value of an inverter switching frequency up to 96%–97% of maximal possible motor voltage. Furthermore, it is shown that the so-called three-vector methods have considerably better performance in the lower part of the overmodulation region than the so-called two-vector method for the same number of switching. The performance of the techniques is compared with other existing PWM techniques. This paper discusses the implementation details of the proposed optimal PWM techniques. The theoretical results are verified by experimental and simulation tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single switch open-circuit faults in three-phase ac drives lead to undesired effects and potentially to a total failure of the drive. This paper proposes a postfault operation strategy for such faults with a focus on the limitation of losses after the reconfiguration and thereby an extension of the possible range of operation. Furthermore, a method for the reduction of alternating torque components during the postfault operation of a squirrel cage induction machine drive is proposed. The performance of the postfault operation strategy and the alternating torque reduction method are shown both via simulations and experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents a nonlinear control algorithm based on differential flatness approach for controlling a servo permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) drive. The differential flatness approach is a model-based estimation. Subsequently, two state-observers are introduced to calculate a load torque disturbance and a stator resistance (representing losses in an inverter and motor) using its voltage drop. This can enable the improvement of the PMSM drive system and its efficiency. Using the flatness approach, we propose simple solutions to the dynamics and stabilization problems of the PMSM drive structure. In order to evaluate the proposed control algorithm, a hardware system is realized in a laboratory and digital estimation is obtained using a dSPACE controller DS1104 platform. Simulation and experimental results with a small-scale motor of 1000 W and 3000 r/min in a laboratory corroborate the excellent control scheme during motor-drive cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, the direct torque control (DTC) for a three-level five-phase inverter-fed five-phase induction motor is proposed to improve the low-speed performance. The classical DTC scheme (DTC-I) is modified in order to minimize the demagnetization effect during a low-speed operation. According to the modification, the voltage vector space plane is divided into 20 sectors, each of sector 18°. For odd number of sectors, ${{\pm 36^\circ }}$ displaced intermediate voltage vectors, and for even number of sectors, ${{\pm 36^\circ }}$ displaced main voltage vectors are selected instead of classic ${{\pm 72^\circ }}$ displaced voltage vectors. The zero voltage vectors are omitted in the proposed DTC scheme (DTC-II) for the low-speed operation. The DTC-II scheme reduces the demagnetization effect during a low-speed region at the cost of increase in the torque ripple due to avoiding zero voltage vectors. As the speed ramps up, the ${{\pm 72^\circ }}$ displaced voltage vectors are selected through a seven-level torque comparator and are divided into ten sectors. Therefore, in the medium and the higher speed region, the torque ripple is reduced by using the seven-level torque comparator. Simulation and experimental results are presented in order to validate the DTC-II method. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Grid voltage disturbances pose serious problems to gas compression stations powered by drives such as load commutated inverters (LCI). Until recently, drive control systems used in industrial practice were not capable of handling reduced grid voltage situations appropriately, and instead interrupted the supply of drive torque. Without drive torque, compressors may quickly enter surge conditions, under which the gas flows rapidly back and forth, causing wear and risking damage to the equipment. In this paper, experimental evidence is provided showing that a combination of a revised control scheme for LCIs based on model predictive control and an advanced protection scheme for compressors, the so-called dynamic time to surge improves robustness of the system during voltage dips. We share successful voltage dip ride-throughs of two 41.2 MW LCI-fed synchronous machines, each powering a gas compressor at a large industrial site in Norway. We further analyze the impact of partial torque during voltage dips on the availability and safety of the gas compression station. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current research and development programs in aviation are promoting new technological advances to make electrical systems cheaper, lighter, and more reliable. Mono-inverter dual-permanent magnet synchronous motor (MIDPMSM) systems tend to share the static converters in electro-mechanical systems by connecting motors in parallel. However several studies have shown that the efficiency of this configuration is lower than those with a traditional Mono-inverter mono-permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) configuration, especially when unequal load torques are applied. In this paper, we propose an efficiency-optimized control method for MIDPMSM systems, which has been designed using rigorous, mathematical calculations. The determinacy, stability, and optimal efficiency of the system, which are essential in an aviation application, are explained in detail. This new control structure is simply making current single PMSM systems easy to upgrade to support the MIDPMSM system. The experiment has demonstrated not only feasibility, but also significant improvements in performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A dc bus voltage control for a motor drive that uses a hybrid energy storage system (HESS) for electric vehicle applications is proposed in this paper. The HESS is composed of a high energy density battery pack along with a high power density ultracapacitor. The motor drive of an interior permanent magnet (IPM) motor is conventionally designed based on a fixed dc bus voltage. However, with the voltage controllability of the HESS, it is possible to enhance the system efficiency by selecting the optimum dc bus voltage. Unlike conventional designs, the proposed HESS processes only a portion of the vehicle power through an interfacing dc/dc converter. This new concept reduces converter losses, enables full usage of the energy stored in the storage devices, and provides a boosting capability of the dc bus voltage. Consequently, the motor drive operates with maximum torque per ampere control for an extended operating range. An electric vehicle, equipped with a HESS and an IPM drive is simulated under different driving conditions. Experimental results of a prototype system are provided to verify the system effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper provides the fundamentals of integrated motor-drive system design knowledge that could be used as a basis to change the existing machine design approach from being a separate machine design tool to a more advanced engineering package in which the inverter performance can also be considered. Various users' preferences including motor performances in the transient, rated, and flux-weakening operations along with the inverter quality are studied by means of a detailed cosimulation process which utilizes finite element method, MATLAB, and SIMULINK packages to build the framework based on which magnetic, electric, and electronic devices and quantities are modeled, simulated, and postprocessed. A case study of an interior-permanent-magnet motor connected to a field-oriented controlled drive is investigated and the design process concepts are developed by means of a comprehensive statistical analysis. It is shown that incorporating the inverter quality into the design process changes the idea of optimum motor design, and hence, not only the design parameters but also the expectations from motor performances have to be revised. In fact, an integrated motor-drive system design process regarding the best motor operations in the transient, rated, and flux-weakening modes is targeted with the purpose of addressing design challenges of interior-permanent-magnet motors. To this end, the start-up torque, the rise time, the motor efficiency, the torque ripple, the constant power speed range, the characteristic current, the inverter efficiency, and the system cost, which cover a group of important objectives of different applications, are investigated. Finally, a design package will be able to address different designers’ expectations more efficiently using the approach proposed herein. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A method for enhancing torque capability of a dual three-phase permanent magnet synchronous machine (PMSM) based on conventional dual three-phase drive system by injecting the fifth and seventh current harmonics without any hardware re-configuration is proposed in this paper. Compared with the third current harmonic injection, which is commonly used to enhance the torque capability of dual three-phase machine, the two isolated neutral points of each set of single three-phase windings do not need to be reconnected to the middle point of dc-link capacitors or an additional power switching bridge to provide flowing path for zero-sequence current. Further, no additional current sensors are required to obtain the feedback of zero-sequence current to regulate it effectively. For a prototype dual three-phase PMSM, the average torque increases approximately by 9% at the cost of 0.56% increase in the 12th harmonic torque ripple. The effectiveness of the torque capability enhancement is confirmed by experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a result of dead-time, device on-state voltage drop, dc bus voltage measurement error, etc., volt-second errors degrade precise control of torque and flux linkage, particularly at low speeds. This is true for deadbeat-direct torque and flux control, which directly manipulates the volt-second vector sourced by inverters, as well as for indirect field oriented control drives. This paper introduces a real-time sensing scheme to measure the motor terminal volt-second vectors for each switching period with negligible phase lag. Based on the volt-second sensing, a model reference adaptive system-based approach is developed to decouple the volt-second errors from inverter nonlinearity, and dc bus voltage fluctuation and measurement error. By delivering an accurate volt-second vector for each switching period, torque and flux control accuracy, self-sensing performance, and parameter estimation accuracy are significantly enhanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DC-link voltage and temperature variations are critical issues when designing an electric vehicle (EV) traction system. However, systems are generally reported at fixed voltage and temperature and may not, therefore, be fully specified when considering the variation of these parameters over full vehicle operating extremes. This paper presents an assessment of power-train options based on the Nissan Leaf vehicle, which is taken as a benchmark system providing experimental validation of the study results. The Nissan Leaf traction machine is evaluated and performance assessed by considering dc-link voltage and temperature variations typical of an automotive application, showing that the system lacks performance as battery state of charge decreases. An alternative traction machine design is proposed to satisfy the target performance. The vehicle power-train is then modified with the inclusion of a dc/dc converter between the vehicle battery and dc-link to maintain the traction system dc-link voltage near constant. A supercapacitor system is also considered for improved system voltage management. The trade-offs for the redesigned systems are discussed in terms of electronic and machine packaging, and mitigation of faulted operation at high speeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computational burden is a major hurdle for practical implementation of finite-state predictive torque control (FS-PTC) of motor drive fed by a multilevel inverter. One of the reasons of computational complexity is that all voltage vectors are evaluated for prediction and actuation. This paper proposes a reduced number of voltage vectors for the prediction and actuation, which are called prediction vectors in FS-PTC. The performance is investigated for a three-level neutral-point clamped inverter fed motor drive in terms of torque and flux response, stator current total harmonic distortion, robustness, average switching frequency, and neutral-point voltage variation. The number of prediction vectors is reduced based on the position of stator flux and the deviation in stator flux from its reference. Experimental results confirm that the computational burden could be reduced by 38%, while the dynamic performance is comparable with the conventional all voltage vectors based FS-PTC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper identifies possible topological reconfigurability of a T-type inverter for direct torque controlled (DTC) induction motor drives when an open-switch fault occurs. In open-switch fault, inverter current path is different than normal path. This causes undesirable inverter switching states. Since DTC is based on a voltage vector selection criterion, open-switch fault causes ambiguous torque control. Analysis of DTC drive under two different inverter open-switch fault conditions viz. half-bridge and neutral-point switch fault are presented. The operation of the inverter in DTC mode against faults is achieved by simple topological reconfiguration. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Applications of motor drives, ranging from automotive traction to more-electric aircraft, have widely varying speed and torque demands. With extensive use of inverter-fed drives, loss minimization techniques for such applications have evolved over the past few decades. Previous work on loss minimization has mainly focused on specific drive components. Component-level loss minimization, however, will not guarantee minimum total loss in the drive system. In this paper, a system-level loss minimization method is developed using a comprehensive loss model, to achieve true minimum total loss in the system. The total loss obtained is lower for the proposed system-based minimization than the component-based methods such as machine loss minimization, torque maximization per stator ampere, and dc-link loss minimization. Simulation and experimental results for a sample drive cycle are presented to verify the benefits of the proposed scheme for an induction motor drive. Results suggest system loss reduction of about 7%, when compared to machine-based optimization, in high-variability applications. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, a Lyaupnov-based finite control set model predictive direct torque control for the permanent magnet synchronous machine (PMSM) is proposed. In the proposed control scheme, the finite control set prediction and the Lyapunov theory are combined to minimize the torque ripple. The eight voltage vectors of the two-level converter are utilized as a finite control set for the torque prediction of the PMSM. A cost function considering the torque error, the maximum torque per ampere operation and the current limitation is introduced. Comparing to the conventional finite control set predictive control, the dominant part of the cost function is utilized as a Lyapunov function to estimate the duty cycle of each voltage vector. An optimum voltage can be obtained by the optimum voltage vector from the eight vectors and their duty cycles. A small sampling frequency and a fixed switching frequency can be realized when compared to the conventional finite set model predictive control. In the end, the simulation and experimental results validate the performance of the proposed control scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a comprehensive discussion on voltage balancing of all the floating capacitors in a modular multilevel cascade inverter based on double-star chopper cells (DSCC) or a modular multilevel DSCC inverter. It intends to use the inverter for driving a medium-voltage synchronous motor. Theoretical and numerical design considerations on both amplitude and phase of the three-phase motor currents achieve better capacitor-voltage balancing in a low-power low-frequency range. A three-phase DSCC inverter with phase-shifted-carrier pulse width modulation is designed, constructed, and tested to drive the 370-V 15-kW 75-Hz six-pole interior-permanent-magnet synchronous motor loaded with a hypothetical centrifugal compressor. Experimental results verify the validity of the theoretical analysis, as well as the effectiveness and viability of the DSCC inverter for such a specific electrical drive. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Future transportation challenges include a considerable reduction in pollutant emissions at a time when significant increase in demand is predicted. One of the enabling solutions is the electrification of transport systems as this should lead to improved operability, fuel savings, emission reduction, and maintenance. While state-of-the-art technology has demonstrable benefits there needs to be considerable advancement to meet future transportation affordability and emission targets. Primarily, electrical drives need an improved power density, an increased reliability, and a reduced specific cost. For this reason, integrated modular motor drives (IMMDs) present an attractive solution. Modularity leads to redundancy and easier integration. This paper presents a novel speed-drooped control system applied to motors fed by modular paralleled converters. This control technique allows precise speed regulation and power sharing among different segments showing improved fault tolerance and reliability. The design procedure and the power sharing dynamic have been presented and analyzed by means of MATLAB/Simulink and validated in a 3-kW experimental rig, showing good agreement with the expected performances. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, two modulation strategies called Mod-1 and Mod-2 are compared for a three-level diode neutral-point-clamped (NPC) inverter synchronous reluctance machine (SynRM) drive. These modulation strategies do not operate at a fixed switching frequency. A new modulation strategy which operates at a fixed switching frequency is proposed called Mod-3. The SynRM suffers from a poor power factor which makes it harder to archive capacitor voltage balancing for a three-level NPC inverter. These modulation strategies are of the nearest three vector (NTV) family. Mod-1 and Mod-3 choose certain vector states to achieve capacitor voltage balancing, whereas Mod-2 strategy makes use of the inverter vector state’s dwell time. The parameters of interest are the torque ripple, the neutral point (NP) voltage ripple, the inverter efficiency, and the $d$-axis current ripple. Though lower torque ripple and better power quality are registered on Mod-2 strategy. Mod-1 strategy has 14% improvement in inverter efficiency at lower modulation index ($m_i = 0.4$). Mod-2 strategy has 11% more NP voltage ripple at a modulation index of 0.4. One of the disadvantages of Mod-1 strategy is the varying switching frequency. Mod-3 scheme produced higher inverter efficiency, better balancing of the capacitor voltages, and guaranteed fixed inverter switching frequency. The disadvantage with Mod-3 strategy is that it generated higher torque ripple, $d$-axis current ripple, and current total harmonic distortion when compared to Mod-1 and Mod-2 at the same load conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a Scott-transformer-based power factor correction (PFC) rectifier for a three-level neutral-point-clamped (NPC) inverter-fed induction motor drive (IMD) for enhanced power quality at ac mains. Here, the Scott-transformer-based PFC rectifier is digitally controlled by a current feedforward control. The torque component of the stator current is added to the output of the dc-bus voltage proportional plus integral (PI) controller as a feedforward term, which enhances the dynamic performance of the dc-bus voltage regulation. The three-level NPC inverter is controlled by a space vector-modulated (SVM) indirect vector control scheme. The performance of the proposed dc-bus voltage loop with feedforward control is compared with the conventional one and found to offer faster response with less overshoot and undershoot. The proposed IMD system is simulated using MATLAB/Simulink and the same is validated experimentally. The proposed drive system is analyzed for a wide variation in reference speed and load torques demonstrating significant improvement in the performance indices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an integrated field and armature current control strategy for a variable flux reluctance machine (VFRM) with an open-winding topology. By using an open-winding inverter, the field and armature currents can be injected into a single coil as a sinusoidal current biased by the dc offset rather than the separated field and armature windings. The integrated current control can reduce the copper loss to half and extend the operating speed range owing to the reduction in the winding resistance. In order to utilize the zero-sequence current as a field current, a zero-vector modification technique is proposed, in which the switching-on time of the zero vectors is modified to generate the constant zero-sequence voltage between two inverters. The proposed scheme is implemented in a synchronous $dq0$-axis frame with space vector modulation. For the validation of the proposed method, a machine model of the VFRM is developed and implemented in MATLAB/Simulink. The simulation and experimental results verify that the proposed strategy can effectively reduce the copper loss and extend the operating speed range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Constant-volts-per-hertz induction motor drives and vector-controlled induction motor drives utilize pulsewidth modulation (PWM) to control the voltage applied on the motor. The method of PWM influences the pulsations in the torque developed by the motor. A space-vector-based approach to PWM facilitates special switching sequences involving the division of active state time. This paper proposes a space-vector-based hybrid PWM technique, which is a combination of the conventional and special switching sequences. The proposed hybrid PWM technique results in a lower peak-to-peak torque ripple than conventional space vector PWM (CSVPWM) at high speeds of an induction motor drive. Furthermore, the magnitude of the dominant torque harmonic due to the proposed hybrid PWM is significantly lower than that due to CSVPWM at high speeds of the drive. Experimental results from a 3.75-kW sensorless vector-controlled induction motor drive under various load conditions are presented to support analytical and simulation results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a yet another effort to produce better permanent magnet (PM)-less rotor-winding-less brushless electric motor drives, this paper reports work related to multiphase (m =6) high saliency rotor dual-flat-top alternative current control brushless dc (BLDC) reluctance machine drives. The aim is to produce high torque density, low loss/torque in a PM-less rotor-winding-less machine by full usage of machine windings and core and of inverter kVA. A new derivation of the principle of operation, essential rotary and linear machine topologies, and a 2-D finite-element method (FEM) analysis for torque density and torque pulsations on an already built (6 phase, 6 poles, 35 N $\cdot$m) lab prototype are made available and show promising results. Experimental flux decay test results are presented, which, together with standstill torque measurements, validate the finite-element model. Advanced iron loss computation by finite-element analysis indicates moderate core loss, although high air-gap magnetic flux density and current harmonics occur as a natural behavior of a BLDC machine. Electrical and mechanical parameter identification is followed by the development of a circuit model based on FEM imported data for parameters and by a four-quadrant control strategy proposal. Running experiments (motoring and generating) with speed-reversal and field-weakening modes using a DSpace platform, which drives three three-phase inverters that power a star-connected six-phase BLDC multiphase reluctance machine are presented, thus showing operation with a reduced number of switches in the inverter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medium-voltage (MV) drives are increasingly used in high-power marine applications for running thrusters and main propulsion motors. In this paper, an MV drive solution employing active front-end current-source converters is proposed for a synchronous-motor-based propulsion system. The proposed solution includes two independent drives, each to control one of the two sets of three-phase windings of the synchronous motor. A dedicated communication link between the drives allows continuous load sharing and robust system operation in a master–follower drive configuration. Field-oriented control with the use of an absolute encoder is implemented for providing high starting torque and smooth speed control over a wide speed range including a 30% overspeed region. The major advantages of the proposed solution include simple structure, increased system power rating, redundant operation, low-harmonic input/output waveforms, improved reliability, elimination of a bulky input isolation transformer, and parallel drive control without the need of a complex coordinated inverter gating system. In addition, the system offers input power factor compensation and dynamic braking to allow operation on a generator-based supply system. Field test results obtained on a 14-MW ship propulsion system are provided to demonstrate the system performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, road vehicles are more equipped with permanent magnet synchronous motors. Particularly interesting are brushless dc (BLDC) motors, which, due to their inherently sensorless operation, are considered as viable candidates in large-scale production industries such as the automotive one. Within this trend, this paper deals with the synthesis and implementation of a novel direct torque control (DTC) strategy dedicated to the control of BLDC motor drives. Compared with the most recent and highly performed DTC strategy, the proposed one offers improved reliability due to the achievement of balanced switching frequencies of the inverter upper and lower insulated-gate bipolar transistors, on one hand, and the reduction in the average value of the motor common mode voltage, on the other hand. Furthermore, the torque ripple is significantly damped during sector-to-sector commutations using a three-level hysteresis torque controller. An experientially based comparative study of the most recent and highly performed DTC strategy from one side and the introduced one from the other side clearly highlights the potentialities exhibited by the latest one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Six-step operation has many advantages in permanent-magnet synchronous machine (PMSM) drives such as maximum power utilization and widened flux-weakening region. However, due to the maximum utilization of inverter output, saturation of current regulator makes it difficult to maintain instantaneous current control capability. Accordingly, in most of conventional research studies, the six-step operation has been implemented by voltage angle control without current regulation, whose dynamic performance is quite unsatisfactory. This paper proposes a control scheme for the six-step operation of PMSM with enhanced dynamic performance of current control. By collaborative operation of dynamic overmodulation, flux weakening, and a technique for enhanced dynamic performance, the six-step operation is realized without losing instantaneous current control capability. Simulations and experiments are carried out to verify the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme. The experimental results show 17% extension of the constant torque region and 27% enhancement of torque capability at three times of the base speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The uniqueness of the electrical environment (asynchronous connection to power system, variable frequency operation, and harmonics) on the output of adjustable-speed drives (ASDs) requires special consideration to be given to the motor protection. The Working Group has investigated and addressed these concerns. This paper announces the report on the findings of this activity and the recommendations made to the motor protection engineer. The full report can be found at xlink:type="simple" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"www.pes-psrc.org under Published Reports. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper documents fatigue-related mechanical failures in variable-frequency drive (VFD) motor machinery due to mechanical vibrations excited by drive torque harmonics which are created by pulse width modulation (PWM) switching. Present effort models the coupled system with a full electrical system (including the rectifier, dc bus, inverter, and motor), and an industrial mechanical system (including flexible couplings, gearboxes, and multiple inertias). The models are formed by a novel combination of a commercial motor code with a general self-written mechanical code. The approach extends failure prediction beyond the simple occurrence of resonance to fatigue life evaluation based on the rain-flow algorithm, which is suitable for both steady state and transient start-up mechanical response. The second contribution is a demonstration that the common use of a multilevel inverter to reduce voltage/current harmonics may actually exacerbate resonance and fatigue failure. This is shown to be caused by a resulting amplitude increase of torque components in proximity to potential resonance frequencies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]