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In response to climate change, governments around the world have committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to global warming, through the energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources and electrification of transportation. This article outlines the design procedure for the electrification of a railway vehicle used for maintenance services on the rail network. The proposed methodology consists of the design of both an all-electric propulsion system and storage system with the aim of zero emissions when the vehicle is operating in tunnels and to minimise noise during maintenance services in cities. After highlighting the characteristics of the railway vehicle under consideration, a simulation model of the propulsion and generation system was developed in order to calculate the energy consumption of the entire railway system. Finally, experimental tests carried out on the prototype proved the effectiveness of the design procedure adopted and the proposed mathematical model, showing a good matching with the simulated results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An innovative variable-structure-systems-based approach for online training of neural network (NN) controllers as applied to the speed control of electric drives is presented. The proposed learning algorithm establishes an inner sliding motion in terms of the controller parameters, leading the command error towards zero. The outer sliding motion concerns the controlled electric drive, the state tracking error vector of which is simultaneously forced towards the origin of the phase space. The equivalence between the two sliding motions is demonstrated. In order to evaluate the performance of the proposed control scheme and its practical feasibility in industrial settings, experimental tests have been carried out with electric motor drives. Crucial problems such as adaptability, computational costs, and robustness are discussed. Experimental results illustrate that the proposed NN-based speed controller possesses a remarkable learning capability to control electric drives, virtually without requiring a priori knowledge of the plant dynamics and laborious startup procedures. Index Terms--Adaptive control, electric drives, neural networks (NNs), variable structure systems.

This paper presents some analysis techniques of the space vector of voltages induced in the stator windings after supply disconnection, to detect broken rotor bars in squirrel-cage induction machines. When the motor is disconnected from the supply no currents flow in the stator windings and the voltages measurable at its terminals are due to flux produced by rotor currents. When the rotor is healthy, the voltages measured at motor terminals are almost sinusoidal because of the symmetry of rotor windings. When there are broken rotor bars, the magnetomotive force generated by rotor windings is distorted, and some particular harmonics, contained in the voltages induced in the stator windings, increase their amplitudes. The diagnostic technique is based on monitoring these voltage harmonics and analyzing the space vector of the voltages induced in the stator windings via MUSIC pseudospectrum and short-time MUSIC (STMUSIC) time-frequency pseudorepresentation. The MUSIC algorithm is based on the eigen analysis of the autocorrelation matrix, and permits us to evidence the principal harmonic frequencies of the signal and decrease the noise influence, thus allowing a better detection of the broken rotor bars. The results obtained using MUSIC and STMUSIC algorithm have been compared experimentally with those obtained by fast Fourier transform (FFT) and short-time FFT, respectively, and two different sized induction motors have been tested, to demonstrate the superiority of the former approach. Differently from most of the diagnostic techniques already proposed in the technical literature, the proposed approach is effective regardless of the load condition of the machine, source characteristics, and iron saturation. Index Terms--Asynchronous rotating machines, discrete Fourier transforms, fault diagnosis, MUSIC, spectral analysis, transient analysis.

The use of fast wide-bandgap devices in high-speed electrical drives with steep pulsewidth modulation voltage waveforms is the main cause of increased stress on the electric machine insulation system and consequently, of reduced reliability of the whole system. This represents a major concern in safety-critical applications, such as in the aerospace and electric transportation fields. The novel contribution of this work is to assess the effects of electrical aging on complex insulation systems (i.e., a whole stator winding) by analyzing easily measurable macroscopic quantities. To this purpose, an electrical aging procedure is defined, and the effects produced on three tested motors are presented. Three different analysis methods are adopted with the aim of assessing the damage caused to an ac motor winding by such steep voltage waveforms and hence to evaluate the state of aging of the insulation system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-speed electrical drives normally require converters capable of high-frequency operation. For this reason, converters based on SiC mosfets have been spreading in this field. Nevertheless, the problems caused by the high dv/dt imposed by SiC mosfets, like the premature failure of the motor winding insulation and the electromagnetic interference generation, are drawing more and more attention of the experts of this sector. In fact, these issues can deeply affect the system reliability and, hence, can represent a limiting factor for all those applications where the continuity of operation is the highest priority. To avoid the use of SiC mosfets in the most sensitive applications, this paper presents a solution, which consists of a Si-insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT)-based inverter fed by a Si-IGBT-based dc/dc converter performing a suitable dc voltage regulation. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to prove that a stable operation of a high-speed drive can be guaranteed through the proposed converter configuration. To prove the effectiveness of the proposed solution, experimental results on a laboratory setup have been presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synchronous reluctance (SyR) machines can constitute a promising alternative to permanent magnet machines for low‐cost applications. The recent literature reports some guidelines for choosing the proper number and position of the rotor flux barriers capable of enhancing the electromagnetic performance in low‐speed applications. However, as the rotational speed increases, the electromagnetic and structural mutual interactions become relevant; therefore, an optimal design requires a proper trade‐off between torque production and stress reduction, which can be difficultly predicted analytically. This work proposes an approach based on optimisation algorithms in order to find 'non‐conventional' geometries able to improve the power density: genetic algorithms coupled to magneto‐static finite elements analysis and structural analytical models, are adopted to co‐design SyR machines with different numbers of stator slots and rotor barriers subjected to the same thermal constraints. This study investigates two design procedures aimed at maximising the output power of SyR machines by increasing the rotational speed. Both procedures allow determining the power limits for a given volume of active parts and a fixed amount of admissible losses; moreover, the second procedure automatically finds also the rotational speed which maximises the output power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synchronous reluctance (SyR) machines are a high-efficiency alternative to induction motors for variable-speed applications. To mitigate the well known downside of their lower power factor, permanent-magnet-assisted topologies, in which either rare-earth or ferrite magnets are inserted into the rotor in suitable quantities, are often adopted. The design and optimization procedures for PM-assisted topologies have been thoroughly discussed in the related literature. This paper compares SyR machines assisted with NdFeB and ferrite magnets, focusing on torque overload capability and feasibility of saliency-based position estimation algorithms. Three prototypes were realized and tested. They all have the stator of a commercial induction motor and the same custom-designed SyR rotor laminations. Among the three prototypes, one is a pure SyR motor, and the other two have NdFeB and ferrite magnets, respectively; both are designed to give the same torque at rated current. Results from simulations and experiments are presented comparing the transient overload capability of the three machines, in terms of torque capability and de-magnetization limit. A dynamic thermal model of the machines was developed within this scope. Moreover, the feasibility of saliency-based sensorless methods was investigated and is presented here for the three machines, both at high- and low-current loads. The results of the paper suggest that the ferrite-assisted solution is the best candidate for replacing induction motors in variable-speed applications, for its optimal tradeoff between performance and cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study considers the design of surface-mounted permanent magnet electrical machines for high-speed applications and proposes a methodology to determine the maximum achievable power density. Power density is usually improved by increasing rotational speed. At high speed, a mechanical retaining system for the rotor magnets must be considered. As the speed increases, the thickness of the retaining sleeve becomes larger, reducing torque capability. There will be an optimal speed at which the output power will be maximised. Both structural and electromagnetic design must be considered simultaneously to properly address this design problem. To simplify the design procedure, static finite-element simulations are used for the electromagnetic analysis and analytical formulae are employed for retaining sleeve sizing. The procedure is aided by multi-objective optimisation algorithms. A case study based on the specification of an aeronautical actuator is presented. The performances that can be obtained using different iron cores, high-grade silicon steel, and cobalt iron steel are compared. Finally, results obtained from transient finite-element electromagnetic and structural analysis are presented to validate the feasibility of the proposed procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the use of conical induction machines is proposed for an in-wheel traction application. Such machines offer a rotational movement combined with a translational motion of the rotor. The horizontal movement is essential when active engagement and disengagement of the motor from the wheel without any extra mechanical component is required. This paper first investigates the basic concepts of how the conical machine functions and then proposes a mission strategy for a relevant traction application. A detailed description of the full scheme is given. In order to achieve the required performance, an innovative control method for both degrees of freedom of the machine (i.e., torque production and axial movement) is proposed and validated against a small-scale demonstrator of the whole system. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper considers the electromagnetic and structural co-design of superficial permanent magnet synchronous machines for high-speed applications, with the aid of a Pareto optimization procedure. The aim of this work is to present a design procedure for the afore-mentioned machines that relies on the combined used of optimization algorithms and finite element analysis. The proposed approach allows easy analysis of the results and a lowering of the computational burden. The proposed design method is presented through a practical example starting from the specifications of an aeronautical actuator. The design procedure is based on static finite element simulations for electromagnetic analysis and on analytical formulas for structural design. The final results are validated through detailed transient finite element analysis to verify both electromagnetic and structural performance. The step-by-step presentation of the proposed design methodology allows the reader to easily adapt it to different specifications. Finally, a comparison between a distributed-winding (24 slots) and a concentrated-winding (6 slots) machine is presented demonstrating the advantages of the former winding arrangement for high-speed applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an efficiency comparison of two converters designed for driving high-speed AC machines. In such applications, an inverter based on Si- IGBTs is not a viable solution since the switching losses became too high and physical limits of such devices do not match the required elevated switching frequencies. The use of SiC devices allows higher switching frequencies and reduced losses but issues mainly related to quickened motor insulation aging arise because of high dv/dt values. In this work a topology, made up of a Si IGBT inverter fed by a SiC MOSFET DC-DC converter, is benchmarked over an inverter based on SiC MOSFETs in terms of efficiency. The advantage of the first solution is to reduce the switching frequency and the dv/dt values without reducing the control frequency. Therefore, the major result is to lower the stress on the motor winding insulation. To assess and compare the efficiency performances of the two schemes, simulation and experimental tests have been carried out. Results show the feasibility of the proposed solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with the use of conical induction machines. Such machines are extremely valuable when apart from the rotational torque output; an axial translation of the rotor is also required. The inherent attraction between the stator and rotor of any machine combined with the geometry of a conical machine will provide the required axial movement. However, when applied to aerospace applications, where reliability is very important, then full monitoring of the axial position is required. In this paper, an innovative approach aimed at monitoring and controlling the axial translation of a conical induction machine is proposed and investigated. In order to increase the system reliability and also decrease component count as demanded by the application, the methodology is a sensor-less technique based on an innovative variant of the high-frequency injection approach. In this paper, the technique has been fully investigated and experimentally validated on a purposely built instrumented test-rig. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper describes the design procedure followed to realize a high-speed synchronous reluctance machine for aeronautical application. The attention is mainly focused on the rotor design that is the most critical part of any synchronous reluctance machine; in particular for high-speed applications. After a preliminary optimization of the rotor geometry, a multiphysical design that considered mechanical, thermal, and electromagnetic properties was developed. The main steps of the design procedure together with an extensive analysis of the final design are presented here. Two prototypes have been realized using different rotor lamination materials in order to validate the design procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

High-speed regimes allow an increase in the power density of electrical drives, which is a necessary characteristic in aeronautical applications. In such a context, together with the typical nonlinearities of low-speed drives, i.e., core saturation, phenomena related to high fundamental to sampling frequency ratios appear increasingly significant. This paper applies methodologies based on modern robust control to high-speed synchronous reluctance machines. The proposed method is based on a reformulation of the motor model as a linear parameter varying system. This allows transforming the current controller design in a multivariable optimization problem, which is solved with efficient numeric tools. The mathematical formulation of a robust digital controller directly designed in the discrete time domain is proposed. The controller performance are experimentally compared to of its counterpart designed in the continuous-time domain, and subsequently, discretized, as proposed in a previous work by the same authors, to have agreement a more standard decoupled current control using proportional-integral regulators. Results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed controller structure in current regulation, especially at high-speed regimes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In modern electrical drives, all regulators are implemented in discrete-time domain. The design of the current controller in the continuous time and its following discretization is a common and effective procedure as long as the ratio between the fundamental frequency and the sampling frequency remains sufficiently small. If this condition is violated, the performance of the closed-loop system becomes increasingly poor or even unstable. Literature has proposed some effective strategies to design the controllers directly in the discrete-time domain, but these methods can be applied only to nonsalient machines. However, saliency is another major cause of loss of performance when not properly considered. This paper focuses on the extension of the discrete-time design rules to salient machines. Simulation and experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]